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The Resignation of Eve is a journey into the lives of women who have chosen different paths in their relationship with church.

Some stay because they love the church, some stay for their family, and some stay because they don’t know where else to go. Some are physically present but mentally and emotionally absent. Some have quit church and are trying to decide if they want to return. Some have left permanently.

The stories in RoE provide you with a reference point for your journey into or out of the church — of any tradition of background.

We invite you (men are welcome as well) to tell us your story. What’s your reaction to the book? What in the continuing journey touches you? Which of the women would you like to talk with? Are you willing to share your story? Is there something else you would like to tell us? We would love to hear from you.

We want you to know that you aren’t alone (or crazy.)

Lynne Hybels and George Barna Commentary

Lynne Hybels (wife of Bill Hybels who is the pastor of Willow Creek Community Church)  and George Barna (founder of the The Barna Group, a market research firm specializing in studying the religious beliefs and behavior of Americans and the intersection of faith and culture)  both graciously agreed to write forewords for The Resignation of Eve.

Below, Lynne and George explain why it was important to them to write their forward.

Lynne Hybels

When women have half a chance, they change the world! I am convinced that women are our greatest untapped resource—in local communities and in the church. Unfortunately, I fear one of the unintended results of the debate about the role of women in the church is that some women fail to take themselves seriously. They don’t think personal growth—stretching themselves intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually—really matters because, well, they’re just women.

That’s why I’m writing the foreword to this book. I doubt anything I’ve written will change the theological perspective of church leaders regarding women’s roles in the church. But I do hope my words will encourage women—whatever their gifts and whatever church they’re in—to take themselves seriously.

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George Barna

In preparing to write this book, Jim not only talked to countless women across the nation—either in person or through online exchanges—but also commissioned The Barna Group to conduct a nationwide survey among women related to his hypotheses. You will find the results of that survey woven into the arguments made in this book. The provision of both qualitative anecdotes and statistical evidence makes for an interesting and thought-provoking read. (You’ll find some of the data in tabular form in an appendix of this book.)

I don’t know if I agree with all of Jim’s conclusions, but I’ll tell you this: he’s making me think. I am grateful for that challenge. Sometimes it seems that those of us who are men in positions of church leadership don’t think enough about the issues that Jim raises. It’s good to be confronted on these matters.

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