Reviewing Books for CBE

Thank you so much for your interest in reviewing books for CBE’s bookstore! Books are an important resource in the promotion of gender equality and reviewers play a crucial role in helping CBE determine if books fit with the overarching mission.  

To be accepted as a CBE reviewer, a person must:

1. Be a CBE member
2. Complete a Book Review Application Form*
3. Have read at least one book that outlines CBE’s theology regarding the biblical truth that all believers—without regard to gender, ethnicity, or class—must exercise their God-given gifts with equal authority and equal responsibility in church, home, and world.

When these steps have been completed a reviewer will be accepted on a trial basis.

The Review Process

CBE solicits publishers for review copies of books that are related to our ministry. Such titles are then offered to a reviewer based on the topics in which each person has indicated an interest. The reviewer reads the book carefully using our review form and “Evaluation Criteria for CBE Resources.” Reviewers provide one or two paragraphs summarizing the book’s strengths and weaknesses. On some occasions, our publications—Mutuality and Priscilla Papers—or CBE’s website may publish your review alerting others to its availability as an egalitarian resource. In this case, we will send information on how to write the review.

The review copy is yours to keep, unless you are unsure or have questions about its value as a resource or product in CBE Bookstore. If you have questions and would like another reviewer to look at the book, we ask that you send it back so someone else can evaluate it. As part of our training of new book reviewers, we ask that you return the first 5 books reviewed regardless of your decision regarding its inclusion in CBE Bookstore. We need to assess your comments against the text, to ensure we’re making similar decisions regarding its content.

Books to be reviewed are sent out on a bi-monthly or quarterly schedule. When the reviewer agrees to read a book, we request that books are reviewed and forms returned to CBE within 4-6 weeks of receiving the book. Because it’s important that the books are read carefully and in a timely manner, we encourage reviewers to let us know if they are too busy and cannot read a book within a 4-6 week time frame. We try to keep the process flexible, and we’re always available to answer questions or help in any way.

If you would like to volunteer for CBE by joining our book review team, please fill out the application and send it back to us. If you have other questions, contact us.

* The reviewer’s name will be kept confidential.