The precarious position of evangelical women celebrities in the church

In her recent book The Preacher’s Wife: The Precarious Power of Evangelical Women Celebrities, Kate Bowler explores how Christian women, often denied formal positions of authority in the church, have nevertheless carved out positions of power. Some have used the role of being a pastor’s wife to become leaders in their own right as best-selling authors and teachers, creating their own media empire. Bowler teaches church history at Duke Divinity School. Her other books include Blessed: A History of the American Prosperity Gospel and Every­thing Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I’ve Loved.

How do you define celebrity?

It is hard to define. And using the word Christian with it always feels slightly ironic. The term celebrity made it difficult to approach people for interviews. When I would say, “I am writing a book on celebrity preachers,” the person would inevitably say, “Then I have no idea why you would want to interview me.” They thought the term celebrity signaled inauthenticity.