Book Review: A Year of Biblical Womanhood

A Year of Biblical Womanhood by Rachel Held Evans
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is about a woman trying to figure out what it means to live her life according to biblical precepts. So why would men want to read it? Why should men read it?

Here are three reasons:

Rachel Held Evans provides glimpses into how different religious traditions each sets expectations for women. This is often a matter of historical tradition, something that goes unquestioned, but is frequently a burden to women. Men need to realize that religious traditions may be hurting and in some cases, abusing, women.

The book describes the self-doubt and self-condemnation that women may put themselves under for failing to meet their own expectations of what women are supposed to look like. We men can and ought to be aware of these inner struggles and be more conscious about truly walking alongside women as equals and partners in life.

Finally, many of the insights provided are not only applicable to Christian women, but equally to men. I feel that this book helps all Christians progress along to the ideal Paul described in Galatians 3:28, "There is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

Evans writes with humor. I found myself laughing and chuckling throughout the book. She makes the mundane sound exciting. I now feel like I know Rachel better than I do most of my neighbors.

That's not to say the writing is shallow. It is insightful. It is deep. It questions and causes the reader, too, to question long held assumptions, traditions, and interpretations.

One insight I found particularly helpful was in regards to Evans' explanation of Proverbs 31, the passage in the Bible frequently upheld as the image of the ideal woman. Evans provides the reader with an alternate interpretation that is more faithful to the original intent, where the responsibility is actually on the man, rather than the woman.

I also found helpful the chapter where Evans meets with the Mennonites. The message I got was that traditions, even restrictive ones, can be valuable in that they provide meaning, value, and belonging. When traditions become a means of controlling another person is when things turn bad.

The chapter on submission may be the heart of the book. I believe Evans writes commendably on the cultural and historical contexts around the proof-text passages that are so often thrown around to force women to submit in conservative/fundamentalist Christian circles. She writes about the reality of life in the Roman Empire during the 1st century, and then describes the current of subversive idealism that can be found in the biblical text.

One problem I encountered was around page 123 in the discussion of the word "modesty" and the Greek "kosmios". The overall message does not change, but the precise details of the discussion may not match the book depending on the Bible version one uses to verify it. It is a minor quibble but one that I feel should be noted.

Evans approaches the reading and interpretation of scripture in a progressive manner; i.e., the text is not necessarily to be taken literally, that outside sources such as Jewish tradition can inform interpretation, and that the text must be seen through the lens of culture and history.

The endnote references are quite extensive and contain useful references. Nearly every chapter ends with one or more links to Evans' website where blog entries can be read that provides more information and stories.

The book was enjoyable to read and never tedious. I suspect moderate and progressive Christians will find this book quite appealing. I highly recommend it to all open-minded Christians. It ultimately does not dictate what the "right" answer to biblical womanhood is, but rather provides processes and principles that can guide each person in working through the issue for herself and himself.

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