Running With Perseverance

I first came across Rachel Held Evans through her blog. She grew up in an evangelical Christian church, but now has a more liberal view of the Bible and what it means to be a Christian. She still speaks respectfully of evangelical Christians, and wrestles with issues facing the modern day Christian, particularly those relating to the treatment of women.

I had heard of A Year of Biblical Womanhood but wasn’t interested in reading it until I had a better appreciation of her perspective. Perhaps if I had realized the humor behind the subtitle sooner, I wouldn’t have waited so long to read it.

How a Liberated Woman Found Herself Sitting on Her Roof,
Covering Her Head, and Calling Her Husband “Master”

The book chronicles a year-long experiment where Rachel decided to take on different Biblical “rules” for women, focusing on a different rule each month. She approaches each rule with skepticism, examining (and questioning) their Biblical basis, and highlighting similar and conflicting Biblical principles. She does not believe that every word in the Bible should be taken literally, but sometimes she comes away with greater appreciation for a rule that she questioned at the start. Two of the sections that stuck with me are her reflections on what it means to be a “woman of valor” (Proverbs 31) and what it meant for God to create Eve as a “help meet” for Adam (Genesis 2).

I really enjoyed the balance of learning more about the Biblical and historical basis for these “rules” and the humor of her attempts to comply with them as a self-proclaimed “liberated” woman. She corresponds with (and along the way befriends) and Orthodox Jewish woman who helps her better understand some of the “rules” that are part of the Orthodox Jewish tradition.  The book also includes some insightful and humorous notes from Rachel’s husband, who shares his views of this whole project and the impact it had on their marriage. At the end of the book, when Rachel reflects on her year, she discusses the strength of their relationship as equals, without an imposed hierarchy of authority and power.

Do you follow any faith-focused bloggers I should check out?

Have you ever ended up liking a book you shied away from?