Book Review: "Lioness Arising" by Linda Bevere

      Linda Bevere has written a book for today's Christian women.  She asks her readers to consider the lioness, with her cleverness, strength, and boldness, as an example of how to be an effective woman of God.  Too often, she suggests, women have been taught that to be “good” means to be quiet, meek, and subservient.  She counters this popular assumption, inciting women to make the most of the role God has placed them in, coming forward as strong leaders and problem-solvers.

     I felt this book was a far cry from the Christian women's books I used to read when I was married to my ex-husband.  He wanted a “submissive” wife, the implication of that being that I was to be at his beck and call, doing everything his way and not having a voice of my own.  It was a miserable way to exist, and I realized that this was not who I was created to be, and that my children and I deserved the freedom to actually live our lives.

     I thought this was just the way my ex-husband thought about submission, and knew even then that his was an extremist view.  To my shock, however, I found that this sort of belief is rampant in the church in the South.  (I actually once had a pastor tell me – quite seriously – that his wife had always done her grocery shopping on a certain day of the week for over ten years, but that if one day he decided she should go on a different day, that she absolutely should change her habits without questioning his decision!)  While Bevere speaks of horrors overseas that condemn women to a life of poverty and enslavements of many kinds, her message should be spread to women here on the home front as well!

     What also set this book apart for me was that it quoted a modern translation of the Bible (The Messageby Eugene H. Peterson), which I felt was more relevant for today's reader than the King James and other versions.  It reminded me that my older boys might benefit from having a copy of this more relevant Bible translation handy.  They are too old for children's picture Bibles, yet not interested in sifting through older English to try to find meaning either.  By choosing to quote from a newer translation that uses today's vernacular, the author has found language that will be easily understood by a broader audience.

     The book was published in 2010 through WaterBrook Multnomah, an imprint of Crown Publishing Group.  ISBN 978-0-307-45778-3.  Suggested retail price is $19.99 in the US, or $22.99 in Canada.  While I rarely pay that much for a book, I feel the message conveyed here can save women's lives, whether that be physically, emotionally or spiritually.  While I do not agree with everything the author says, her overall message is heartfelt and rings true.

     I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.