Radical Womanhood
Radical Womanhood: Feminine Faith in a Feminist World
By: Carolyn McCulley
[Fulfilling “A book with fewer than 1000 reviews on Goodreads” as part of the 2021 Fall Reading Challenge.]
“I wrote this book for my thirty-year-old self, the woman who needed to understand why much of what she had been taught in college and read in the media led to a dead end, and why the Bible inspired joy and peace.”
This is an excellent book about biblical womanhood written by a woman who understands the feminism movement. Knowing it was written in 2008, I wasn’t sure how relevant it would be. But it is probably even more so relevant now than in 2008.
It’s fair. It’s honest. And as a woman, struggling with the push and pull of what I’m being told to be or do as a woman, everything she said resonated with me like compassionate words from a friend.
There are many books written on this topic that expound more on interpreting the biblical passages (a few listed below). What I feel is unique about this book is the attention to historical figures and context, the inclusion of personal stories, and discussion on some topics not typically broached in these types of books. Plus McCulley has a background in cultural feminism, herself.
What is Feminism?
‘Feminism’ is a weighty term that means different things to different people. Several reviewers are turned off by her seeming placement of feminism as an opposite to biblical womanhood. I can see how they might perceive that from this book but I think definitions would clear that up.
Throughout the whole book McCulley is clear that the historical feminist movement has made great progress for women’s social and legal standing— voting rights, end of coverture, higher education, etc. She is also clear that the Bible affirms that women and men are equal and were equal from the first.
“There’s a difference between restoring God-given rights to women and setting women above both men and God. The history of the feminist movement shows that one led to another…”
The murkiness comes when we define what ‘equal’ means. The Bible is clear all people are equal in worth for we are all image-bearers of the Creator. And in this way, we are all feminists. But if we start to see different roles in the church as being more valuable than others, an ‘equal outcome’ looks different for different people.
As McCulley says, “Feminist ideology arose from partially accurate observations but offered faulty interpretations and flawed solutions.”
Another reason feminism seems at odds with McCulley’s biblical presentation of womanhood is because of some of the specific beliefs certain waves of feminism seemed to push at large. There is obviously no one platform of beliefs in which all feminists adhere to and I don’t believe McCulley attempts to create one. So, too, we must be careful to take into account all of this book before assuming McCulley’s intentions based on her use of one loaded term.
What is at Stake?
The most important thing to determine when speaking about feminism and biblical womanhood is to establish your ultimate authority and your view of the Bible.
Wayne Grudem, in his excellent book, Evangelical Feminism, systematically exposes how many interpretations of the Bible used by Christian feminists undermine Scripture by implementing theological liberalism which he defines as: “a system of thinking that denies the complete truthfulness of the Bible as the Word of God and denies the unique and absolute authority of the Bible in our lives.”
At the heart of this issue, in terms of how Christians view biblical womanhood, is the Bible. Is your authority God’s complete and inerrant Word? Grudem asks this hard question: “Is the authority of the Bible really primary for egalitarians? Or is there a deep-seated mentality that actually puts feminism first and the Bible second?”
McCulley affirms this position in her book.
The Real Problem
Having discovered feminism in her women’s studies courses in college, she had been attracted to their explanation for the problems in the world: Men. The Patriarchy.
Long story short, she ends up encountering Jesus in South Africa and realizes that, men, in fact, are not the problem.
Sin is. And it’s found in both men and women.
“The kicker is that feminism is partially right. Men do sin. They can diminish women’s accomplishments and limit women’s freedoms for self-centered reasons. Some men sexually assault women. Some men abuse their wives and children. Many men degrade women through pornography. Feminism didn’t rise up because of fabricated offenses.”
“Sin warps everything, including the good that God has designed in being a man or a woman. Women sin against men and men sin against women, and everyone sins against God and falls short of His standard of holiness and perfection. Sin is the reason men have oppressed women and women have usurped men. Sin is the reason for the jealousy, selfish ambition, disorder, and every vile practice that characterizes false wisdom.”
I love McCulley’s approach to this topic of laying out the gospel in the very beginning because this is our framework..
She acknowledges the real offenses and wrongs that led to women’s resistance, past and present, yet she reminds us that neither men nor feminists are the enemy. The enemy is Satan and his lies.
If the problem is sin, then the solution is righteousness which can only be found through Jesus Christ. By grace through faith in his death and resurrection, paying the penalty for all of our sins.
Real joy, peace, redemption, healing, and rescue can only come through Christ.
We can’t get that wrong.
And I’m glad she began this book on such a controversial topic by clarifying that gospel message and reminding us what is ultimate. Much gets lost in these debates and we can’t settle for anything less than truth.
Does Feminism Help or Hurt Women?
While that is what is ultimately at stake in this discussion there are plenty of other things to talk about.
Something I found particularly compelling was to consider some of the main topics that feminists today are vocal about. Many feminists want the freedom to have abortions. They want the decriminalization of prostitution. They want the revealing of their body to be seen as empowerment.
Aside from the commonly expressed moral arguments against abortion, let’s consider:
Is this actually better for women?
There are millions of abortions done every year. And the majority of them are female fetuses worldwide (mostly China and India). Not only does abortion kill more women, but it has created a shortage of wives for males in India and China and thus created a lucrative market for human trafficking. Of women.
This is also connected to sex work. Is that better for women? Maybe it makes women feel empowered to use their bodies however they want to, but if they truly feel they have the control over men by doing this, they are sadly mistaken. It also creates a greater market for human trafficking to satiate the demand for more of the like.
The effects of abortion, sexual promiscuity, pornography, and prostitution are most damaging to women. And most damaging to women of color. McCulley shares some of the statistics for abortions and STDs to support this.
And yet, no ones talks about these things. Many are blinded by their misguided, culturally groomed need for certain ‘freedoms’ that they fail to see the consequences, or fail to see them as significant.
Feminism’s Influence on our Culture
McCulley observes: “Feminism has profoundly altered our culture’s concept of what it means to be a woman. We need to understand how this movement came about and what its goals have been because these are now our culture’s assumptions.”
There are many things that could be talked about here. Here are a few things she touched on that I found to be very telling, yet not told. Things that are enlightening but you don’t hear much about.
And I can already hear the objection— You are correct- not all feminists advocate for these things, past or present. But McCulley makes compelling connections to these things and popular feminist ideals.
Like how fewer people are getting married or having kids. And more divorces are happening, mostly initiated by women. Like how people who cohabit are less happy than people who are married. And cohabiting is actually a predictor of divorce.
Like how pornography degrades women and is heavily connected to violence. It also hinders positive and healthy sexual encounters because of the unrealistic expectations it creates for people. Here’s an irony for you, WAP used to stand for a feminist organization called “Women Against Porn.”
She traces the history of the home being integrated with the workplace and being a place of production to, after the Industrial Revolution, the home being separated from the marketplace which has led women to believe the home is a less worthy place to be. It has also led to the home being more about consumption than production.
A Biblical Attitude
Though McCulley addresses the Ephesians verses on submission, exposition of these verses was not her main drive for this book, and other books below would pair well with this. Yet she reminds us of very significant things that are all too often completely ignored when considering the biblical viewpoint.
The Bible calls women to submit to their husbands, not all men. And it is not a submission to abuse.
“It is not an absolute surrender of her will. Rather, we speak of her disposition to yield to her husband’s guidance and her inclination to follow his leadership. Christ is her absolute authority, not the husband.”— Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
While women are choosing to follow their husband’s leadership, the Bible is directing men to care and love their wives as Christ loved the church. How did Christ love the church? He died for it. The Bible calls men to sacrificial and servant leadership that puts their wives interests ahead of their own, not a domineering control where the wife has no voice.
With every chapter, McCulley reminds us how the Bible is pro-woman. God’s design for men and women is good and for our good.
“Every one of us is prone to agree with Satan’s character assassination of God. We often chafe at the good boundaries God has given us. We are easily tempted to think the worst of God. And we doubt that what God has provided is anywhere near as good as what He has restricted.”
Frankly, I don’t think it takes much research to realize that many of the ‘freedoms’ people want today do more harm than good. Boundaries are not a bad thing.
We can trust God with our gender, our role, our worth, and our marriage.
Radical Womanhood
I’m realizing more and more the complexity of what ‘biblical womanhood’ means for Christians. That’s why I want to keep reading these kinds of books to expand my knowledge of what has led us to where we are today and to constantly be checking ideas and beliefs against the Bible, our ultimate authority.
McCulley acknowledges: “In the twenty-first century, few things are more controversial than the Bible’s plain teaching on sexuality and gender roles.”
It is true.
And I don’t see the controversy lessening any time soon.
But matters of gender, sex, and marriage are important to God and because they matter to God, they should matter to us.
As Christians, we need to put the work in to finding truth, not just assimilating into culture or choosing beliefs that allow the ‘freedoms’ we desire the most.
Biblical womanhood seems radical today but it is nothing less than trusting God and his Word.
I’ll end with this quote that brings it all back to the gospel:
“If this stirs up resentment in our hearts, I believe that’s because we’ve lost sight of the gospel… Does it really matter how our Lord asks us to serve Him for just a few short years on this earth when we will equally delight in Him for time without end?! Even those men who are called to be pastors will only serve in that position for a portion of their lives. All the good things we can do here on earth are trumped by the one thing that is truly good— to worship Jesus now and for all of eternity! We have received far better than we deserved, thanks to the mercy of the cross. Let us not quibble about the small part we play in advancing Christ’s kingdom and the good news of salvation.”
Further Reading
Evangelical Feminism: A New Path to Liberalism? by Wayne Grudem
A(Typical) Woman: Free, Whole, and Called in Christ by Abigail Dodds
What God Has to Say About our Bodies: How the Gospel is Good News for Our Physical Selves by Sam Allberry
Men and Women in the Church: A Short, Biblical, Practical Introduction by Kevin DeYoung
Designed for Joy: How the Gospel Impacts Men and Women, Identity, and Practice by Owen Strachan
Eve in Exile: And the Restoration of Femininity by Rebekah Merkle
The Secular Creed: Engaging Five Contemporary Claims by Rebecca McLaughlin
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