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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Feminism, faith, and the gospel, April 15, 2009
This review is from: Radical Womanhood: Feminine Faith in a Feminist World (Paperback)
Carolyn McCulley's new book, Radical Womanhood: Feminine Faith in a Feminist World, speaks to women about biblical faith in clear, grace-filled language informed by her passion for God, commitment to Scripture, and former feminist background. It's the book Carolyn wishes had been available when she was a new Christian, struggling to understand Scriptural teaching that contradicted the "patriarchy and its oppression of womyn" worldview she'd embraced throughout her twenties.
The book contains thoroughly-researched chapters on the history of feminism and its effects on women and the culture today. Carolyn describes women's struggles against injustice without losing sight of the struggle that we all face--against sin in our own hearts. "As a movement, feminism arose because women were being sinned against," Carolyn writes. "I think that is a fair argument. But feminism also arose because women were sinning in response...The glorious hope we have is that Christ came to rescue us from this spiral of sin and sinful response."
Each chapter is followed by personal accounts from women who have trusted God in the most heartbreaking situations: abuse, adultery, abortion, a husband's career-destroying secret. All the stories highlight the grace of God to individual women who found strength and hope in Christ's redemptive work on the Cross, expressed through Scripture and the loving care of other Christians. Their journeys are sometimes long, and painful. Carolyn does not apply Scripture like a Band-Aid. But she does magnify the sufficiency of God's Word, ministered with compassion and grace, to address pain and suffering in this fallen world. (The Appendix, "Resources on Abuse," addresses this grievous sin, and includes "A Better Way to Handle Abuse" from Ken Sande, President of Peacemaker Ministries.)
Carolyn has come to her conclusions about biblical womanhood through adherence to Scripture combined with years of research, study, heart-searching, a passionate pursuit of sanctification in the context of the local church, and by humble engagement with the less-attractive elements in evangelical culture that have distorted the Scriptural doctrines of biblical manhood and womanhood. Her book is balanced, biblical, well-written, and appealing. Most of all, her readers will come away with renewed inspiration "to live as biblically savvy women in the modern world."
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37 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well-researched, Winsome, and Gospel-proclaiming!, October 13, 2008
This review is from: Radical Womanhood: Feminine Faith in a Feminist World (Paperback)
As a faithful reader of Carolyn McCulley's (excellent!) blog, RadicalWomanhood (http://solofemininity.blogs.com/), I had high expectations for this book. Carolyn met them all with ease.
- Her research (and citations) demonstrate her commitment to journalistic integrity and her years of experience as a writer and editor. It was refreshing and informative to read actual historical information and logical, persuasive arguments. I learned much--especially about the lives of feminist leaders, how feminist ideals have impacted the evangelical church, and how our current "raunch culture" developed over the last twenty years.
- Carolyn writes from a position of humility--and this is particularly important because this topic is so prone to bring out the worst in harsh rhetoric and personal, graceless attacks. But not with Carolyn McCulley. Even though she obviously feels strongly about this topic, she is unfailingly winsome in her presentation of all sides of the arguments.
- The Gospel of Jesus Christ is clearly proclaimed and lived out in the pages of this book. Carolyn clearly explains and illustrates how the root of all of our destructive behavior lies in our hearts--we are sinners. And then she repeatedly points to the One Who can rescue us from ourselves. No surface-level explanations and works-based "solutions"--just a consistent call to remember The Cross; to remember the Gospel--the indicative (Who God is and all that He has already done for us in Christ).
I would not hesitate to recommend this book to anyone seeking to learn more about the topics of feminism (especially its impact on the Christian church), biblical manhood and womanhood, complementarianism, and "the mommy wars."
Well done, Carolyn McCulley!
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17 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Radical Womanhood Awakening, January 20, 2009
This review is from: Radical Womanhood: Feminine Faith in a Feminist World (Paperback)
In reading this book I have discovered great biblical truths that directly portray the role of true femininity as God has fashioned it.
Ms. McCulley clearly explains the historical roots of how feminist thought and theories permeated into America's social culture. As a college student, this book woke me up to the reality that feminist thought and theory has negatively impacted God's original plan of femininity, marriage, and family as described in the bible.
I highly recommend this book to ALL WOMEN (young and old) who not only want to unmask the feminist theory's destructive motives on the institution of marriage and family. But also desire to change the trend set by feminist theory by being a radical woman and live by God's standards.
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