Take a photo of a barcode or cover
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Better than I expected. Very reminiscent of A.J. Jacobs' The Year of Living Biblically. I don't know that I agree with all of Evans theology, but I'm also not sure it's intended as a theological treatise as much as a social experiment. Stretching and trying new things that bring us closer to God. I truly appreciated her explanations and interpretations of Proverbs 31, as I too, have grown to dislike that woman.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
An amazing look at the Bible and what it means to be a woman of faith. Rachel’s research and insight are inspiring! I love how she unites and celebrates all women and those who reach for the sacred by making connections with many faith traditions. Her humor and transparency provide authenticity and make it a truly enjoyable and approachable read.
Faced with increasing and conflicted messages about what "biblical womanhood" should look like, Rachel Held Evans decided to take the most touted passages about women in the Bible as literally as possible for one year. She used this project to explore the Biblical context behind these commands, how different Jewish and Christian women around the world apply them, and what she learned from scripture as a childhood-evangelical-turned-liberal-feminist-woman in the 21st century.
I found it refreshing that she didn't claim to have all the answers, and wasn't afraid to ask hard questions. While some chapters are definitely more interesting than others, and I don't think she's exactly right on every point, I learned a lot of fascinating things from this book.
I found it refreshing that she didn't claim to have all the answers, and wasn't afraid to ask hard questions. While some chapters are definitely more interesting than others, and I don't think she's exactly right on every point, I learned a lot of fascinating things from this book.
All though I do not always see eye to eye with Rachel Held Evans, I could not put this down. It was not only eye opening but inspiring. Not to mention I have pulled a new favorite prayer from its text. It hit me hard and fast and I will not soon forget the feelings and curiousities left behind.
Just the title alone caught my attention. Especially with everything else that I have been studying this past year. There seems to be a resurgence of wanting to live life like "they used to". I thought this would be a good read for that reason and maybe find an answer to some of those why and how questions of being a Biblical woman.
I loved everything about this book. I read it on my Kindle and the spacing for the ereader was smooth. I've read some ebooks that have been very hard to read. The chapters were complete, they answered all of the questions that I had on each topic or they gave me a taste and a note where else to look for a more thorough answer. The Biblical women at the beginning of each chapter was nice. She gave their history and their importance to the Bible. Everyone is in the Bible for a reason and they have a purpose. It was interesting to see the connection from the Biblical woman to the month's scripture and virtue challenges.
I loved her need to be a woman of valor and to find and encourage those women. Eshet chayil! I'm excited to see that she has started collecting those stories on her website.
I loved how she dug through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation and picked out all the descriptors for women and showed us how they work in our time. Some of them were easy and some were not so easy.
Rachel Held Evans set up ten commandments that she would follow for a year. She quoted the verses where she found these in the Bible. I thought I would share them with you for you to get a taste of the book.
1. Thou shalt submit to thy husband's will in all things
2. Thou shalt devote thyself to the duties of the home
3. Thou shalt mother
4. Thou shalt nurture a gentle and quiet spirit.
5. Thou shalt dress modestly
6. Thou shalt cover thy head when in prayer
7. Thou shalt not cut thy hair
8. Thou shalt not teach in church
9. Thou shalt not gossip
10. Thou shalt not have authority over a man.
The answers she received through the year are not necessarily what she expected. Many were richer and fuller than she expected to experience them.
You get it all honest and up front through the book. Which seems to make it ring truer. For someone who didn't know her or this project, you could see the honesty and know she wasn't creating a story.
I love how she connects the Jewish holidays to Christianity. That's our heritage, we should celebrate all that those ancestors went through. they aren't fluffy ceremonies. They are ceremonies rich in texture and history. Unlike so many of our Americanized holidays.
I'll save her 10 New Year's Resolutions for you to read for yourself. She uses these to sum up what the past year has meant to her and what she all learned and what she's bringing out of it.
I have two great quotes from the book.
"My roots were growing deeper."
"If you want to do violence in this world, you will always find weapons. If you want to heal, you will always find the balm."
This book urges me to live a more Biblical womanhood. To feel closer to God by being more of what he designed me to be. If you know anyone questioning the Bible on being a woman, this is a great read for them.
Let's all go out and become Eshet chayil!
I loved everything about this book. I read it on my Kindle and the spacing for the ereader was smooth. I've read some ebooks that have been very hard to read. The chapters were complete, they answered all of the questions that I had on each topic or they gave me a taste and a note where else to look for a more thorough answer. The Biblical women at the beginning of each chapter was nice. She gave their history and their importance to the Bible. Everyone is in the Bible for a reason and they have a purpose. It was interesting to see the connection from the Biblical woman to the month's scripture and virtue challenges.
I loved her need to be a woman of valor and to find and encourage those women. Eshet chayil! I'm excited to see that she has started collecting those stories on her website.
I loved how she dug through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation and picked out all the descriptors for women and showed us how they work in our time. Some of them were easy and some were not so easy.
Rachel Held Evans set up ten commandments that she would follow for a year. She quoted the verses where she found these in the Bible. I thought I would share them with you for you to get a taste of the book.
1. Thou shalt submit to thy husband's will in all things
2. Thou shalt devote thyself to the duties of the home
3. Thou shalt mother
4. Thou shalt nurture a gentle and quiet spirit.
5. Thou shalt dress modestly
6. Thou shalt cover thy head when in prayer
7. Thou shalt not cut thy hair
8. Thou shalt not teach in church
9. Thou shalt not gossip
10. Thou shalt not have authority over a man.
The answers she received through the year are not necessarily what she expected. Many were richer and fuller than she expected to experience them.
You get it all honest and up front through the book. Which seems to make it ring truer. For someone who didn't know her or this project, you could see the honesty and know she wasn't creating a story.
I love how she connects the Jewish holidays to Christianity. That's our heritage, we should celebrate all that those ancestors went through. they aren't fluffy ceremonies. They are ceremonies rich in texture and history. Unlike so many of our Americanized holidays.
I'll save her 10 New Year's Resolutions for you to read for yourself. She uses these to sum up what the past year has meant to her and what she all learned and what she's bringing out of it.
I have two great quotes from the book.
"My roots were growing deeper."
"If you want to do violence in this world, you will always find weapons. If you want to heal, you will always find the balm."
This book urges me to live a more Biblical womanhood. To feel closer to God by being more of what he designed me to be. If you know anyone questioning the Bible on being a woman, this is a great read for them.
Let's all go out and become Eshet chayil!
I've been looking forward to this book, and I was not disappointed! I am recommending it to everyone I know, and even giving it to my mama. Rachel has written a book that women will find liberating, educational, and inspiring.
When I saw this book in a catalog at work, I was more tickled at the idea. I've discovered over the last few years that I am fascinated by religion and religious culture - not just of my own faith, but of many others. I love learning how others interpret scripture, and how traditions are made and kept. I ordered this book for my library, and checked it out as soon as I saw it on the New Releases shelf. I found that the author is a liberal-leaning evangelical Christian, and was then REALLY intrigued to read it!
Very quickly it is evident that this book and project were inspired by A.J. Jacobs' "Year of Living Biblically" -- another book I was fascinated by. This one, naturally, is the woman's perspective, and while there are overlaps in some ways, I gained a lot from this book simply because I am a woman, and it is a story for ME. It also reminded me a lot of Jana Reiss' "Flunking Sainthood," with a nod to Julie Powell's "Julie and Julia." And while the whole "do something in a year" idea can be a little hokey (and I think even the author of this book thought that at times), it still is an interesting approach to learning and growing and gaining.
I thoroughly enjoyed "A Year of Biblical Womanhood." Many of the questions and doubts Evans had as she approached the project I have, too, and it was comforting to see that it's not just Mormon Feminists who have some of these thoughts and crises. Each month, Evans had a different virtue to focus on and approach, like Charity, Modesty, or Silence, as well as her own "ten commandments" that she kept throughout the year for consistency, like covering her head whenever she prayed, or submitting to her husband. (BOY did that one take some interesting turns!) And I have to say, her husband is one sweet, encouraging, long-suffering man who helped make this book what it is. (Which reminded me of when my dad went to see the film Julie & Julia, and I made a crack about him seeing a chick-flick. He responded in a way that reminds me why my dad is amazing and why I love him so much, "I didn't see it so much as a chick-flick, but as a movie about husbands supporting their wives." *cue eyes welling up with tears*)
This book gained brownie points with me early on in the chapter on Domesticity, when Evans brings up the story of Mary & Martha, which tends to not get used in the best ways. She recalls carrying around her Precious Moments Bible as a kid, with a picture of the Mary & Martha scene - Mary looking pious as the Virgin Mother at the feet of Christ, and Martha looking like a harried ugly stepsister. Evans' approach to the story I found much more satisfying, and will probably be something I will refer to in future talks and lessons I give in church for awhile to come. Something clicked in me when I read it, and I really want other people to think about her interpretation.
She strikes up a lively correspondence with the wife of a rabbi, a delightful lady who offers wonderful insights to Hebrew words and phrases, and to Jewish tradition. Those gems alone are worth reading the book. Evans makes a trip to Bolivia that brough tears to my eyes, and reminds me that whatever problems I may think I have, are miniscule compared to the plight of some of the women she met. She describes stories of women from the Bible, comparing interpretations and showing that so many of these women get condemned or forgotten for no real reason other than merely being women. She demonstrates the importance of them all, and how pivotal they were to history and gospel, and how faith-building their stories are.
I think this a great book for women of religious convictions who still have questions regarding their roles in their faith. It's comforting to see a woman like that undergo a project like this that is so faith-affirming, in addition to being funny and entertaining.
Eshet chayil! Woman of valor!
Very quickly it is evident that this book and project were inspired by A.J. Jacobs' "Year of Living Biblically" -- another book I was fascinated by. This one, naturally, is the woman's perspective, and while there are overlaps in some ways, I gained a lot from this book simply because I am a woman, and it is a story for ME. It also reminded me a lot of Jana Reiss' "Flunking Sainthood," with a nod to Julie Powell's "Julie and Julia." And while the whole "do something in a year" idea can be a little hokey (and I think even the author of this book thought that at times), it still is an interesting approach to learning and growing and gaining.
I thoroughly enjoyed "A Year of Biblical Womanhood." Many of the questions and doubts Evans had as she approached the project I have, too, and it was comforting to see that it's not just Mormon Feminists who have some of these thoughts and crises. Each month, Evans had a different virtue to focus on and approach, like Charity, Modesty, or Silence, as well as her own "ten commandments" that she kept throughout the year for consistency, like covering her head whenever she prayed, or submitting to her husband. (BOY did that one take some interesting turns!) And I have to say, her husband is one sweet, encouraging, long-suffering man who helped make this book what it is. (Which reminded me of when my dad went to see the film Julie & Julia, and I made a crack about him seeing a chick-flick. He responded in a way that reminds me why my dad is amazing and why I love him so much, "I didn't see it so much as a chick-flick, but as a movie about husbands supporting their wives." *cue eyes welling up with tears*)
This book gained brownie points with me early on in the chapter on Domesticity, when Evans brings up the story of Mary & Martha, which tends to not get used in the best ways. She recalls carrying around her Precious Moments Bible as a kid, with a picture of the Mary & Martha scene - Mary looking pious as the Virgin Mother at the feet of Christ, and Martha looking like a harried ugly stepsister. Evans' approach to the story I found much more satisfying, and will probably be something I will refer to in future talks and lessons I give in church for awhile to come. Something clicked in me when I read it, and I really want other people to think about her interpretation.
She strikes up a lively correspondence with the wife of a rabbi, a delightful lady who offers wonderful insights to Hebrew words and phrases, and to Jewish tradition. Those gems alone are worth reading the book. Evans makes a trip to Bolivia that brough tears to my eyes, and reminds me that whatever problems I may think I have, are miniscule compared to the plight of some of the women she met. She describes stories of women from the Bible, comparing interpretations and showing that so many of these women get condemned or forgotten for no real reason other than merely being women. She demonstrates the importance of them all, and how pivotal they were to history and gospel, and how faith-building their stories are.
I think this a great book for women of religious convictions who still have questions regarding their roles in their faith. It's comforting to see a woman like that undergo a project like this that is so faith-affirming, in addition to being funny and entertaining.
Eshet chayil! Woman of valor!