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Jesus Feminist
Book Review by Cadet Nicola Poore

Jesus Feminist was written by Sarah Bessey

(Book review previously published in the AUE Women's magazine in March 2014)

  

 

Jesus Feminist. Yes, you read it correctly. No, it is not a contradiction in terms. ‘Feminist’ is certainly a word that triggers extreme reactions. Indeed, ‘feminism’ seems to be particularly distasteful to the Christian palate, as though it was the antithesis of the Proverbs 31 ideal of biblical womanhood.

 

Having named the elephant in the room, (male or female elephant, you decide) let us set aside stereotypes as I describe to you a different kind of feminism; Jesus Feminism. Sarah Bessey, award-winning blogger and author of Jesus Feminist, illustrates a brand of feminism that is radically counter-cultural because it is rooted in Jesus Christ.  

 

As Bessey skilfully articulates, “My first allegiance is not to feminism. My first allegiance is to Jesus and His Kingdom…Jesus made a feminist out of me.” Jesus’ Kingdom was never about grasping for power, but about the giving up of power. Jesus Feminism, as described in this text, does not set out to dismantle patriarchal power structures in favour of a matriarchal paradigm. Rather for Bessey, “Feminism only means we champion the dignity, rights, responsibilities, and glories of women as equal in importance – not greater than, but certainly no less than – to those of men.”

 

The focal point of this work is Jesus Christ and his mission to redeem, reform and restore the world. The scale of this redemption is limitless. Not only does Bessey outline Christ’s redemptive purposes for equitable human relationships, but she explores the all-encompassing redemption of the created order. The reader is given a foretaste of the Kingdom of God.

 

The tapestry of Jesus Feminist is beautifully constructed with threads of personal testimony and academic literature in a poetic style that is consistently interwoven with the Word of God. Subverting the typically argumentative style of gender debates, Bessey champions grace, justice, mutual submission and respect in her treatment of such themes as spiritual headship, identity, motherhood, and ministry.

 

Echoing the voices of Catherine and William Booth, Jesus Feminist is a captivating read for men and women alike. Allow this book to capture your imagination of how things could be, and provoke you to wait, with building and unbearable anticipation, for Christ’s glorious return and the consummation of his Kingdom.  

 

 

  

 

 

   

 

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