Radical Womanhood: Feminine Faith in a Feminist World Kindle Edition

The concept of feminism has always been hazy for me. Recently, feminism has been especially prominent in media and sparked my interest in to learning more about feminism –when did it start, how has it evolved into what it is today, and – most importantly – how can we approach feminism in a Christlike manner?I wasn’t sure which Christian-based book on feminism to pick up. After reading reviews and reading excerpts on Radical Womanhood, I headed to Amazon and purchased it. Before going any further in my review, I want to say that this book is informative for all women regardless of age and marital status. While marriage, divorce, and motherhood are a large part of the book, I was still able to learn and apply certain things to my life as a single woman in my late twenties.This is as much as a historical book as a theological one. Author Carolyn McCulley does a good job giving us historical details on the origins of feminism, including backgrounds on famous feminists, the three waves of feminism (who knew, right?), and how the different waves have affected society and the church as a whole. McCulley takes common themes discussed by feminists and she cites Scripture where God specifically talks about these themes. Some of these themes include submission; abortion; definition of marriage and the husband and wife’s roles within marriage; and women’s roles in the home and church. I found it very interesting to read how much feminism has evolved and how much of it was shaped by other historical occurrences, such as the Industrial Revolution, the Second Great Awakening, and World War II. At the end of the book, McCulley offers further resources for abuse. Sadly – because of human’s sinful nature – some men do defy God’s command to honor women by abusing them. This is an important section of the book that may help women who have been abused.I usually don’t have lengthy reviews with tangents, yet I feel I must insert this tangent. In Chapter 3, McCulley discusses submission and how it is present in the Divine Trinity. Yes, you read correctly! She quotes Wayne Grudem as he says that headship and submission always was with “the eternal nature of God himself.” She states, "The three divine persons of the Trinity are equal in nature, but different in role" (p. 61). I never before thought of submission being present in the Trinity, but it really stayed with me and helped me understand that submission is not a sign of weakness or lesser value.Overall, I recommend this book to those wanting to learn more about the rise of feminism. I also recommend to those who want to know more on what the Bible says about being a Godly woman. There is nothing preachy or fluffy in this one. I recommend especially to young women as they may be confused on where they stand on being a woman in today’s society. Many women in mainstream media have taken feminism to the extreme and have distorted women’s image. As McCulley states in her book, “There is a difference between restoring God-given rights to women and setting women above both men and God” (p. 32). This is what many women today have done and I fear it has negatively impacted many young women. And as author McCulley says, the overall cause of this twisted form of feminism is sin of both men and women. I continue to pray that with God’s grace and redemptive powers that we will be able to turn messy affairs around and men can respect women and women can respect men and live as they should – lovingly with equal but different roles. After all, we both share the privileged status of being created in the image of God.

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."

This book makes a lot of really great points and sheds some light into the foggy grey area of how females are supposed to act. There obviously isn't a one-size-fits-all or cookie cutter female standard, but there are some things to consider that Carolyn takes from Scripture and some things to consider she takes from her own experience coming from an avid Feminist background that you'll want to read! It is a book I turn to again and again as a reminder because I am constantly being reminded by society how IT wants me to be. I'd rather be free from unrealistic expectations, or expectations which ruin my happiness. This book points down that road of freedom where the messages from society do not.It also gives some history of Feminism which was good to know (being young and not being from those generations). Some of what was accomplished was good, but some has had a very negative impact on the lives of women around the world, and on societies around the world. You'll want to read it from the perspective of a feminist who has since realized the difference between a societal dream woman and real women.

This is an excellent book that carefully maps the rise and history of Feminism, all be it with an American bias. It is shocking how much influence the Feminist movement have had, not just "out there" in the world but subtly in the church too. This is a well written and disturbing book. It shows just how far we've gone in the search for "freedom" and how much we, as women, have unwittingly sacrificed to gain this elusive prize - our homes, husband and children have all to some extent been sacrificed in the name of "feminism".Carolyn McCulley has written from a knowledgeable slant - she was deeply involved in Feminism herself - so the information is accurate and up to date.

just fantastic! a book which truly describes the wide breadth of issues behind the feminist movement, whilst providing compassionate and scriptural input throughout.the author managed hits the nail on the head, time and time again, as she highlights the problem that the feminist movement is having on our wider society.i'm certain feminists won't like it, but the truth will, indeed, set you free, and this book does that in spades

If you are a woman of faith who doesn't feel they quite fit into the gender norms of the world, McCulley helps you understand why. This book makes the history of feminism and modern implications very accessible. This one is great to give to your daughters and sons as they head out of high school and into the world. It's an important topic and handled really well.

loved this book... recommend this book... bought these two copies to give away

don't be fooled by the glamorous cover and attention grabbing title. this book is a like a trip back into the DARK AGES. i wanted to give it zero stars, and the only reason i didn't is because the review wouldn't post without a star rating.i wouldn't have been so shocked if it was clearer that this book was written from a biblical stance, and i certainly wasn't expecting that. maybe i should have researched a bit more, but i thought this book was going to be RADICAL not OLD SCHOOL. this woman spends a lot of time bashing other feminists - which is never a good sign in my books. not because i think they (steinem et al) are above questioning, but because i've grown wary over the years of people who begin their argument by slagging off someone else's. that vampiristic, critical approach always smacks of bitterness and unresolved issues to me. the author tries to reframe the bible as some kind of pro-female manifesto, when clearly it is not. not in its current state anyhow. how can it be if women are called to submit to their (superior) husbands? should we not be questioning who has written and re-written the bible over the years, and what their issues and agendas may have been?and furthermore, she basically believes that the nuclear family is the way forward, that the man is the head of the household and the woman/wife/mother should accept this and get on with it. BITCH PLEASE. how out of touch with the times can you get? what about single women, career focused women, creative/alternative types, bisexuals, lesbians etc etc? not to mention non-christians or those who do not cite the bible for every dilemma life throws them. do they even EXIST in this fluffy universe? it's a real shame because some of us feel that things could be better for women, and want to stretch our minds to new concepts and arguments (and that is the only reason why i was able to get about half way through this book before i gave up. in DISGUST!), but all you're getting here is softer spin on the same old, same old, patriarchal BS that has kept women down for centuries, and still would be if the feminists hadn't done their work.if you believe in 'different but equal', this is probably not the book for you. but hey, don't take my word for it. read and decide for yourself. but at least you'll have the heads up i didn't have, and won't be left wishing you had spent your hard earned moo-lar on some funky nail varnish instead...