Jesus Feminist

Jesus Feminist
by Sarah Bessey
Rating: 4 of 5 stars

My Review:
I've been reading Sarah Bessey's blog for probably close to seven years now. So when I saw the opportunity to review her upcoming book, I just couldn't resist. Way back when I first started reading her blog, our paths, life stage, and questions were all pretty similar. Since that time we've diverged quite a bit. But I love her poetic story-telling and I think hers is an important voice to the church-at-large.

I think Sarah Bessey's poetic voice comes through loud and clear in this book. I cried many times over some of the touching things she writes. I love the seamless way she weaves together some of her own experiences along with the experiences of others. The stories she shares of people changing lives one stone at a time is so provoking that I wanted to research and help each organization she mentions.

This was a hard book for me to read though. On the good side, I learned a bunch of stuff about myself. On the bad side, I felt pretty uncomfortable through a lot of the book. I'm one of those people that thinks Sarah did a good job writing and exploring issues of gender equality in the church, but didn't go far enough in parts. Or more so, I think half of it was plenty far and the other half felt like the same old line from the patriarchal traditions. One chapter would feel like, “everyone is equal and we hinder the church when we keep half the members from using their gifts”. Then a few chapters later I heard, “but if your church doesn't let you use your gifts, wouldn't it still be better for you to knowingly submit to your church in order to stay a part of the community”. I mean, to me that feels like exactly what people like the Pearls and Mark Driscoll say - “it's not that you as a women are not 'capable' of doing something, but isn't it now more of a gift to God and your male peers for you to knowingly accept that this is what God wants men to do”.

It made me really mad for a while but then I was able to take a step back and say, wait a minute, Sarah's coming at this from a happy, poetic place where she's found something good but not perfect and she hopes everyone can find a similar place. Some of us won't be able to find a place that fits like hers and some of us won't be able to enter back into an abusive structure just to “feel like we belong”. And after relaxing my literal “everyone needs to follow the rules” mind, I was able to move on. As a person who doesn't currently identify as Christian, I don't know that I'll ever find a specifically spiritual place that works for me, but that doesn't mean I'm not involved in community and caring for the people around me.

I loved all of people Sarah quoted in the book. So many interesting people and intriguing quotes that I've never read before. Now I have a lot of people's writings to explore and read their books too. I love seeing that I'm not the only one thinking about gender equality and even how the marginalized are an important part of the kindgom-building process – bringing more compassion and justice into the world.

I appreciated all she had to say about every act we do being important and worthwhile. It's such a underrepresented way of looking at life and we would all be more compassionate people if we saw each loving act, no matter how small, as worthwhile. So many of us work and strive to achieve the Evangelical Hero Complex and feel incomplete when we're no longer a part of that. I think it takes a while to detox from that idea and I like that others are opening eyes to the convergence of ordinary and sacred space.

I found it a little odd when, in other parts of the book, Sarah shares the idea (that I see often in church) that “everything is better if we're a part of the church community”. I find it ironic to say we don't need this hero complex and even the ordinary that we do for one person is important, but then that idea of “better” if Jesus were a part of it. I remember holding that idea when I was a part of churches – that nothing was done quite as well if God wasn't a part of it, that non-Christians really weren't as loving as “us real Christians”, that the mark of a good person was their willingness to go to church. And I frown at my former self for that kind of arrogance. I'm not saying arrogance was Sarah's intention, or even that she meant anything other than that she enjoys being part of a community that calls themselves Christian. But “If Christ is not at the center of the work...it's often unfruitful and incomplete” feels like a thin line to the church-weary.

So, I know I will recommend this book to many of my friends. Anyone in church even slightly interested in gender equality will benefit from Sarah's voice. Even Christians who are not a part of a church would probably find hope in this book. Those of us that are not a part of a church community and who are still dealing with the negative effects of spirituality might have trouble with this book, but can still find hope that possibly one day the church will be more accepting of those of us who don't toe the party line. Maybe someday the church-at-large will see that any work of compassion; sanctioned by the church or not; accomplished by man, woman or child; mega-church-sized or pebble sized, helps achieve God's invitation to build peace.

I received a complementary ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.