Chapter 1 - Dented Femininity
March 3rd, 2009 Kristen
Hello everyone, to start out with…I had a few questions where to get this book, I ordered it from Amazon.com. It is published by Moody publishers, so you can probably get it directly from them as well. Otherwise, you could go into Barnes or Borders and they could special order it (if it isn’t on their shelves) and it would just take a couple days to come in.
Thank you everyone for your interest in this blog/book club. We invite your comments…let’s talk about it. Though it is one of the most misunderstood concepts in scripture - it uniquely influences our relationships with our spouse, children, employers, etc. We can’t afford to turn a blind eye to this New Testament teaching.
The first chapter was so great! I would like to highlight a few of my favorite thoughts. If you have different ones, please add to my list, or comment on these:
I loved her line “feminism” (like most other ‘isms) points a finger at other people for the problems of life.” She says, “true, some men have treated women horribly, some diminish women’s accomplishments, some sexually assault women. Some men degrade women through pornography.” She contends that is why feminism rose - but it doesn’t solve our problem. It just points out the problem without giving a solution.
She goes on to say that “our sinful nature (James 4:1-3) , spiritual forces of evil (Eph. 6:12) and the lure of this present world (I Jn. 2:15-17) are our REAL problems. Sin doesn’t just apply to other people. It applies to me. I was good at blaming other people for my sins or minimizing them to myself. But, I was blind to the sins of envy, anger, self-righteousness, judgement, greed and pride. The word I did know how to apply to myself was “self”. I was all about myself and maximizing my own comfort, opportunity and pleasure.”
SO good isn’t it??
Now, about the “roles” - “God made man and woman in His image - two sexes, equal in worth and dignity. He assigned us different roles in order for us to accomplish His purposes in His Kingdom.” (I love how she put this - we need to treat men AND women with dignity, regardless of race, sex, or social status. We are all created in His image. What a HIGH honor! Because we are assigned different roles doesn’t translate to different worth. And women…This also applies to how women treat men. All means ALL!)
Here are some great questions the author posed and gives us things to think about and lots to talk about;
- What is the significance of being created a woman and not a man?
- What is the significance of being able to bear children?
- How should we handle our sexuality?
- Should we structure our careers just like men do?
- What’s the purpose of being a wife?
I hope we will not just have conversations of what “submission” ISN’T…but what it IS. What is the role God placed you in? How can you work within your family, church, community and workplace to reveal God’s Kingdom and Christlikeness?
If you have any thoughts, please join in on the conversation! Lots of love to all you RADICAL women out there! :)
Tags: christlike, feminism, male female roles, submission