Beth Allison Barr, PhD
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bethallisonbarr.bsky.social
Beth Allison Barr, PhD
@bethallisonbarr.bsky.social
James Vardaman Professor @Baylor_History; USAToday and NYTimes bestselling author @brazospress;
Medieval &Women’s historian
co-host @alltheburiedwomen
Pinned
Bringing back all the vibes of joining twitter in 2014, here’s an intro:

I’m a medieval historian who studies gender in 15th century sermons & a Baptist pastor’s wife. In 2021 my 2 lives collided when I wrote a surprise national bestseller #MakingBiblicalWomanhood www.newyorker.com/news/on-reli...
The Unmaking of Biblical Womanhood
How a nascent movement against complementarianism is confronting Christian patriarchy from within.
www.newyorker.com
👇👇👇
so me and @lollardfish.bsky.social (and I'm sure @goingmedieval.bsky.social) have been tagged on this a few times, for very understandable reasons

as many have pointed out, medievalists do get unnaturally excited when people called medieval Europe the Dark Ages and I'm no different 1/
The New Dark Age
The Trump administration has launched an attack on knowledge itself.
www.theatlantic.com
May 27, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Thank you! ❤️
Just finished Becoming the Pastor’s Wife by Beth Allison Barr. Excellent, infuriating, but still hopeful. Highly recommend.
May 23, 2025 at 1:19 AM
Folk might want to read my @dallasnews.com op-ed related to Hegseth & Wilson: www.dallasnews.com/opinion/comm...
May 22, 2025 at 8:32 PM
“Dictators are never as strong as they tell you they are,” he once said, “and people are never as weak as they think they are.”
Lessons from around the world for the United States: Three well-tested ways to undermine an autocrat. Read www.nytimes.com/2025/05/21/o...
Opinion | Three Well-Tested Ways to Undermine an Autocrat
www.nytimes.com
May 22, 2025 at 8:25 PM
I can’t wait for midterm elections.
May 22, 2025 at 2:40 AM
Reposted by Beth Allison Barr, PhD
This is such a great & important breakdown of how white evangelicalism continues to infiltrate politics AND it highlights the alternate mindset that most on the left don’t understand. If you wanna reach new people, you’ve got to understand they don’t think like you do!
May 18, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Reposted by Beth Allison Barr, PhD
Pete Hegseth's wife is playing the role of the pastor's wife in white evangelicalism... and that may be a harbinger of things to come. @bethallisonbarr explains. ⬇️
May 18, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Reposted by Beth Allison Barr, PhD
Pete Hegseth has given me big "megachurch pastor trying to outrun three or four scandals at once" vibes with his chaotic, blustering overconfidence and this article is spot on.
May 18, 2025 at 12:50 PM
Reposted by Beth Allison Barr, PhD
Excellent op-ed by @bethallisonbarr.bsky.social on the intertwining of fundamentalist Christians and politics especially as it applies to woman's "roles," i.e. Hegseth's wife. 👇
May 18, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Really enjoyed this podcast!
In this episode of TheoDisc, @bethallisonbarr.bsky.social touched on a myriad of issues concerning women in ministry and leadership. Here, she deals with the stigma attached to unmarried leaders, particularly women called to pastor and lead. Listen: bit.ly/3F8q4GK or watch: bit.ly/4j6CEV5 #theosky
May 13, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Reposted by Beth Allison Barr, PhD
👸 "This book set a benchmark in the study of #medieval queenship." Queen Emma and Queen Edith by Pauline Stafford was chosen as Matthew Firth's must-read book. Which #medievaltudies book had the most impact on you? Read more: buff.ly/jGIsQBL
#kzooicms #ICMS #kzoo2025 @mattfirth.bsky.social
May 9, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Reposted by Beth Allison Barr, PhD
The AHA is compiling resources developed by historians in response to recent actions by the federal governments. We welcome submissions from our members about op-eds, media appearances, or other resources they've contributed offering historical context and insight to the public. 🗃️
Historians Respond to Federal Actions - AHA
AHA members are providing important historical context and insight to the public on the recent actions by the federal government.
www.historians.org
May 9, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Reposted by Beth Allison Barr, PhD
Republicans' "budget will skewer the poor and squeeze out crucial long-term investments in energy, scientific research, medical advances, and children," @annielowrey.bsky.social writes:
The Republicans’ Budget Makes No Sense
Congress is trying to preserve the illusion of revenue while cutting taxes.
bit.ly
May 9, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Reposted by Beth Allison Barr, PhD
This excerpt of @bethallisonbarr.bsky.social's new book from
@brazospress.bsky.social follows a mother and daughter who both participated in ministry, but only one worked formally as a pastor. faithandleadership.com/becoming-the...
‘Becoming the Pastor’s Wife: How Marriage Replaced Ordination as a Woman’s Path to Ministry’
In this excerpt, Beth Allison Barr follows a mother and daughter who both participated in ministry, but only one worked formally as a pastor.
faithandleadership.com
May 8, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Reposted by Beth Allison Barr, PhD
Historian and professor @bethallisonbarr.bsky.social joins The Well podcast to discuss women’s leadership in the historical church and the cultural cost of forgetting history.

thewell.intervarsity.org/podcasts/bet...
Beth Allison Barr: Becoming the Pastor’s Wife
Historian and professor Beth Allison Barr joins us on the podcast to discuss women’s leadership in the historical church and the cultural cost of forgetting our roots.
thewell.intervarsity.org
May 5, 2025 at 1:06 PM
I just have to say that academia does not prepare us to market & sell the books we write.
May 3, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Reposted by Beth Allison Barr, PhD
The Smithsonian has issued a statement that it has no plans to remove a lunch counter and stool that were involved in Civil Rights protests. It also says that it is not removing items from display for any reason other than loan agreements and collections care and preservation.
Smithsonian Response to Reports About Artifacts On View | Smithsonian Institution
Recent reports about the Smithsonian removing the historic Greensboro, North Carolina, lunch counter and a stool from the National Museum of American History and National Museum of African American History and Culture, respectively, are inaccurate. Both the Greensboro lunch counter and stools where college students sat in protest during the Civil Rights Movement are and continue to be on display. A stool from the sit-ins remains on view at the National Museum of African American History and Culture as the centerpiece of an interactive exhibition.
www.si.edu
May 3, 2025 at 2:14 PM
I loved talking with my friend @jemartisby.bsky.social! We had a conversation about ordination and even politics.
May 1, 2025 at 1:17 PM
There was a time when pastor’s wives and ordained women worked alongside each other in ministry, as this amazing mother daughter story reveals. Just two of the many women I bet you never knew about that you will meet in #BecomingThePastorsWife.
April 29, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Reposted by Beth Allison Barr, PhD
Friends, I’ll be interviewed live about Pope Francis on BBC News at 9:00 Eastern this evening (Saturday). www.bbc.com/watch-live-n...
April 26, 2025 at 11:50 PM
Reposted by Beth Allison Barr, PhD
On a recent episode of the podcast @savedbythecity.bsky.social historian @bethallisonbarr.bsky.social shared her research on why the role of pastor’s wife has evolved in many denominations to be the primary path of ministry for some women.
julieroys.com/beth-allison...
Beth Allison Barr On 'Ministry By Marriage' And The Demands Placed On Pastors' Wives
Dr. Barr shares her research on why the role of pastor’s wife has evolved to be the primary path of ministry for some women.
julieroys.com
April 26, 2025 at 1:09 PM