This paper examines one key aspect of liberal freedom—intellectual autonomy—by exploring how members of an evangelical church in Tennessee responded to a doctrinal shift allowing women in leadership. The debate over women’s leadership exacerbated tensions between competing epistemic virtues, forcing members to confront the limits of their own interpretive authority and the role of social influences in shaping their beliefs. Their tradition emphasizes strict adherence to a divinely ordained pattern for church governance, which they believe can be objectively determined through logical biblical analysis. This means that women who feel called to leadership must challenge not only patriarchal cultural norms but also a long-standing skepticism toward personal religious experiences that contradict verses considered to be "facts of the Bible." This case shows that ideas about freedom are not just political or moral debates—they are also deeply tied to how people decide what counts as true knowledge.
Attached Paper
In-person November Annual Meeting 2025
Reasoning Patriarchy out of the Bible: Doctrinal Change and the Ethics of Intellectual Autonomy at a Tennessee Church
Papers Session: Beyond Autonomy: Critical Ethnographies of Freedom and Religion
Abstract for Online Program Book (maximum 150 words)