Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Review: Jesus Feminist by Sarah Bessey

Synopsis: Gender Roles have bee debated for centuries, and now Sarah Bessey offers a clarion freedom call for all who want to realize their giftedness and potential in the kingdom of God. Through a thoughtful review of biblical teaching and church practices, Bessey shares how following Jesus made a feminist out of her. (from the back of the book)

Review: I find this book complicated to review. My own experience with books of this sort is often disappointment and anger. This has made me wary and cynical of Christian books written for the Western Middle-Class White Christian Female.
Bessey is tackling an issue discussed ad nauseum in the Christina world. And honestly, she added no new insight to the argument. That isn’t to say her words aren’t good or true. But they are weaker versions to arguments already posed in stronger and better supported words than hers.
She spends more time than needed speaking about the emotions of women – a pet peeve of mine. Most Christian Women’s books are emotion-based and rarely (if at all) does one find a book written for Christian women with an intellectual or logical base. It’s frustrating and more than a little damaging, in my mind. And yet, in some ways, she speaks out against the typical Christian women’s route – speaking about how we often simply “churchify” things of the world. I appreciate her remarks on this. She encourages women to seek out places to serve other women – in homes for teen moms, pregnancy resource centers, and medical missions’ trips. This is a good thing and worth writing.
This book affirms women as beloved by God and for some, may offer healing from hurt caused by prideful men in the Church. There is nothing heretical about her assertions; indeed, her arguments for women serving as leaders in the church is too weak to offend. But she offers no new angle or evidence for women in the church. This book will help some and for that, I would recommend it. But if you are looking for strong declarations of women’s place in the church, other books might be more suitable. 

Bookmarks: 3.5 of 5

Awards: None

ISBN: 978-1-4767-1725-8
Year Published: 2013
Date Finished: 5-9-2017
Pages: 236

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