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I received Gospel-Shaped Womanhood compliments of 10 Publishing in exchange for my honest review.
Gospel-Shaped Womanhood is the second book by pastor’s wife and author, Sarah Rice. What initially intrigued me about this book is its title and the concept of gospel-shaped womanhood. There are plenty of books about biblical womanhood and I suspected that since this one used different terminology perhaps it had a different take. I was so grateful to find my suspicions confirmed. While I’m thankful for how some books help women understand who God made them to be and how that informs the various roles they might occupy, books about biblical womanhood, to me, leave much to be desired.
I’ve walked away from books about biblical womanhood feeling defeated because I couldn’t live up to the ideals that were portrayed in their pages. Studying the Bible on my own helped me see that God’s heart and view for women is so beautiful and freeing and Sarah does a wonderful job of capturing this in Gospel-Shaped Womanhood. The book reminds women repeatedly of their primary identity – in Christ! It also helps women understand how being in Christ frees us from ideals for women that are unbiblical and ultimately burdensome.
I was a bit apprehensive approaching the chapters Women Who Work and Sexuality and Marriage wondering if they would make me feel like I’m not measuring up as a wife and mother. However, they were quite freeing and encouraging. Sarah acknowledges work inside the home and outside of it as equally valuable and doesn’t make it seem as if being a wife and mother is a Christian woman’s highest calling. She did a lovely job of addressing singleness and highlighting the beauty of this wonderful gift. The book contains many reminders of the gospel message and this encouraged me greatly.
Each chapter concludes with discussion questions making Gospel-Shaped Womanhood a great resource for group or personal study. If you are a Christian woman hoping to better understand your identity, I highly recommend reading Gospel-Shaped Womanhood.
