Customer Reviews

Womanly Dominion: More Than A Gentle and Quiet Spirit

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Womanly Dominion: More Than a Gentle and Quiet Spirit, by Mark Chanski, is the sequel to his excellent work Manly Dominion. When I first learned that this book was coming out I was somewhat skeptical. How could a man write an entire book for women about women? Also, where is he going to go with that subtitle, "more than a gentle and quiet spirit"?
Once I began to read this wonderful book, however, I simply could not put it down! While following the same basic pattern as Manly Dominion, this excellent book is basically a much welcomed and enthusiastic "pep rally" for Christian women everywhere to "play their position" just as a well disciplined soccer goalie remains faithfully at his or her post. And to "win it": to excel in excellence in her God ordained role for His glory and honor. This fallen world and culture exerts constant pressure on our women to abandon their high calling as both wives and mothers to pursue "nobler goals", particularly in full time vocational pursuits. It is the effect of the fall of man into sin that men are by nature spiritually passive and women are by nature discontent with their God ordained role (cf. Genesis 3:16). For godly women who feel the pressure from this fallen world to "abandon their post" (and yes, sometimes that pressure even comes from the local church) Pastor Chanski's book is full of sound Biblical encouragement that will put the wind back in your sails. Yes, we are fallen, but through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus you can learn to be content to live as God created you to live. In no way, shape, or form does Chanski demean women in any way. On the contrary, he truly presents our sisters in the Lord as our co-laborers in the gospel who are our joint heirs in grace, but whom God has nevertheless created with a different role and function than men. Refreshingly, because he truly consults the whole counsel of God concerning heroines of the faith, there is no "Stepford Wife" mentality presented here. Another thing that makes this book such an invaluable resource is that it is "salted and peppered" with extremely practical and often humorous illustrations. I literally had tears in my eyes as I read certain portions of this fine work. In fact, this book is a helpful read for both women and men alike, for in reading about the God-ordained roles of women we men are reminded of our need to "step up to the plate" and not be spiritually passive!
I am a Reformed Baptist pastor the same as Pastor Chanski, and both Manly Dominion and Womanly Dominion are now going to become required reading for engaged couples to whom I give pre-marital counseling.
My endorsement of this book, however, is not without a few small qualifications. That is why I have given it four stars instead of five. (If possible four and three quarter stars would be more accurate.) I give the following qualifications, not to be nit picky or hyper-critical, but to acknowledge a couple of weaknesses in the book (in my very limited opinion) that perhaps could be improved if Pastor Mark ever does a revision:

1. A woman president? On page 210 Chanski makes the statement: "I could, under the right circumstances, be persuaded to vote for a woman as my president." Pastor Mark is very clear that women are forbidden by Holy Scripture to be office bearers or to teach and rule over men in the local church. He also does an admirable job of qualifying this remark about women in politics, citing the Scripture's own endorsement of such heroines of the faith as Deborah, the Queen of Sheba, and Esther. He also clarifies that it would be wrong for a woman to pursue a political career if she had to abandon her post as a wife and mother in order to do so. Certainly as born again Christians we have all had to struggle through this very issue in just the past month. Should we vote for the most politically liberal man to ever run for the presidency, or should we vote for a more politically conservative man who would have been the oldest president to ever occupy the office, with only one heartbeat standing between him and his female vice-president sitting in the oval office? Still, no matter what the circumstances, a female president would certainly bolster the forces of feminism (have you ever noticed that there is nothing "feminine" about feminism?!) So I think that I understand Chanski's point, but I must confess that the statement at least made me raise an eyebrow.

2. Women obeying their husbands. As you read through both Manly and Womanly Dominion it is very clear that Chanski has a thoroughly Biblical view of the headship of men in the home and of the proper role of women in both the home and the local church. In Chapter 10: "Womanly Dominion in Marital Life", Chanski has an excellent section on a wife respecting her husband based upon Ephesians 5:33. I think it would have been helpful, however, if he had written a bit more material on what it means for a wife to submit to and obey her husband. Clearly he believes that this is what God commands, but in his book this seems a bit more implicit than explicit. I do not recall that he anywhere expounds the meaning of "submission" from such texts as Ephesians 5:22-24; Colossians 3:18; Titus 2:5; or I Peter 3:1-6. He does quote from portions of these texts in various places, but I do not recall him dealing with submission and obedience from them. I may be mistaken upon this point, but as there is not a Scripture index available in the back I could not confirm it. Again, Chanski's view on this is implicitly obvious and very sound, but I would have liked for him to spell it out a bit more explicitly. Certainly any book dealing with women's roles in the home needs to give some detailed exposition of submission and obedience to husbands from these important texts.

3. A couple of statements about pastors, in my opinion, might need a little bit of qualification or refinement. Mark Chanski has a commendable and refreshingly high view of our sisters in Christ and their value to the local church. In "Chapter 12: Womanly Dominion in the Church" he sets forth many tangible and practical ways that women can be an unspeakable blessing to the local church. In so doing, however, he makes the following statements: "Pastors are overrated in the church" (p. 197), and "I frankly don't expect that many pastors or elders will occupy the most privileged seats on that day [of Judgment]" (p.205). As one who is a pastor myself I can certainly appreciate Pastor Chanski's humility about the office he himself occupies. And given the widespread apostasy of our day, and the high number of pastors who are more concerned with pleasing men than pleasing Christ, I can't say that I substantially disagree with Pastor Mark. Certainly there are women who are going to be so close to Jesus' glory that we pastors will never see them! But that being said, I don't know that it is necessarily true that "pastors are overrated in the church". In this rebellious age where the local church is often viewed as a democracy rather than a monarchy with King Jesus as her only Head, pastoral authority is often under rated and even ignored. I am certain that Pastor Chanski would agree with that statement, but some qualification of his words might have been helpful. Especially since the Holy Spirit tells us:

"And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake." (I Thessalonians 5:12-13a)

And, "Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct." (Hebrews 13:7)

One more: "Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you." (Hebrews 13:17).

So, again, I think that some qualification of his words would have been helpful here. These few qualifications notwithstanding, this is an excellent resource. It truly is one of the best books on women's roles that I have ever read. I commend it highly to women and men alike.

Mark Chanski attacks an often neglected topic with amazing insight and with scripture as his highest authority. He gives a very thorough treatise on Christian femininity as the Bible teaches. His counsel to Christian women is both trustworthy and thoroughly biblical. A must read for any woman who desires to honor Jesus and obey the high and holy calling the Creator of the Universe has for her.

As a wife and the mother of three young children, it's easy for me to loose sight of the "big picture" in the midst of my seemingly mundane, daily duties. "Womanly Dominion" was the encouragement I needed to press on and, little by little, become the woman I know God wants me to be. I was reminded of how important my job is in the whole scheme of things and admonished to take it seriously. Thank you Mark Chanski!

By the way, this book is especially for married women. Although I'm sure singles would benefit from it, it's not specifically directed at them.

This book has encouraged me in my daily pursuits as a mom and wife. I really appreciate its simplicity, detail, and hard biblical references as it teaches on the importance of "playing your position and winning it!"

Great book- full of Scripture. I'm sure I will reread this in the future and use it as a reference.

If you are looking for a good book to read, this one is awesome. Mark Chanski touches on topics that so many books steer clear of like feminism, how to handle your children's salvation and so much more. He gets right to the point and backs everything up with scripture. He follows and illustrates God's standards rather than mans. This book stands out from many I have read because of his honesty and biblical stance on important issues.

This book is easy to read but thought provoking as it flies in the face of political correctness. I believe the women of my church will be encouraged and challenged in their roles as women, wives and mothers by reading this book.

I didn't make it past chapter 8. Being a busy mom, a book really has to captivate me to get me to read it. I thought this would be a read I'd enjoy but I ended up not finishing it - something I NEVER do. I think I have only left 3 books unfinished in my life. A lot of the information was quotes from other writers and nothing was very "original". It's been over a year since I started the book, so I can't remember specifics, but I do remember feeling that it wasn't very deep and a little more on the feminism side of the spectrum than what I could embrace.

I just read the book The Fruit Of Her Hands by Nancy Wilson and LOVED it. That may give you perspective on my view of womanhood and marriage. ;-)

Give it a try! If nothing else, it should make you think as it does reference scripture a lot - which is one thing it has on it's side and the reason it gets 3 stars instead of 2.

this is a wonderful book on Biblical femininity. i saw it recommended on girltalkhome.com & am so thankful i read it! the ONLY drawback is that, although the author references some Biblical/Nouthetic counselors & esteems them, he uses a good amount of advice & "common sense" from psychologists. but most of it IS common sense after all, so i didn't mind it, but i would still be a lil' cautious. overall, though, i recommend this book VERY highly! it leaves you feeling "empowered" (for lack of a better word) as a woman to fulfill your God-given role & makes you excited to see the impact you can have there!