Sarah Sumner

Sarah Sumner is an Evangelical theologian,^[1] who served as the T.A. (teacher's assistant) of twentieth century theologian, Carl F.H. Henry. She is the first woman to graduate from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School with a PhD in systematic theology.^[2] Nationally she became known for her advocacy of Christian women leaders. Most thematic to her writing, however, is the matter of integrity in the Church. Sarah Sumner is a change agent, a Christian entrepreneur sparking a grassroots movement for moral courage for the sake of building integrity in the Church. She is the founder of Right On Mission (www.rightonmission.org), and Right On Mission Academy, a cutting edge educational unit that offers signature courses and professional certificates to authentic Christians and to people who aspire to follow Christ.

Sarah Sumner writes on a variety of subjects, including moral courage, leadership, Jesus' anger, male headship and a variety of other subjects.^[3] Her most recent book is Angry Like Jesus: Using His Example To Spark Your Moral Courage (Fortress Press, Nov 1, 2015).

In the evangelical debate about women in church leadership, Sarah Sumner's writings provide a third option—so that Bible-believing Christians no longer have to choose between being a Christian complementarian or a Christian egalitarian. Although Dr. Sumner clearly states that she does not consider herself an egalitarian, she is sometimes labeled as one by complementarians, such as Wayne Grudem, who do not support Christian women who "preach" the gospel. See .^[4] While some claim that Sarah Sumner advocates the ordination of women in Protestant churches,^[5] no quote from Dr. Sumner can be found in her books or articles to confirm this. The distinctiveness in Dr. Sumner's theology can be seen in this: While complementarians call for "order" in the Church by prioritizing I Timothy 2:12, and egalitarians call for "justice" by prioritizing Galatians 3:28, she calls for "integrity" by prioritizing the gospel (John 3:16) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20).

Sarah Sumner earned a Bachelor of Education from Baylor University, a Master of Theology from Wheaton College, and a Master of Business Administration from Azusa Pacific University.^[6] In 2005, Trinity International University placed her on its list of top twenty alumni.^[7] Her book Men and Women in the Church: Building Consensus on Christian Leadership was published in 2003 by InterVarsity Press.^[8] She was an associate professor of ministry and theology at Azusa Pacific at the time.^[9] She also served as the dean of A.W. Tozer Theological Seminary in Redding, California.^[10]

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