Book Review - Half the Church: Recapturing God's Global Vision for Women

I love to read. Sometimes it almost turns into an obsession as I cannot wait another day to find out what happens to the characters I have grown so attached to over the last hundred or so pages.

Since I love to read and everyone loves book recommendations I will toss in book reviews on the blog as I read great titles. I tentatively hope to read or listen (I love audio books) to 50 books this year. Grad school may slow my roll when it comes to leisure reading but I still want to target about a book each week. I also tend to have several books going at once (an audio book, a Kindle book or two, and a few paper books) which lets me choose what I'm in the mood for when I sit down to read. Bonus, I'm always ready to read whenever I have a few minutes alone. Waiting at PT, working on documentation at work, traveling, cuddling with the puppy on the couch. Anywhere. I feel like Rory Gilmore sometimes...and I'm not upset about that.

The first book I want to talk about is Half the Church: Recapturing God's Global Vision for Women by Carolyn Custis James.

The Samantha Version:
The role of women at home, in the workplace, and in society has been warped and distorted from God's original design for women. James examines scripture and goes back to the original Greek and Hebrew to understand the words truly used, not our modern interpretation of the words: She notes that the word used to describe women (often translated to English as "helpmate") is the same word used to describe God as an indispensable warrior alliance for Israel and her army. Do you see yourself as an indispensable ally for your husband, your coworkers, friends, brothers and sisters in Christ? Do you bring everything you are to every relationship?
God's message for women is good news for every woman across the globe. Do we always portray it as such?
I highly recommend Half the Church! There were a few parts that made me stop and say, "Well, I don't know if I completely agree...but I understand her point." In the end, I read this book in about 36 hours and couldn't stop talking Mike's ear off as I read each chapter. There were a few, "YES!!!!" that slipped from my mouth, too.

Who Should Read This Book:
Everyone! Men and women. Young and old. Married and single. Those in the Western world and the Eastern world. Christians and non-Christians. Everyone. God's plan for women is pivotal to how we treat women - it matters.

Want to read Half the Church? I read this on my Kindle and am happy to lend it out to you! Happy reading!