Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

howard books

When I say the word 'feminist': Review of Jesus Feminist by Sarah Bessey

Let’s play a game. I’m going to write a word in the next paragraph, and I want you to think about how that word makes you feel. Ready?

Feminist.

So, how are you feeling?

There was a time in my life when I would have scoffed at the word or dismissed it as liberal garbage or thought of angry, pants-wearing women shaking their fists.

In the last few years, some talented writers have changed all of that.

Sarah Bessey is one of them. (You should know that I got a free digital copy of the book I’m about to review in exchange for this post.)

I’m not quite sure how I found her not-so-little corner of the blogosphere, but her tone, her words, her authenticity hooked me from the first reading. She’s now one of those bloggers I can’t wait to read, and I often find myself laughing, crying and nodding in agreement over what she’s written.

When I learned she was writing a book about Jesus feminism (yes, that’s a thing), I was excited to read her thoughts. And a little nervous about the content because, you know, feminism is one of those hot-button words. Dropping it into Christian conversation can sometimes be worse than another “f-bomb” I know.

jesus feministBut, hear me say this: Whatever you think about feminism, set it aside and read this book. Jesus Feminist is so beautifully written I got actual goosebumps while reading it. Because Bessey is passionate, yes, and she’s waded through the muck of patriarchy, but her book is anything but angry. I was almost expecting a manifesto: a how-to for inserting ourselves into the leadership conversation.

I was so wrong. And I’m glad for it.

Jesus Feminist is a loving call to passionately pursue the gifts we’ve been given as women and use them whenever and wherever we find ourselves, regardless of whether we’re given permission by established leaders.

It’s an invitation to join a gathering of sisters, worldwide, who are doing the work of love in the name of Jesus, and cast off the limitations we sometimes give ourselves as wives, mothers, and women.

Encouraging doesn’t begin to describe it, but when I finished, I felt it: encouraged, empowered, emboldened.

I’m no longer sorry I’m a woman who cares about things beyond home and family, and I feel less resentment for women who do care much for those things. We all have a place in the work of the kingdom, and we’re meant to work alongside our brothers in the battle, not be overshadowed by them.

Jesus Feminist celebrates women but not at the expense of men. That’s no easy feat.

This book doesn’t answer every question about women in ministry or feminism or what the Bible says about all that nor does it aim to. What it does is opens the conversation and welcomes the questions.

If you’ve ever thought “Jesus” and “feminist” didn’t belong in the same sentence, I’d encourage you to read this book. It releases in early November, so put it on your to-read list now.

In the meantime, check out Sarah Bessey’s blog for a taste of her writing style.

What it's like to step into the pages of the Bible: Review of The Well by Stephanie Landsem

I’ve read the biblical story of the woman at the well, recorded in John 4, enough times for it to become familiar. Maybe too familiar. Which is why I appreciate what Stephanie Landsem has done with her debut novel The Well. (Disclaimer: I received a free copy of The Well from Howard Books in exchange for my review.)

The-Well-cover-1-201x300In it, we meet Mara, a teenager taking care of her crippled brother and despondant mother, in first-century Samaria. The mother, Nava, we will later discover is the biblical woman at the well who talks with Jesus and receives living water. That scene is uniquely imagined by the author and led me to look at the biblical passage in a new way.

And that’s only part of the story.

Nava is living sinfully in the village and Mara has almost no prospects of marriage. They struggle to find enough food to eat and they survive mainly on the charity of the other villagers, who equally despise Nava and feel sorry for her children. Then an outsider comes to the village, a man named Shem who has come to his grandfather’s olive farm to escape for a time while he’s hunted by Romans for killing a soldier. Shem has a soft spot for the weak and those treated unjustly. He finds himself unintentionally intertwined with Mara’s future.

When Jesus visits their village and speaks with Nava at the well, her life is changed and the course of Mara and Shem’s future is set in motion.

The ending, I think, will surprise you.

Landsem presents a believable picture of life in first-century Samaria, and the liberties she takes with familiar biblical accounts is refreshing. The Bible leaves a lot to our imaginations, and it’s fun when an author chooses to fill in the gaps. The plot is plausible and captivating.

The Well is Landsem’s first novel, but it won’t be her last. Look for more imaginative biblical stories from her in the future.

For more about the author, visit her at http://www.stephanielandsem.com/.