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kstep1805 's review for:
A Year of Biblical Womanhood
by Rachel Held Evans
I can see why this offends conservative Christian sensibilities. But it is hardly extreme. She sets out to point out that conservative Christians cherry pick verses and interpretations as much as they accuse those of us who have more moderate viewpoints. And she succeeds admirably, all the while, also learning to understand various standards of womanhood with less judgment.
Her chapter on parenting was the most refreshing for me. Most women without children don't have any reason to notice, let alone, engage in the "mommy wars." So it was refreshing to hear her struggles within the "war" without having the emotional baggage of children to skew her. It reminded me that these "wars" are made up and don't determine our fitness as a mother or a woman. This chapter alone made the book worth reading. As a moderate in so much of my life, including parenthood, I am often abused by women on all sides who take my lack of enthusiasm toward their "cause" as a sign of disapproval and therefore I am worthy of harsh judgment.
The other chapter that touched me was on social justice. Being a libertarian, social justice is something important to me. Creating fair playing grounds for people to grow and achieve is close to my heart. But so are free markets, and this chapter made me squirm a bit with the abuse by big corporations towards the poor. There is no excuse for slavery, but yet our consumerist lifestyle breeds the need for more for less. We, the consumer, are the problem. And that is a hard pill to swallow but one that needs to be. I have been purchasing fair trade coffee for about two years now but I can't ignore that I am part of the problem. She also gives a good road map for starting. You don't need to switch your lifestyle all at once, but rather pick a few things at a time.
The chapter on submission was thoughtful but using Debi Pearl's book, "Created to Be His Helpmeet," is a little unfair. This book is wildly out there even for many conservatives.
Ultimately, she concludes that most people looking for a Biblical standard of womanhood are trying to shortcut faith by creating rules as a substitute. Her use of scripture and various commentaries to support her arguments gives her message strength, which seems to be why so many Christian reviews have to attack her for how she argues and not her argument in and of itself. I found the book both humorous and endearing.
Her chapter on parenting was the most refreshing for me. Most women without children don't have any reason to notice, let alone, engage in the "mommy wars." So it was refreshing to hear her struggles within the "war" without having the emotional baggage of children to skew her. It reminded me that these "wars" are made up and don't determine our fitness as a mother or a woman. This chapter alone made the book worth reading. As a moderate in so much of my life, including parenthood, I am often abused by women on all sides who take my lack of enthusiasm toward their "cause" as a sign of disapproval and therefore I am worthy of harsh judgment.
The other chapter that touched me was on social justice. Being a libertarian, social justice is something important to me. Creating fair playing grounds for people to grow and achieve is close to my heart. But so are free markets, and this chapter made me squirm a bit with the abuse by big corporations towards the poor. There is no excuse for slavery, but yet our consumerist lifestyle breeds the need for more for less. We, the consumer, are the problem. And that is a hard pill to swallow but one that needs to be. I have been purchasing fair trade coffee for about two years now but I can't ignore that I am part of the problem. She also gives a good road map for starting. You don't need to switch your lifestyle all at once, but rather pick a few things at a time.
The chapter on submission was thoughtful but using Debi Pearl's book, "Created to Be His Helpmeet," is a little unfair. This book is wildly out there even for many conservatives.
Ultimately, she concludes that most people looking for a Biblical standard of womanhood are trying to shortcut faith by creating rules as a substitute. Her use of scripture and various commentaries to support her arguments gives her message strength, which seems to be why so many Christian reviews have to attack her for how she argues and not her argument in and of itself. I found the book both humorous and endearing.