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A thoughtful, funny, thought provoking must-read for every Christian woman or person interested in women of the Bible and church history. I'll be rereading it multiple times!
Sometimes stuck in the weeds (Do I need to play by play of making bread?), often cherry-picking from various religious traditions in a way that you could argue compromises her whole purpose. But if on the whole, very thoughtful and positive. She calls out without feeling too critical, bears witness without being too preachy, inspires and encourages without being too self-important. I like Rachel Held Evans's approach of treating your faith as something to practice and interrogate. It's the anniversary of her death today, and I'm struck by how the world really is worse off without more voices like hers in the world.
I read this books a few months ago so forgive me if some of the details are fuzzy.
Overall I think the book is enjoyable to read. There aren't any parts where I was wishing she would hurry up or skip a certain part, it is very well paced.
The strongest and weakest point of the book was theology. When she does dive into it, for instance when she's discussing biblical interpretation with the Orthodox Jewish woman from Israel or the various Protestant preachers interpretations and why she disagrees are some of the most potent and intriguing parts of the novel.
A point she makes subtly and very convincingly is how the Bible is a 2,000 or so year old book, and does adapt to the society around us. For example when she took things rather literally and sat up on the roof for punishment or camped out in the yard, which are things 99% of Christians do not do, because those acts fit the society of hundreds of years ago instead of today. Instead the Bible functions as "more guidelines than actual rules", and are followed as it applies to individual circumstances, since the one-size-fits-all approach clearly does not work, or as some people wish to interpret it for others.
Overall I think the book is enjoyable to read. There aren't any parts where I was wishing she would hurry up or skip a certain part, it is very well paced.
The strongest and weakest point of the book was theology. When she does dive into it, for instance when she's discussing biblical interpretation with the Orthodox Jewish woman from Israel or the various Protestant preachers interpretations and why she disagrees are some of the most potent and intriguing parts of the novel.
A point she makes subtly and very convincingly is how the Bible is a 2,000 or so year old book, and does adapt to the society around us. For example when she took things rather literally and sat up on the roof for punishment or camped out in the yard, which are things 99% of Christians do not do, because those acts fit the society of hundreds of years ago instead of today. Instead the Bible functions as "more guidelines than actual rules", and are followed as it applies to individual circumstances, since the one-size-fits-all approach clearly does not work, or as some people wish to interpret it for others.
This book came out of that weird time around 2012 when every author came out with a stunt book. I’ve got to say, I’m not a huge fan of them. They always have a great concept and drag halfway though. That said, I love Evans and found value in this one. She’s hilarious and so sharp in pointing out the many, many flaws of religious literalism. Glad I read this one.
I am so glad I read this book! Rachel's writing style is so easy to read yet she keeps you turning the page. I really didnt know what to expect from this experiment of hers but it was a rewarding journey to follow and I feel she and I both learned valuable lessons about the ambiguity of scripture and the grace and love of God. Every Christian, maybe even every person, should read this.
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
I’m no longer a Christian, but this book was an excellent opportunity to understand the Bible differently and with more historical context than I have in the past. It also helped with unpacking assumptions I had been holding onto.
When I first picked up this book, I was pretty sure I would be disagreeing with the author the entire time. Her goals for each month sounded completely ridiculous. Evans tries to live out a year of biblical womanhood. The idea itself doesn't sound too bad, but many of the traditions and customs that women followed in biblical times are no longer applicable today. By the end of the book, however, I really appreciated the point that Evans was trying to make. So often women are told to do things because they are commandments given to women in the bible. However, the bible makes many of these same commandments to men, and others deal with certain situations.
This book made me realize many things about my faith as well as showed me how I need to be careful when interpreting the bible.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to discover what the bible says about women. Keep an open mind and consider what Evans is trying to prove by her experiment.
This book made me realize many things about my faith as well as showed me how I need to be careful when interpreting the bible.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to discover what the bible says about women. Keep an open mind and consider what Evans is trying to prove by her experiment.
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
I've no idea what I was expecting but it wasn't this. Grateful to have learned a lot vicariously through this experience. While I will not be addressing my husband as 'master', I will be taking on the challenge of discovering what a woman of valour means to me, and only me. And embodying that wholeheartedly.