Book Review: Is the Bible Good for Women?

Is the Bible Good for Women? by Wendy Alsup

2016 & 2017 have been weird years for women. Especially Jesus-loving, Bible-believing women. This election cycle has forced those women closest to me to really think about what being a woman means in light of our spiritual and personal beliefs.

Once I had children, I decided to start seeking Biblical knowledge for myself rather than just absorbing what I heard from others. I read the entire Bible through in a year, and I read book after book by female Christians. Both of which allowed me to ask hard questions and seek truth.

This is why I was immediately drawn to the book Is the Bible Good for Women? by Wendy Alsup. After reading some incredible memoirs by Rachel Held Evans and Sarah Bessey, I thought it was time to take a strictly Biblical look at the Bible’s view of womanhood. This is exactly what Is the Bible Good for Women? is – a strictly Biblical take on a subject that is becoming more controversial year after year.

Wendy Alsup does a nice job of presenting Biblical evidence to show that not only does God love women, He affirms women and He calls them according to His purpose. She confronts some of the more difficult parts of the Bible we often skip past (and certainly do not hear preached from the pulpit) such as Dinah’s story, rape laws, and Paul’s letters regarding women in church leadership. I appreciated her approach – she sticks to scripture defending or explaining scripture rather than using outside resources.

One of the most helpful parts of the book was her discussion of descriptive and prescriptive texts. When people use descriptive verses or passages from the Bible to prescribe behavior, they have missed the mark. This was the first time I have heard it explained this way. She also discusses cultural context in relation to some of these more controversial passages which provides some of the essential background necessary for interpretation.

With that being said, this book is very academic. It is not a book I would pass on to non-believers or even people new in their faith because it is heavy-handed. Alsup provides tons of Biblical information – and an in-depth Biblical study is not easy for most. While the title focuses on women, most of the book strives to explain that the Bible alone is good.

Furthermore, this book is not a memoir. She seldom discusses her own personal experiences as a Christian woman. If you are looking for a light read, this is not it. However, if this is a topic you are interested in and are struggling with, I encourage you to read the book to gain a comprehensive understanding.

PS. Alsup's answer is YES.

For additional information, please visit:

·         More Info

·         Author Bio

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Confessions of a Bad Book Lover, English Teacher and Librarian

Here’s the thing. Every person who claims to be a voracious reader, a bibliophile, a bookworm occasionally hides some of their more shameful book secrets. I have some of these shameful secrets that I have been harboring for years. But, in trying to stay authentic and maybe make some of my readers feel a little less guilty about their own reading fails, I am sharing my dirtiest secrets with you.

1. I hate Charles Dickens. There. I said it. The only book I have ever been able to finish by him is A Christmas Carol. When I tried to read Great Expectations for the tenth time, I gave up and read the graphic novel version.
2. I read Cliff Notes in high school of some of the classics instead of reading the actual books.
3. I have never read anything by John Steinbeck including Of Mice and Men or The Grapes of Wrath.
4. I now prefer to read exclusively on an e-reader. Once I had kids, I realized how easy it was for them to remove bookmarks, rip pages, close the book while I was reading it, etc. I buy the print copies for appearances only. 
5. I have read every book by Nicholas Sparks. Ha! Sorry, my high-brow literary friends.
6. I was overjoyed when my library started allowing late fee payments online because I always have late fees and I am always too ashamed to pay them in person.
7. The first time I saw Harry Potter (long before I read the books), I fell asleep in the theater. On a date. 
8. I cannot get past the first 100 pages of The Lord of the Rings. I have tried many times, but I just cannot do it. I also cannot finish the first movie much to my husband’s horror.
9. In 10th grade, I made a poster for a class project about Janie and the pear tree moment in Their Eyes Were Watching God…I had no idea this was a key sexual awakening scene until I read the book again in college. 
10. Once I read a book I was so ashamed to have read that I inputted a fake book into my goodreads list so no one would know. 
11. I often read quickly and skim through scenes in novels. This is why I was horrified when I saw certain scenes in Gone Girl. Apparently, I skipped right past the more graphic stuff and erased it from my mind.
12. I have thrown books across the room when they make me angry. I’m talking to you, Time Traveler’s Wife. 
13. I go to bookstores, take pictures of books I want and then go home and get them from the library instead.
14. I read a ton of R.L. Stine growing up. It was replaced by Christian fiction during middle school. 
15. I’m all about feminism, but I still think there are some books that should be labeled “Chick Lit.”

There you have it. My shameful secrets revealed to all. What about you? Any scandalous book confessions you need to get off your chest? Share them below and let’s laugh/commiserate together.