The EQUIP20 Picks are still available for a limited time online via our ministry partner, Reformers Bookshop.

http://reformers.com.au/equip?aff=6

A percentage of the sales from books bought via the above link will support our CMS missionary, M.

Katie Stringer has gone into more detail for us on one of the picks she really enjoyed, God’s Design for Women.

This book could be retitled: “All the lies feminism has told you and the liberating truth women need to hear”. If that feels a bit in your face, then that’s a lot like the style of British born Sharon James in this book. James is something of an expert on the topic of Biblical womanhood, with degrees in theology and history. She’s written several books and is a regular conference speaker. Her main area of interest is what the Bible says about women and how that intersects with feminism, and she pulls no punches.

James summarises the problem: “Feminism named God as the enemy and the Bible as hate speech. This alienates people from the source of life and salvation.” (79) James is writing to answer the question, “Is God’s design for women good?”  How would you answer this question?

James turns first to the ministry of Christ: “The reason why Jesus Christ came into the world was to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). At the Cross, the rolling back of the effects of the Fall began (Genesis 3:15), which would include all cruelty and injustice, whether against women or men or children.” (15) James argues that wherever true Christianity has spread, Jesus’ followers seek to bring justice and healing to the oppressed (Isaiah 1:17), which is good news for all women. 

So in this post I wanted to go with James and focus on the source of Christianity: Jesus Christ himself, and see how he treats women in the culture in which he lived. In chapter one I found it fascinating reading about what life was like for women in the Roman empire, and how the stories recorded in the gospel show Jesus’ kind and compassionate heart toward women living in an often brutal society. If James were a more cuddly writer she might say that Jesus loves women!

You might like to look up some of the stories with me such as the raising back to life of a little girl who had died. Can you imagine the celebration? And the healing of a bleeding woman in Luke 8:40-56. Then there’s the story of a sinful woman pouring perfume all over Jesus’ feet and having her past forgiven in Luke 7:36-50. Jesus takes away this woman’s shame. Jesus heals a woman with a disability on the Sabbath in Luke 13:10-16. To great protest from the synagogue leader, Jesus ends the woman’s eighteen years of suffering. Mary and Martha host Jesus in their home and are personally taught by him, despite strict rules about male and female segregation at the time. Jesus defies expectation and wants these women to listen and engage with his teaching.  The story of the widow of Nain in Luke 7:11-17, where Jesus gives a mother her son back and in doing so, her livelihood as well, shows that Jesus is the ultimate comforter. The grieving sisters in John 11, always gets me, because Jesus steps into the pain of these sisters and does something about it. He gives Mary and Martha their brother back. Not only can Jesus raise the dead, he can wipe away every tear. 

The fact that Jesus has women in his company who had been healed and who supported his work from their own means shows how much he values women. After all, His Father created men and women in the beginning, in his image, equal in dignity and worth (Genesis 1:27). Then there are the female witnesses to the empty tomb (Mark 16), and Mary Magdalene who has the privilege of announcing the greatest event of all time: the resurrection! (John 20:18) Clearly God values the testimony of women even if at the time their testimony was considered unreliable.

What a beautiful route to travel through the gospels and see Jesus’ interaction with women. He really cares for and values women. It’s a great place to begin thinking about the themes in James’ book. James argues that the voices that rail against Christianity and against its goodness would do well to look again at the beautiful saviour who always acts with perfect integrity, compassion and kindness to women, defying expectations then, as he does now.

As we continue our journey in this book and look at the areas women’s lives today are broken, disadvantaged, discriminated against, abused, and not the way they ought to be, I hope you’ll be surprised afresh by the message of the cross and how it remains the single best news ever for every woman, man and child.

Meet Katie Stringer

Katie has found new things to love in this tricky year! Covid 19 has caused her to fall in love with winter swimming and online Bible Study.  She is really looking forward to being back in the classroom in Term 3 teaching SRE at two

Inner West high schools. She is studying at Moore College.