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Review Summary: Highly Recommended |
Date: 2008-04-21 |
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Details: The True Woman is one of the first books I have read about biblical womanhood (the only other one I can think of is Girl Talk). I had seen some of Susan Hunt's books around my parents' house, but had never read any. On a whim, I picked it up at my school library, and found a treasure. Its subtitle is a perfect summary of its content: "The beauty and strength of a godly woman."
This book is encouraging and much-needed. Hunt begins by defining the "true woman" versus the "new woman." In the next section, she describes four aspects of the true woman's identity - for example, "a reflection of redemption." Lastly, she discusses four aspects of the true woman's virtue - purity, piety, domesticity, and submission. The book is clear, balanced, and realistic; it is firmly rooted in and built upon Scripture.
Refreshingly relevant are the real-life stories before each chapter, dealing with issues such as infertility, financial problems, and even rape. Hunt argues from truth to experience, but through these stories she shows the relevance of the truth she is sharing. And the stories testify to the power and grace of the gospel in women's lives.
Some readers may weary of Hunt's obviously Presbyterian perspective with her frequent repetition of the phrase "covenant community," but it was not a huge issue for me, although I would prefer simpler phraseology. Also, Hunt's language and style may be difficult for some; she writes clearly, but intellectually. However, the book would be an excellent resource for a one-on-one discipling relationship or a small group, especially with the inclusion of discussion questions at the end of each chapter.
I greatly enjoyed The True Woman, and I definitely plan on rereading it and absorbing the valuable concepts it sets forth. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to know more about what it means to be a woman of God. |
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Review Summary: Portrait of a "Lady" |
Date: 2007-08-11 |
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Details: Anytime one attempts to sum up the attributes of what every "true" woman is, you can bet they'll come up lacking. It's not surprising, then, that Susan Hunt's book has a limited view of women and what a Christian woman should look like, especially since she's a complimentarian. Although I expected a few shortcomings, I was still disappointed in some of Hunt's descriptions of femininity.
I honestly think Hunt's an awesome writer (and that's the biggest compliment I've ever given to a complimentarian, so treasure it). I'd even like to confirm that I know she has a wonderful view of women and she's certainly not a shrinking violet. This is, in fact, one of the reasons I was disappointed with some of the pillow-soft descriptions of women in this book.
In one of Hunt's other books, her description of women gave me the image of her rallying troops of female soldiers in God's name. In this book, on the other hand, the extreme softness she attributed to the female character made me feel as though I was being fed cotton candy when my spiritual teeth had been expecting a tough piece of meat. The chapters of domesticity and submission were the two most "pat" chapters and definitely left a lot to be desired in regards to female character. At one point, Hunt quoted a man who said that the points of feminine loveliness were purity, piety, domesticity, and submission. If Hunt expected her reader to sigh in admiration of this man, she would have been sorely disappointed in my disgust at his simplistic answer. If a man wants to preach about submission, he should preach it to his brothers and leave women alone. I've had more than enough of these old-fashioned titles being thrown at women over the ages from men trying futiley to determine womanhood.
The chapter of submission irritated me as well, though not because of the submission issue so much as the descriptions of womanhood. At one point, Hunt again uses a faulty quote from an outside source, in this case a novel describing its heroine as a "figure of gossamer that a man can see his own masculinity become more apparent against. This causes him to lift his shoulders and even strut a little". This description nearly had me gagging; a creature made of gossamer?? This is the essence of a woman's soul? A Christian woman should have an iron backbone that endures through trials, not a figure of "gossamer" that shreds in the wind and certainly not a mirror that a man can admire his manhood from! A woman's spirit should reflect her own strength, not someone else's. And don't even get me started on the "strutting male".
The description in the quote got worse, though. The gossamer woman thus described apparently had a small son who, according to the author, "was not immune to his mother's femininity. He was perfectly aware that she was a woman and he was her protecter." Again, a picture that was gagworthy as well as exasperating. Mothers are the protecters of their little boys, not the other way around; this is a prime example of how so many like Hunt are taking the process of turning little boys into men way too seriously. I think we can let them be children before they reach manhood and at least acknowledge the fact that they are children and not grown men. Furthermore, womanhood doesn't need protecting. As soldiers in God's army, women should be trained to wield swords of their own, not to hide behind men.
Hunt did have some good points, particularly about the influence of a woman and Christian compassion. In this book, however, she definitely needs a broader definition of womanhood and I urge women who read this to avoid attempting to fit into a one-size-fits-all mold. God made every being different for a reason. Embrace your God-given individuality and use your unique gifts to the fullest.
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Review Summary: The True Woman : The Beauty and Strength of a Godly Woman |
Date: 2000-02-18 |
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Details: Even Christian women will be shocked to realize just how much selfish feminist ideas have become a part of their thinking. This book guides women back to what the Bible has to say about the ideal woman. |
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Review Summary: Challenging and Encouraging! |
Date: 1999-06-10 |
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Details: This is a great book for any woman who desires to grow in her relationship with the Lord and become the woman He created her to be--no more conforming to the world's image of femininity. Susan Hunt does a great job of sticking with scripture and biblical examples to paint a clear picture of the "true woman." |
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Review Summary: A challenge to Christian women to live a Godly life. |
Date: 1998-05-04 |
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Details: This book challenges women to review their lives. It begins with a definition of what the Bible defines as a True Woman. Each chapter is prefaced with a real account from a Godly woman and her struggles with real life situations. It is peppered with illustrations of women who have walked with God. There are wonderful Scriptural references to help determine the Biblical purpose of women. It is a challenge to all Christian women to find out how to be a True Woman of God in today's world. |
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out of 5 Reviews
