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 PrintableVersion Woman, the full storyA dynamic celebration of freedomPick out the bonesWOMAN, THE FULL STORY This is a book of contradictions, and so quite a hard book to write about! It has been written by Michele Guiness, author of the bestseller 'Child of the Covenant' telling of her conversion from Judaism. 'Woman, The Full Story' too contains lots of autobiography, along with discussion of Scripture, sociology and lots of humour. It is an extremely readable, personal and passionate (and therefore winsome) exploration of womanhood. But before I sound too positive, I must say that the appeal of Guiness's warm personality does not outweigh the serious flaws in some of her ideas. The book starts at the very beginning, in Genesis, but in the 25 pages of the first chapter we visit Augustine, Afghanistan, oppression and redemption among many other topics. Quite a whistle-stop tour! This busyness of style makes the book entertaining; the illustrations are memorable and the applications moving. Unfortunately, the pace can sweep the reader into unquestioningly accepting Guiness's central thesis. In trying (quite rightly) to reclaim the nobility of the woman, she falls into the trap of the feminists, downgrading men and exonerating women. The curse on women - 'your desire will be for your husband' (Genesis 3.16) - is read as a desire to give in to men, to become dependent on a husband or father rather than God. In claiming this, Guiness rejects the obvious rendering of this verse, that women will desire to control or possess men (cf Genesis 4.7). While there may be some overlap between the two interpretations (both are a form of idolatry, seeking significance in a man rather than God), the upshot of Guiness's position is that women appear less nasty than men and also less responsible. Rightly, Guiness points the female reader to Christ for rescue from the curse, but, in terms of gender, the result of that rescue, according to Guiness, is 'independence', gender roles left far behind. Michele Guiness ends her first chapter with these words: 'Women can grasp hold of the key, then release our men, husbands ... from their self-imposed isolation in the fortress of the mind... We will take up the calling ... to speak life into our ... societies. The world has been waiting for that for a very long time'. Hmmm... From this point Guiness pursues her thesis into a vast array of topics, from Old Testament character sketches, to her own birth stories (male readers could skip these), the role of women in the church to her daughter's body image. As you might by now be realising, Guiness ties what is effectively secular feminism to her own right desire to see God's Kingdom extended. The result is that 'hard passages' are explained away and men become weak 'yes' men, or oppressors who need re-educating. The future it seems lies with women. Sadly, Guiness's attitudes probably correspond with those of the majority of 'evangelicals'. If you feel ready to nit-pick, then buy this book for its excellent illustrations and quotations, its insightful study of manipulative women (particularly the wives of the patriarchs), and a wealth of human interest. For a young Christian, or one who hasn't examined these issues yet, then don't buy this book; read Sharon James's book on womanhood instead - it's much more reliable! Sarah Allen© Evangelicals Now - July 2004 |
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