Review by Sarah Morse -- The Second Eve by Bette Boersma
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Sarah Morse
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Review by Sarah Morse -- The Second Eve by Bette Boersma
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Second Eve" by Bette Boersma.]
Bette Boersma, like so many others in conservative churches, grew up with the traditionalist understanding that men possess the authority in both the church and the home. But what about women? What about the other half of the believing population? Surely they, too, should have a voice.
Boersma eventually comes to realize there is a disconnect between what her faith tradition has taught her and what she knows is right. She wants to believe what the Bible tells her is true, but she also feels that women should have equal opportunities in ministry. Thus she sets off on a spiritual and academic journey to discover the truth about God’s intentions regarding the relationship between men and women. The Second Eve: Understanding Biblical Equality is a result of this journey, made possible by years of prayer and research on the parts of Bette and her husband.
After providing some historical context on feminism and on the differing modern Christian responses to the “woman question,” The Second Eve begins with an exegesis of the creation story in Genesis. As this account fuels many arguments in favor of the gender hierarchy, Boersma spends quite a bit of time discussing the story’s true implications. Ultimately she reveals that Adam and Eve were originally created as equal image bearers, representing the oneness and completeness of God. The book follows this up with discussions about several noteworthy biblical descendants of Eve and then with alternative interpretations to particularly controversial Pauline texts.
I loved reading this book for many reasons, primarily because I felt like it addressed many of my doubts I have had about gender inequality in the Bible. As a feminist who, like Boersma, grew up in a conservative church setting, I appreciated the effort she put into providing adequate scholarly and scriptural evidence supporting the idea that it is indeed possible to believe in both the Bible and in Christian egalitarianism. She backs up her scriptural evidence by placing them in their historical context and then explaining their relevance to her audience. For example, in the story of Mary and Martha, Jesus allows Mary to sit at his feet and learn from him, even though her sister wanted her to help with the household preparations. This may not mean much to modern readers, but Bette explains the significance of the story by saying that Mary had taken the position of a rabbinical student, which was something her culture would normally not allow her to do.
Another thing I appreciated about this book is the way in which it leaves the reader feeling hopeful. The Church, as the “Second Eve,” has been redeemed by Christ, the “Second Adam.” The relationship between the two reflects the relationship between the first two humans before the fall. The book thus seems to come full circle.
Although this book is well-written, I did find a few grammatical and formatting issues; however, I do not believe this detracts too much from the quality of this work.
Overall, I would rate The Second Eve 3 out of 4 stars. I would give it a perfect rating if it didn't have as many errors and if the author had provided a little more historical background, especially in the sections discussing the relevance of specific female characters in the Old and New Testaments, but I still ultimately felt fulfilled and enlightened by the end. I would highly recommend this book to anyone seeking answers about biblical equality. It does help to have a working knowledge of the Bible, so this would probably appeal most to Christians.
******
The Second Eve
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Bette Boersma, like so many others in conservative churches, grew up with the traditionalist understanding that men possess the authority in both the church and the home. But what about women? What about the other half of the believing population? Surely they, too, should have a voice.
Boersma eventually comes to realize there is a disconnect between what her faith tradition has taught her and what she knows is right. She wants to believe what the Bible tells her is true, but she also feels that women should have equal opportunities in ministry. Thus she sets off on a spiritual and academic journey to discover the truth about God’s intentions regarding the relationship between men and women. The Second Eve: Understanding Biblical Equality is a result of this journey, made possible by years of prayer and research on the parts of Bette and her husband.
After providing some historical context on feminism and on the differing modern Christian responses to the “woman question,” The Second Eve begins with an exegesis of the creation story in Genesis. As this account fuels many arguments in favor of the gender hierarchy, Boersma spends quite a bit of time discussing the story’s true implications. Ultimately she reveals that Adam and Eve were originally created as equal image bearers, representing the oneness and completeness of God. The book follows this up with discussions about several noteworthy biblical descendants of Eve and then with alternative interpretations to particularly controversial Pauline texts.
I loved reading this book for many reasons, primarily because I felt like it addressed many of my doubts I have had about gender inequality in the Bible. As a feminist who, like Boersma, grew up in a conservative church setting, I appreciated the effort she put into providing adequate scholarly and scriptural evidence supporting the idea that it is indeed possible to believe in both the Bible and in Christian egalitarianism. She backs up her scriptural evidence by placing them in their historical context and then explaining their relevance to her audience. For example, in the story of Mary and Martha, Jesus allows Mary to sit at his feet and learn from him, even though her sister wanted her to help with the household preparations. This may not mean much to modern readers, but Bette explains the significance of the story by saying that Mary had taken the position of a rabbinical student, which was something her culture would normally not allow her to do.
Another thing I appreciated about this book is the way in which it leaves the reader feeling hopeful. The Church, as the “Second Eve,” has been redeemed by Christ, the “Second Adam.” The relationship between the two reflects the relationship between the first two humans before the fall. The book thus seems to come full circle.
Although this book is well-written, I did find a few grammatical and formatting issues; however, I do not believe this detracts too much from the quality of this work.
Overall, I would rate The Second Eve 3 out of 4 stars. I would give it a perfect rating if it didn't have as many errors and if the author had provided a little more historical background, especially in the sections discussing the relevance of specific female characters in the Old and New Testaments, but I still ultimately felt fulfilled and enlightened by the end. I would highly recommend this book to anyone seeking answers about biblical equality. It does help to have a working knowledge of the Bible, so this would probably appeal most to Christians.
******
The Second Eve
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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