God's Good Design: What the Bible Really Says About Men and Women

"This book is a welcome addition to the gender’ landscape. Claire Smith’s careful and meticulous attention to the biblical text is of immense service to those who are not afraid to dig deep below the surface in order to fathom truth. This book is thorough, comprehensive and scholarly. I wholeheartedly recommend it to men and women who yearn to live within God’s good design for relationships in church and family."

"This is a great book that systematically lays out all God says on this important issue. It is thorough, comprehensive, accessible and compelling. It avoids the trap of saying more than God has said, but carefully says no less. It therefore confronts men as well as women and calls us back to God’s good design. And it’s helpful to have an author who can so sensitively engage with such depth on so profound a topic in the context of truly knowing the pain and gain of wrestling with these things! Read the last chapter first. It helps to keep in mind who it is that writes. I’ll be one of the first to stock this important, relevant and careful book on our church bookshop."

"This is a most loving contribution to the gender discussions of today. And we who follow Christ cannot afford to pretend the Bible is too difficult or debatable on these matters without losing traction on many others.Claire Smith walks us through the biblical texts so intelligibly, winsomely, pertinently and persuasively that we have fresh cause to thank God and put his wise ways into practice."

"Gallons of ink have been spilt over issues of male and female roles in church leadership and the home. Few authors have provided such a careful, accurate and convincing treatment of the biblical texts involved. This outstanding book is comprehensive, thoroughly readable, full of useful application and apologetic, and will provide us with a magnificent resource for our churches for many years to come. I could not commend it more highly!"

"Claire Smith tackles passages that some have claimed are too hard’, and she does this with the clear conviction that this is God’s good word to us. This is a helpful resource for the church because it works through the Bible passages verse by verse, letting them set the agenda for the ministry of men and women, rather than simply making assertions from elsewhere. It is evident throughout the book that Claire has been working on these texts for many years. She writes so plainly and clearly, and she addresses common objections and pastoral issues. This clarity makes the book widely accessible."

"Claire Smith’s fine scholarship makes her an excellent guide to the teaching of Scripture on the subject of men and women. She has a desire to be true to God’s word and to show how God’s word enhances human life. This is no abstract discussionClaire has a rich and thoughtful experience of what she writes about. This is a book worth reading!"

"Claire Smith’s thoughtful, careful work deserves a full read from beginning to end. She aims not to advance an argument but to listen well to God’s word about men and women and their relationships with each other. This book models some of the most important exegetical principles: close attention to the Bible’s words; study of texts in their immediate and full contexts; consistent effort to say no more or less than the Bible says; and personal humility and joy in receiving God’s word. I commend this book not as a checklist for a view but as a worthy guide along the path of listening well to God’s voice in Scripture."

"Is it possible to say anything fresh or new about Christian feminism and Christian complementarianism? Not only has the debate been thrashed out in countless essays and books that begin to sound painfully predictable, but each side’ is convinced it has won’. Into this maelstrom of publications, Claire Smith’s little book comes with a refreshing sanity, a happy eagerness to let Scripture speak, and a simple style that will frustrate the pundits and make many ordinary Christian readers rejoice over this breath of fresh air, this godly and biblically faithful call to rejoice in God’s Good Design."