Half the Church by Carolyn Custis James: Book Review

Carolyn Custis James is concerned about women.  While God intends women to “thrive, mature, gain wisdom, hone their gifts, and contribute to his vast purposes in our world” (p. 76),  other voices relegate women to, at best, a soft ghetto of second class status, or worse, outright dismissal and horrific abuse.

James has become the voice of a generation of women who desire authentic Christian living that moves beyond platitudes into meaningful action,  in which women (and men) live up to their role as God’s image bearers.  Half the Church for women to roll up their sleeves and get to work on behalf of the Kingdom.

Have Western interpretations made the gospel message relevant only to white, middle class, married women with children?  Or do Jesus’ words and actions have meaning for every woman: the unmarried woman, the widow, the childless, the woman forced into sex trafficking, the Third World child-bride?  James’s answer in Half the Church is a resounding yes--and she has both the Scripture and the skills to back it up.

Half the Church will challenge, inspire, possibly provoke, but it will not leave you feeling unmoved.  Discussion questions follow each chapter.  Note and citations at the end of the book.

I will definitely be passing this one around to friends.

Half the Church: Recapturing God's Global Vision for Women
Carolyn Custis James
Zondervan
2010

Disclaimer:  I received a copy of this book free from Amazon.com as part of the Amazon Vine program.