“Written by a former feminist who now finds herself embracing the distinctions between men and women, Radical Womanhood will equip women from all different perspectives and backgrounds to understand what it means to be a woman. Far from taking a combative approach toward understanding the complexities of female identity, Radical Womanhood presents the pro-woman truth of the Bible. Biblical womanhood is not for the weak – Carolyn will show you how to be radical.”
from the back cover of Radical womanhood
If this is your first time here at BFB for a book review, Welcome!! I’m glad you are searching for books, podcasts, and other resources for Christian women. As an avid reader, I am so thankful to God for bringing me books that have taught me so much wisdom from His Word and strengthened my walk as a biblical female in a feminist world. Find other book reviews on the blog home page.
Who is Carolyn McCulley?
Carolyn is a writer, film maker, and podcaster. She has written multiple books and has contributed at Focus on the Family, Christianity Today, and The Journal for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. She has featured work on the Gospel Coalition and Desiring God, as well as secular outlets such as Baltimore Sun and The Washington Post.
Carolyn came to know Jesus as her savior as an adult after being healvily influenced by feminist dogma in college. Through the washing of the water of the Word of God, she came to know the truth about His design and faithfulness to bless those who live within it.
How Did I Find This Book?
Like many books, this one landed on my doorstep after my husband ordered it online for me. He had been searching around for books on biblical womanhood and this one was recommended time and again. A fun hobby we indulge every once in a while is looking at the worst Amazon reviews on products. Some are pretty hilarious! Some, though, like the biggest haters of this book, are very revealing of the human heart rejecting God’s truth.
Radical Womanhood REVIEW
Summary
“In order to understand the confusion of the 21st century, you have to rewind past the girl-power movement of the 1990’s, the women’s liberation movement of the 1970’s, the suburban domesticity of the 1950’s, the Rosie-the-Riveter era of World War II, the sexual brazenness of the Jazz Age, and even the nineteenth-century push for women’s right to vote, right back to the founding of our nation.”
And that is exactly what Carolyn does.
I picked up this book expecting some kind of technical practical advice manual on being a godly woman, assuming it would teach through Proverbs 31 and Titus 2. I apparently didn’t believe the back cover and introduction. Oops!
Roles and the design of marriage is talked about, but, mostly, Carolyn adds to the conversation for Christian women by teaching about the history of feminism from the very beginning of the USA with Abigail Adams. The book takes the reader through each wave of feminism, from the very first to the current one (what are we on now – fourth and a half?). I thought I was mildly familiar with 21st century feminism, but honestly I had no clue how we had gotten here. Carolyn fills in all the blanks – blanks I didn’t even know I had!
The veil is peeled back on romanticized parts of history like women’s suffrage. (After all, how could a Christian be upset with women simply being able to vote?) There is conveniently much of the story left out to lead young minds to the conclusions that will lead them as far away from the truth of God as possible.
She moves on from women’s suffrage and the greater ripple effect it had throughout all of society and goes through the roaring 20’s, the suburban 50’s housewife, the rebels of the 60’s and liberated females of the 70’s. Carolyn displays how women in the workforce, divorce, abortion, and more are all inextricably linked the toxicity of feminism.
Each chapter ends with a section of personal testimony written by a woman the author knows. They share encouraging stories of redemption, recovery, and hope. I especially appreciate these additions since the author is not married and has no children. That doesn’t mean she cannot understand or write a book about womanhood, but it adds a fuller dimension to hear personal stories. It also pleasantly breaks up the cadence of the book a bit which is very packed with information.
All of this is interspersed with scripture because it’s God’s word that sheds light on what is right and wrong. It is only God’s Word that shows us the difference between good and bad fruit. It is knowledge of Him and His Word that leads us to blessings and life.
Best Insight From Carolyn in Radical Womanhood
I was very surprised how little I had thought about the housewife of the 1950’s until I read Radical Womanhood. She is usually upheld as a gold standard of sorts for housewives. She had the home and children spic-and-span when father walked in the door, the meal piping hot, and her appearance to the nines. Not only that, she apparently had time for everything under the sun from raising star student children, social clubs, staying fit, and participation in committees at church.
All with heels and white gloves on!
Imagine my wake up call to learn that it was this wife – the wife with new gadgets and appliances for everything, no need to grow food bc it all came in few-fangled cans, exactly 1 boy and 1 girl, and a suburban life identical to all her neighbors – that went absolutely crazy and needed to be liberated the following decade!
She lacked purpose and vision, she had no individuality. OF COURSE she inadvertently ushered in the revolution of the 60’s and 70’s! Her daughters saw how one-dimensional her life was and by golly they did something about it.
I came away from this section still admiring the wholesomeness of keeping a tidy house and serving my family in a nice outfit, but also seeking God on how to infuse my life with purpose and meaning so that my children don’t want to escape from the life I “was forced” to live. Living for God’s kingdom – something infinitely bigger and more important than my individual life – is what truly gives life meaning because all life and meaning comes from Him.
Pros
- Includes the author’s testimony of coming to Christ and describes the gospel
- From a Christian worldview
- Includes a substantial amount of scripture
- Appendix on abuse (every dissenter’s favorite “YEAH BUT”)
- Personal stories from wives and mothers
- Very well researched, lots of references and notes for further reading
Cons
- Not a marriage manual or how to exactly, practically do a traditional lifestyle. You have to infer from the writing what to do. It’s not truly a drawback from the book because that is not the purpose of this book, but if that’s what you’re expecting, you’ll be disappointed in that but still enjoy the rest.
In Conclusion
I really enjoyed reading Radical Womanhood. Not many books get this trophy, but I’m sure I’ll be reading it again. Get yourself a copy ASAP!
Because feminism has so stealthily seeped into modern culture, media, education, and even the church, it can be very hard to see all of it in your own heart and get it out. This book is helpful at exposing ideas that you may not know are rooted in feminism. You then have the opportunity to decide to protect yourself from it taking a deeper root and bearing bad fruit in your life.
It is important to know your enemy and their tricks so that you can be properly guarded and protected against them.
If you are new to biblical womanhood, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend reading it before books like Created To Be His Helpmeet or Power of a Transformed Wife, UNLESS you are/were a self proclaimed evangelistic feminist. I believe it’s a very educational and eye opening book on how our culture got to where we are today, but I didn’t find myself inspired to really take much action or change anything specific about my habits.
I would call it a must read for anyone educated in the public school system or planning on going to college (even Christian).
Lastly, it’s a book I’d even recommend men read. Fathers need to know what their wives and daughters are up against. Church leaders need to know the tricks of Satan that are seeping into the church. Feminism is not only a women’s issue. It deeply affects men as well. Not only that, as they are tasked with protecting guiding their families and communities, it would behoove then to read this book as soon as possible.
“As daughters of Eve, we need to realize the Serpent is still among us, asking the same question. “Did God really say …?” You can fill in the blank with your own temptations and thoughts. You may hear questions buzzing around your head about God’s definition of infidelity, motherhood, premarital sex, monogamy, the roles of men and women, the worth of life, the function of the family, and so on. These questions have a source – our spiritual Enemy – and an innate amplification system – our sinful hearts. And when the two mix, the results are combustible.”
Radical Womanhood p. 60
Zemits machine
Wow, wonderful blog layout! How long have you been blogging for? you make blogging look easy. The overall look of your site is excellent, let alone the content!