WOMEN & GOD

WOMEN & GOD: Hard Questions, Beautiful Truth

Author: Kathleen Nielson

Review written by: Laura Merle

FROM 3,000 FEET…

Kathleen Nielson's book "Women and God: Hard Questions, Beautiful Truth" addresses questions such as: is God sexist? And what does the Bible really say about women? These questions have crept around in my mind for a long time and have lately been getting louder. I have struggled to make sense of the neglect and oppression I see, I have struggled to confidently defend my faith in conversations about women's rights, and I have struggled to understand what Scripture says about all this. If I'm honest, this tension has been enough to justify closing my Bible and avoid conversations and thoughts about this topic altogether. But in the past few months, I have felt God nudging me directly into this tension. I have felt convicted to take a step forward into something I believe God wants to help me understand better in order to know Him more fully.

Reading Nielson's book definitely stretched me and challenged me. But her approach of addressing key passages that are often misunderstood helped me to dive straight into the source. She starts with creation and continually points her readers back there, to God's design and purpose and authority, as she speaks to how the relationship between God and women is really meant to play out in daily life, in marriage, and in the church.

MY BIGGEST TAKEAWAYS:

Being the first book I have read on women's theology, it was all incredibly illuminating. But I think what tied it all together was her ideas on equality, distinction, and unity. In Genesis is where we read about the Creation story. I've known since I was very young that all people are created in God's image. But to understand the full complexity and beauty in that we must remember that God is triune. In Genesis 1:26, we cannot miss the pronouns used to describe the creation of human beings: "Then God said, 'Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness…" (Gen. 1:26). God is three distinct Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, perfectly united as one. And there is no hierarchy of value. If this is the image we are created in, then we are meant to represent this distinctness and unity. We must embrace the unique way that we were each made because in unity we are able to give a clearer and fuller picture of who God truly is. That slight shift of perspective was really profound for me.

I also found Nielson's perspective on women in the church very insightful, and it helped me to expand my understanding on something I'm still learning about. She talks about the dynamic of submission and authority within the context of life lived out in a local church: women (and men) submitting to the oversight of the male elders of a church. This oversight authority “was invested in the man at creation when he was made first. The man was given God’s word to live by, and then held responsible by God for guarding that word above all else” (pages 165-166). This responsibility to guard and protect the holiness of God’s word is given not to every man, but to called, tested, Godly men within a church. She reminds us that a congregation that submits joyfully and faithfully to the authority of its elders serves to represent all believers humbly submitting to the sovereignty of our God.

But just as within a marriage, submission is not a passive defeat but rather an active participation and declaration of faith. So how are women to actively engage in a church body? Nielson points us to Scripture that show examples of women praying, exercising hospitality, learning, partnering with and encouraging leaders, providing financial support, and teaching, all according to their maturity and gifts. Romans 16 illustrates women and men glorifying the Lord side by side in united worship. “It is important and beautiful to see women participating in the life and worship of the church in all kinds of ways, including teaching; in fact, when women are actively and visibly participating, the church is better able to celebrate the reality of unity in God’s image as He intended it way back in Genesis 1” (page 169). Women are valuable and necessary for the growth and stability of a church, for its ultimate purpose to model Christ more fully to a watching world. For me, that clarified a lot of clouded thoughts and questions I had been wrestling with. It was definitely an encouraging read.

WHO SHOULD READ THIS BOOK?

While Nielson hits a lot of sensitive topics, her tone is very gentle and compassionate. I think this is a great read for anyone looking to take that step into the uncomfortable to learn more about the relationship between women and God, especially if they're interested in looking directly at parts of Scripture.