Every Woman's Privilege

In some churches the debate still rages about "women's roles." Speaking to women in these settings Gage addresses what to do until change comes and what to do it it doesn't. This is not a theological study, but it responds to practical outcomes of theological perspectives. Gage's primary point is that women are ultimately responsible for their own spiritual growth and conscience before God. Thus, they should not be party to current fallacies perpetuated by many churches: such as female passivity touted as THE virtue, the husband as the ultimate spiritual resource, and the preservation of marriage at all costs (the latter value resulting in women sometimes having to choose as "good" what they know before God as evil). Gage takes the traditional interpretations of headship and submission to their logical conclusions. She shows that those who equate submission with passivity remove all legal, moral and maternal responsibility from women under the guise of spirituality. Her accounts of conversations with people who advocate this type of submission, especially in situations of incest and battering, are horrifying. Gage next addresses the task of using spiritual gifts in a congregation that restricts a woman's leadership. While she understands some women's decisions to leave their churches, her suggestions primarily focus on reforming the church from within and staying personally renewed and affirmed. This book can be useful for women at various levels of awareness. (This review was previously published in "Daughters of Sarah" Jan/Feb 1988.)

In my opinion this is the best book for a Christian woman trying to find her biblical balance in today's unbalanced world. Easy to read and biblically based the author is clear, concise, without compromise. It is a correct view for a woman of God to know and follow and tell others about.