Customer Reviews

Ruby Slippers: How the Soul of a Woman Brings Her Home

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Fincher attempts to address a question that has long puzzled men--and women. What is a woman? What makes a woman a woman? Though (as she will tell you herself) she planned to write with a formulaic approach (A+B+C=the complete woman), the end product is anything but predictable. Questioning the stereotypes presented by the Christian culture and western culture at large, she presses past the flip answers and opens the door to really ask questions like: What traits do women share with men? What is unique to women? Are women innately inferior to men? How is a woman to handle her femininity?

Using her mind, Fincher explores psychology, philosophy, theology, and science to address the questions from all angles. Ruby Slippers is neither an angry anti-chauvinist rant nor a bitter accusation against all who fall short of the "Proverbs 31 woman." Instead, it is an invitation. Fincher asks you to explore womanhood alongside her, by looking at questions such as: How does God ascribe dignity to women? How does God identify with women and reveal Himself through women? Which of our ideas of femininity are based on what woman was created to be? Which are based on the image of fallen woman? By daring to ask difficult questions, Fincher allows the reader the freedom to search herself. By being open to non-traditional answers, she discovers and shares insight that is both thought-provoking and challenging. Even if you do not agree with her, you will be impressed by her extensive research (which you may also investigate, thanks to her footnotes) and the careful thoughtfulness that she displays. If you ever have the opportunity to meet the author (which I did at a conference), you will find that she is every bit as sensitive, rational, and real in person as she is in her writing.

I do not think that I have ever so eagerly awaited the arrival of a book as much as i have Jonalyn FIncher's book Ruby Slippers. When it finally arrived I tried to dive into it and read it as fast as I could. Just a few pages in I knew that I had to take it slow and really embrace what Jonalyn had written. One of the reason i knew that i would need to read it slowly has her words penetrated much deeper then surface level. As the subtitle says, she is aiming at bring women's souls home, and her words hit the deep regions of my soul stirring my soul to try and really embrace what feminity really means. Her previous schooling in philosophy shines through in this book and causes the reader to try and grasp the finer points of Christianity in order to grasp what it truly means to be a female Christian. Jonalyn refuses to let you get by with just giving you a list she has created to being this "ideal Christian woman," but instead ask you to search your own soul to find what it means for you to be a female. She wrote in way to make the reader think about what exactly she is saying. She dares to stand up against traditional thinking about feminity and begs the reader to not force oneself into the premade corsets of our Christian and worldly society. Jonalyn's book has been much needed in this time and age where the world tries to define a gender with a specific physical image of the female, Jonalyn tries to help believers see that one must find the meaning of feminity as a soul before we can ever fully understand our feminity as a physical being.

I bought this book because I was intrigued by the title - "How the soul of a woman brings her home". The soul of a woman? What did this mean exactly? Jonalyn Fincher has done a wonderful job of making "the deep things of God" (2 Cor 2:10)accessible to the average reader. I have eagerly rushed through this book, knowing that I will be reading it several times. This book is a wonderful example of the solid, gentle but challenging teaching that God has equipped women to provide, and it has fed my soul. If you only read one book this year, this should be it!

I have just read a copy of Jonalyn's new book - besides the stunning cover, its content is amazing. And I so appreciate her insights - even though I am a male. This is a fine first outing and undoubtedly not the last we'll hear from this very young talent.

All 21st century men should read this as a discovery of a woman's soul. You will do your spouse, your sister, your mother - women in general a great favor. And you will become wiser too.

I tend to rate books by how much text I underline. I underlined a lot in Ruby Slippers! Jonalyn combines personal anecdotes with solid research resulting in a thought-provoking and insightful book. And the writing is as energetic and sparkly as its killer cover.

I'm a sucker for books that take on the stereotypes of the Christian woman, but what I loved most about Ruby Slippers is that it is not a book for conservative Christian women or one for liberal Christian women. It is a book for all women who bear the image of the God who made them special and for all women who long to be known as such. Every woman should read this.

I've spent a lot of time over the years studying gender and God. I was a women's studies major in college, I helped put together gender conferences with InterVarsity, I read so many Christian books on gender-- from John Eldredge to Christians for Biblical Equality publications. Jonalyn Fincher's book, which offers an exploratory and redemptive take on gender differences , is by far one of the best I've read. It's a very freeing and Biblical take on what it could mean that women uniquely reflect God. I was impressed by its integrous, thoroughly-researched, and down-to-earth approach, and also for the warmth and familiarity in Fincher's tone. It's worth reading for anyone interested in God and gender. It sparked some excellent conversations, and I especially appreciated her thought-provoking questions at the end. I passed it along to my roommate as soon as I was finished, and will be recommending it to other friends as well!

Talk about a breath of fresh air.

I ordered Jonalyn Grace Fincher's Ruby Slippers with some misgiving, especially when I noted the subtitle: How the Soul of a Woman Brings Her Home. I hoped this book wasn't another worn-out rehash of "the Proverbs 31 woman" or a trip down the "yellow brick road" equating Christian femininity with Suzy Homemaker, June Cleaver, and "married with children." It isn't. Carefully integrating philosophy, psychology, theology, history, women's studies and "my own walk with Christ into a primer on the woman's soul" (p. 193), Ruby Slippers is a much-needed and long overdue look at God's ideas about womanhood. It shows how women are unique bearers of the imago dei and celebrates the soul of a woman within a thoroughly sound context of biblical truth.

Intelligent and incisive, Ruby Slippers is alert, agile, and penetrating without being pompous or trite. It avoids strait-jacketed "Christian stereotypes" and clears the way of narrow definitions, presumptions and prejudices to find out what makes women different and precious. Through careful biblical exegesis, meticulous research, thoughtful analysis and a well-rounded philosophical approach, Fincher shows us the real soul of a woman and its inestimable worth as a unique reflection of God's nature.

Early on, Fincher issues "one important caveat: I am not claiming to have the final words on women" or "an exhaustive index on femininity or the only biblical model for Christian womanhood," leaving the door open for further discussion. She also provides "Soul Care" questions at the end of each chapter for further thought.

In terms of writing style, Fincher's is generally tight, crisp, and lean. She shares personal anecdotes and experiences and analyzes vast quantities of data through a biblical grid. The author also brings an essential that's often lacking in many "women's ministry" paradigms and "women's Bible study" authors: demonstrable expertise and impeccable educational credentials. She's done her homework and has the background and qualifications to give this book gravitas. (Fincher holds a double Bachelor's degree in English and history from the University of Virginia and a master's degree in philosophy of religion and ethics from Talbot School of Theology, my alma mater.)

Sumptuously sprinkled throughout the main text are relevant observations from such Christian luminaries as C.S. Lewis, Henri Nouwen, G.K. Chesterton and Dorothy Sayers, to name a few. The material bogs down momentarily in Chapter 2, Uncorking the Soul, with a somewhat overlong discussion of soul and spirit, but it picks up steam thereafter. The discussion on The Same Planet in Chapter 3 regarding "gender roles", "equal without being identical" and "similar though not the same" is delicious.

Further on, Fincher masterfully deconstructs John Gray's "men are from Mars, women are from Venus" mythology, and the inadequate, incomplete "helper" rendering of Genesis 2, among others: "... contrary to popular pagan myths, contrary to Goddess Earth myths, and contrary to much Churchianity, God makes Woman to provide and offer the hope, the ezer for Man."

Other myths put to rest include: "East of Eden" femininity, "godly submission," "the weaker vessel" and "boutique form(s) of gnosticism and neo-paganism" which glories "fertile, female bodies over female souls."

More stand-out sections include Prescription Lists, Corsets and Slippers that Don't Fit (pp. 14 - 18), Why the Trinity Dignifies Women (pp. 156 -158), Natural Femininity (pp. 102 -140), Learning from Women (pp. 159 - 164) and Jesus in Female Form (pp. 185 -186).

As beautifully and as nimbly crafted as the Emerald City, Ruby Slippers is a ground-breaking work with much to offer in the on-going discussion of gender theory, cultural stereotypes and authentic Christian femininity. This fine work is perhaps best summarized in Fincher's own words: "I am becoming more free. Not free to live out my dominations or check off my lists or squeeze into a corset. But free to be more like the triune God, the way he has redeemed me: fully female, fully human."

Indeed, these Slippers are as welcome as Glinda's "Toto, too." Five stars.

I just finished Ruby Slippers last night, and wow! I think I need to read it a couple more times to grasp it all, but it's one of the best books I've ever read. This book stands-out from the rest of the popular Christian books on women/femininity/roles in that it doesn't give one-dimensional answers and a stereotypical grid through which to see what women can and can't do, how we should act, how we are a spin-off of men, how we like romance and flowers, etc... Fincher tackles the usually ignored issue of the woman's soul in its essence. What does it mean to be a woman, what was the picture of femininity God created in the Garden before the Fall, how did Jesus redeem that, how is our picture of who we are women so distorted from what the Gospel has called us to? I have never read another work that goes to the heart of the issue of what it actually means to be a woman created in the image of God, and it seems so logical that this is the first step in determining a basis for gender discussion. By uncovering the glory of the image of God in a woman, Ruby Slippers offers a beautiful, redeeming, healing, and honoring picture of what Christ sees when He looks at woman.
Fincher does a great job at integrating philosophy, theology, spiritual formation, and psychology. There is SO much information in this book, I was overwhelmed with the depth of research and the honesty of her own personal journey. Rarely do you find a work that is scholastic yet intimate. Fincher goes a step beyond most writing as she challenges and guides the reader to open their heart before God and explore personal implications in their own lives, as she shares those in her own. She has an understanding many authors lack in that she knows it's not just about accumulating information, but creating a space to allow God to transform your heart through the truth of the information. The questions and guided meditation she provides at the end of each chapter are much much more than typical content-driven "Sunday-School" questions...they encourage the reader to go the next step beyond information gathering, to open the heart and uncover false beliefs and understanding, and allow the truth to water the soul.
Ruby Slippers is a very unique work, and although very deep, it is also a fun read. The women in my small group at church meet for breakfast and discussion of a chapter on Saturday mornings, and it has been a great springboard for discussion, learning and laughter. I'm reccomending this book to everyone I know---Buy it!!!

I told my husband that the book was very liberating after I read it in four days. I felt like Jonalyn had looked into my heart and spoke for my soul. I didn't know that other women had such thoughts as I did. To say the least, it has already changed the way I view myself as a woman and it makes me want to share it with other women. It has made me more aware of who I am so much more."

Jonalyn Grace Fincher is candid and fresh, encouraging the reader to accompany her as she journeys through hard questions about identity and value in the context of femininity. This book is thought provoking and fit for some individual soul-searching, which we all could use. I hope to be able to also delve into it in a group setting, because the "Soul Care" questions at the end of each chapter would be great to discuss with others.

The author provides a healthy, positive challenge for the many conflicting and tiring messages about femininity we receive.