Take a photo of a barcode or cover
RHE remains one of the best.
Balanced on the razor-sharp edge between cheeky and sincere, she tackles one of the stickiest theological quandaries with care. All of this while not being afraid to laugh at herself and her antics, or the notions of “biblical womanhood” that just really don’t add up.
Balanced on the razor-sharp edge between cheeky and sincere, she tackles one of the stickiest theological quandaries with care. All of this while not being afraid to laugh at herself and her antics, or the notions of “biblical womanhood” that just really don’t add up.
A friend of mine read this book and enjoyed it earlier this year, so when I was done with my sci-fi for my vacation I picked this one up to read through it. I found a lot of similarities between it and [i]The Happiness Project[/i] which I read a few weeks ago, although that's probably to be expected as they're both of the relatively new "reality blog/book" genre. I am no longer a Christian or really religious at all, but as American politics are so strongly influenced by religion and especially evangelical Christianity, I thought this might be an interesting book to read through.
As the title describes, the author Rachel spent a full year working on living as a woman described in the Bible would live, with each month spent focusing on different values such as modesty, submission, and so on. She provides the verses/stories that inspired her for each month, a list of what she tried to accomplish, and then discussion about how it all went down. There are also entries from her husband Dan's diary, which provided an interesting response from a modern man's point of view to her attempts to follow the concept of biblical womanhood.
Unsurprisingly, Rachel found that the concept of a "biblical woman" is really nothing like what's sold and evangelized about on TV. The ideal Biblical woman is not a Psalm 31 woman, that is how she should be praised by her husband in spite of any failings. Biblical women shouldn't be silent, that quote is taken far out of context and culture from where it was written in a letter. At one point Rachel makes the realization that many of us who are no longer Christians have made, which is namely that whatever you are looking for in the Bible, you will find it - whether it's appropriate for your time and culture or not.
There's a lot of interesting discussion and I appreciated seeing a religious woman come to grow and change while remaining faithful to her beliefs, as so often we only see those who stubbornly cling to a single set of beliefs or those who throw them out entirely. I hope that many people read this book, Christians or not, and consider how women are treated by them and by their community, as well as throughout the world, and then ponder whether that was God's plan or intention after all.
As the title describes, the author Rachel spent a full year working on living as a woman described in the Bible would live, with each month spent focusing on different values such as modesty, submission, and so on. She provides the verses/stories that inspired her for each month, a list of what she tried to accomplish, and then discussion about how it all went down. There are also entries from her husband Dan's diary, which provided an interesting response from a modern man's point of view to her attempts to follow the concept of biblical womanhood.
Unsurprisingly, Rachel found that the concept of a "biblical woman" is really nothing like what's sold and evangelized about on TV. The ideal Biblical woman is not a Psalm 31 woman, that is how she should be praised by her husband in spite of any failings. Biblical women shouldn't be silent, that quote is taken far out of context and culture from where it was written in a letter. At one point Rachel makes the realization that many of us who are no longer Christians have made, which is namely that whatever you are looking for in the Bible, you will find it - whether it's appropriate for your time and culture or not.
There's a lot of interesting discussion and I appreciated seeing a religious woman come to grow and change while remaining faithful to her beliefs, as so often we only see those who stubbornly cling to a single set of beliefs or those who throw them out entirely. I hope that many people read this book, Christians or not, and consider how women are treated by them and by their community, as well as throughout the world, and then ponder whether that was God's plan or intention after all.
I discovered RHE only about 9 months before she passed. I have enjoyed every book. This was my favorite so far along with Inspired (which I read first)
Rachel Held Evans was an inspiring person, with a gift for sharing her faith and a commitment to exploring and living her beliefs. That's what she does in this book - if you're looking for Biblical scholarship, you won't find it here. It's also very much of its time - doing something for a year, and blogging about it was a thing for a while. I didn't find that structure particularly distracting even though it was a cliche when it was written. I did find some of her dabblings in other cultures' practices a bit off-putting; in 2023 the idea of a Christian celebrating Rosh Hashanah feels decidedly and unacceptably appropriative.
Ultimately, however, I enjoyed reading this book and found that it did what I think the author would have wanted it to do: lead me to think about ways to live my faith each day.
Ultimately, however, I enjoyed reading this book and found that it did what I think the author would have wanted it to do: lead me to think about ways to live my faith each day.
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
I really enjoyed this book. I have a lot of issues with the public face of Christianity right now, but I thought this book was really great. I look forward to reading her other work.
I wasn't sure about this book. I've followed Rachel's blog for a few years now and find myself only sometimes agreeing with her (she, a liberal feminist evangelical; me, a conservative feminist evangelical). And that book cover? One of the silliest I've ever seen!
But this book is so much more than a journal of how she kept the ancient laws of Old Testament Jewish women for a year. Rachel researches and studies and experiences the life of ancient women found within the pages of the bible, and shares her understanding and research of the culture of these women and their laws and lives. And I absolutely loved her continuous praise of her partnership with her husband, Dan, who was supportive of her throughout this experiment. Their marriage, an equal partnership, is more "biblical" than any patriarchal marriage of today.
I'm now very eager to read "Monkey Town."
But this book is so much more than a journal of how she kept the ancient laws of Old Testament Jewish women for a year. Rachel researches and studies and experiences the life of ancient women found within the pages of the bible, and shares her understanding and research of the culture of these women and their laws and lives. And I absolutely loved her continuous praise of her partnership with her husband, Dan, who was supportive of her throughout this experiment. Their marriage, an equal partnership, is more "biblical" than any patriarchal marriage of today.
I'm now very eager to read "Monkey Town."
Wonderful book! Entertaining, informative, and empowering.
I was a little skeptical about the gimmick component of this project-- RHE spends an entire year trying to follow the Bible's commands for women as literally as possible-- but pleasantly surprised at the biblical analysis and personal revelations that came from it. The book was both funnier and more poignant than I expected.
The book doesn't break any new theological ground, but presents a wide range of views on women's role in the church in a conversational, easy-to-understand manner. I appreciate RHE's willingness to engage in dialogue with groups that I've long given up on. This is the kind of book I would feel comfortable recommending to most Christian women I know.
I feel like some of the strongest components are her interactions with biblical texts. I appreciated her personal insights on Carolyn Curtis James' unpacking of Proverbs 31, not as a task list, but as a celebration of strong women. This is a concept that I hope continues to pervade mainstream Christian thought. Additionally, I found her interaction with the Bible's texts of terror to be reverent and important. Far too often, these incredibly violent, traumatic passages about how women were treated go overlooked.
I had a few issues with her chapter on international empowerment, but I think these stem primarily from my issues with her source materials. I appreciate Nicholas Kristof and Cheryl DuWunn's research in "Half the Sky," and their concept that globally women present an opportunity not a problem. However, I find that Kristof tends to dramatically over-simplify complex international economic problems, casting people in developing nations as either evil villains or victims in need of saving, most problematically, at times, casting himself in a savior role. This is most clear in his writing on sex work, which often denies the women he depicts any agency.
Additionally, I know RHE is not a journalist, but I question the ethics of how much she relied on a public relations trip, paid for by World Vision, as a source of anecdotes and a solution to how Americans can address women's development internationally. I recognize that World Vision does some good work, but the organization is not free from criticism. I felt this chapter needed more research, given the complexity of the statements she was trying to make about international justice and the patriarchy. These are not simple problems, and conscientious consumerism and child sponsorships, while a good start, are not adequate in addressing them.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and think it is starting wonderful conversations about the role of women in Christianity, I just felt that several portions would have been improved with additional research.
The book doesn't break any new theological ground, but presents a wide range of views on women's role in the church in a conversational, easy-to-understand manner. I appreciate RHE's willingness to engage in dialogue with groups that I've long given up on. This is the kind of book I would feel comfortable recommending to most Christian women I know.
I feel like some of the strongest components are her interactions with biblical texts. I appreciated her personal insights on Carolyn Curtis James' unpacking of Proverbs 31, not as a task list, but as a celebration of strong women. This is a concept that I hope continues to pervade mainstream Christian thought. Additionally, I found her interaction with the Bible's texts of terror to be reverent and important. Far too often, these incredibly violent, traumatic passages about how women were treated go overlooked.
I had a few issues with her chapter on international empowerment, but I think these stem primarily from my issues with her source materials. I appreciate Nicholas Kristof and Cheryl DuWunn's research in "Half the Sky," and their concept that globally women present an opportunity not a problem. However, I find that Kristof tends to dramatically over-simplify complex international economic problems, casting people in developing nations as either evil villains or victims in need of saving, most problematically, at times, casting himself in a savior role. This is most clear in his writing on sex work, which often denies the women he depicts any agency.
Additionally, I know RHE is not a journalist, but I question the ethics of how much she relied on a public relations trip, paid for by World Vision, as a source of anecdotes and a solution to how Americans can address women's development internationally. I recognize that World Vision does some good work, but the organization is not free from criticism. I felt this chapter needed more research, given the complexity of the statements she was trying to make about international justice and the patriarchy. These are not simple problems, and conscientious consumerism and child sponsorships, while a good start, are not adequate in addressing them.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and think it is starting wonderful conversations about the role of women in Christianity, I just felt that several portions would have been improved with additional research.
Really enjoyed this book. I learned a number of things, especially the importance of cultural context and historical context when reading some parts of the Bible that I've always wondered about.