Beth Moore - Scriptures and Quotations from Breaking Free

With the accuracy of a historian, the insight of a scholar, and the heart of a Christian leader, Kate Bowler explores an influential phenomenon within Christianity in this challenge to todays church leaders. Readers of Bowlers previous books will not be disappointed.

PHIL AND DEBBIE WALDREP, founders of the Women of Joyministry

Filled with vivid human portraits, The Preachers Wifeis an absolute joy to read. Kate Bowlers account demonstrates, with great insight, the difficult balance megachurch women must constantly maintain, stepping into the limelight but never appearing to monopolize it. The book advances our understanding of evangelicalism and womens role in modern American religion.

MARGARET BENDROTH, author of The Last Puritans: Mainline Protestants and the Power of the Past

Kate Bowler provides an extraordinarily rich portrait of Christian female celebrities who are breaking church barriers on womens roles even as they uphold a carefully crafted stance of holy obedience. With generosity, perceptiveness, and wit, Bowler analyzes these women in all their intricacy as they manage beauty, sexuality, family life, and money on a public stage. A truly splendid book.

R. MARIE GRIFFITH, author of Moral Combat: How Sex Divided American Christians and Fractured American Politics

Fascinating, insightful, and utterly illuminating, this book shows why historians need to be involved in all of our theological conversations. Kate Bowler throws the lights on, bringing us a desperately needed perspective on the invisible rules governing how, when, and which women lead in the religious marketplace. As a woman in public ministry, Im grateful for the clarity and challenge of Bowlers findings as well as her kindness, camaraderie, and wisdom. I wont see my work the same way again.

SARAH BESSEY, author of Jesus Feministand Miracles and Other Reasonable Things

THE PREACHERS WIFE

THE PREACHERS WIFE

The Precarious Power of Evangelical Women Celebrities

KATE BOWLER

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS

PRINCETON AND OXFORD

Copyright 2019 by Kate Bowler

Requests for permission to reproduce material from this work should be sent to permissions@press.princeton.edu

Published by Princeton University Press

41 William Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08540

6 Oxford Street, Woodstock, Oxfordshire OX20 1TR

press.princeton.edu

All Rights Reserved

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Bowler, Kate, author.

Title: The preachers wife : the precarious power of evangelical women celebrities / Kate Bowler.

Description: Princeton, NJ : Princeton University Press, 2019. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2019016248 | ISBN 9780691179612 (hardcover)

Subjects: LCSH: Evangelicalism. | Spouses of clergyUnited States Biography. | Women in ChristianityBiography.

Classification: LCC BR1643.A1 B69 2019 | DDC 277.3/083082dc23 LC record available at https:// lccn .loc .gov /2019016248

ISBN (e-book): 9780691185972

Version 1.0

British Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available

Editorial: Fred Appel, Jenny Tan

Production Editorial: Terri OPrey

Text Design: Leslie Flis

Jacket/Cover Design: Amanda Weiss

Production: Erin Suydam

Publicity: Kathryn Stevens

Jacket images: iStock

For Dad
who dusted me off and sent me back up the mountain after I fell all the way down.