New Book from Author Susan Callender Argues Modern Gender Confusion Traces Back to 19th-Century Ideology

Balle Balle Radio™ Entertainment Desk

Susan Callender has published a new book, "Who is Woman?", that traces the modern debate over gender roles back through more than a century of philosophical and cultural change, arguing it begins with a departure from a biblical model of men and women as equal partners with distinct purposes.

The book, published through Christian Faith Publishing, builds its argument in stages. Callender starts with what she describes as the original creation design, then examines how that design was fractured by sin and, later, by men who she argues prioritized the privileges of leadership while neglecting its responsibilities. From there, per the press release, she then addresses more debated subjects: the emergence of Marxist thought in the nineteenth century, which she argues reframed relations between men and women through a lens of oppressor and oppressed, and later the sexual revolution, which she ties to the spread of contraception and describes as having split sexuality from what she sees as its original sacred purpose.

The publisher contends that the book argues both men and women have departed from scriptural guidance on their roles, and that this drift has encouraged a culture that favors emotion over objective truth, producing confusion around gender, sexuality, and identity. Callender frames her project as a call for Christian readers to return to biblical teaching in what she characterizes as an age of moral relativism.

"My deepest desire is to help readers understand God’s design for women and men—not as a limitation, but as a liberating truth that brings wholeness and purpose to our relationships and our faith," Callender said in the announcement.

The book lands in a crowded field of faith-based writing on gender and scripture, including other recent titles arguing from a complementarian or restorationist reading of biblical texts on women’s roles in family, church, and society. "Who is Woman?" is available in paperback and digital editions through major booksellers and online retailers.

Studio CarryOnHarry will be watching whether Callender’s framing of Marxism and the sexual revolution as linked causes draws engagement beyond readers who already share her theological starting point.

Read more People’s Choice stories on Studio CarryOnHarry. Reporting via Live News Vault.

Are you an author with a new release? We’re always looking for books to cover and authors to interview — tell us about yours here.

Press Releases at Studio CarryOnHarry