Because gender issues are at the heart of the evangelical self-understanding, they have played a central role in the evangelicals’ conflict with the larger American culture. While there has been significant scholarly interest in the relationship between gender and culture, very little has been written about the increasingly important evangelical feminist movement. This study will examine the lives of women who have embraced feminism yet tried to remain within the evangelical fold, and have thus found themselves in a precarious position which threatens their very community.

This study will draw on historical and sociological methods and engage theoretical debates in both disciplines. It will challenge the “Culture Wars” thesis in the Sociology of Religion by looking at a group of people who defy simple polarization. It will also engage a newly developing conflict model in the History of Religions which rejects notions of cultural consensus in favor of more textured descriptions and explanations and focuses on the importance of sacred space and symbols.

Finally, the issue of gender in evangelicalism will be placed in the context of larger cultural conflict contributing to a clearer understanding of the relationship between religion and American culture.