On the other hand, because some people simplistically exaggerate differences, others end up denying all differences. This is called type-B error or beta-bias. Because exaggerated differences are often exploited in hurtful ways,9 some people choose to discount any legitimate difference that exists. The temptation is strong either to exaggerate differences or to deny them. Both are errors. Both lead to myths that, in the area of gender, do not accurately reflect men's and women's realities.

G.K. Chesterton compared orthodoxy to a narrow ridge between two chasms.10 The truth about gender difference is also a narrow ridge between the chasm of alpha-bias (exaggerating the difference) and beta-bias (denying the difference). Many books about men and women totter on the brink of or fall into one or the other chasm. In some churches, the difference between men and women may be grossly exaggerated. In fact, it is often stereotyped. On the other hand, many voices in the wider culture call for unisex, declaring that there are no differences between men and women. But the reality is that both are chasms sloping away from the narrow ridge of truth about gender difference.11

Advertisement

All of this warns us that it is a complex task to sort out gender issues that impact ministry. We have to monitor ourselves for either alpha-bias or beta-bias. We want to stay on the narrow ridge of the truth about gender and avoid the chasms on either side of us as we explore how gender touches ministry, particularly in the area of preaching.

A second myth — especially when we read popular articles or books about gender difference — lumps all men into one category and all women into the opposite category. It turns out that there is as much diversity within a group of women or within a group of men as there is between men and women. This has been shown to be true in studies of math skills, verbal skills, aggression, and spatial abilities. The between-group difference is smaller than the within-group difference. One reason for this is that within any general category of difference, other variables factor in. For example, in controlled studies, men in general have better spatial abilities than women. It turns out, however, that gender is not the only factor involved in spatial ability. People who have lived in wide open spaces appear to have better spatial abilities than people who have grown up in confined areas.12 When it comes to spatial abilities, therefore, gender matters, but environment matters more. And the environment that appears to matter most of all in gender issues is the social environment in which men and women interact.

No behavior, including behavior relating to gender, exists independent of the social context in which it occurs. It is true that if we know the sex of the listener, we know something important. That is good news. As we understand something about the differences and similarities of men and women, we can be more effective preachers. But the bad news is that in considering gender, we can never consider gender per se alone. Gender is rarely, if ever, the only variable we need to take into account if we are to increase the power of God's Word in people's lives.