A book recommendation

I'd like to recommend a book  - possibly a first for me.

"God's Good Design" by Claire Smith (published by Matthias Media) is an excellent discussion of the passages that fuel "the women's issue" debate.

Claire writes as someone who has clear and well articulated views, and provides the careful and thorough exegesis needed to back up her conclusions. Her presentation is technical without being inaccessible, precise without being academically stratospheric. In short, she is carefully sitting under the text, not over it.

And deliberately so - by conviction, but also because of history. Claire helpfully puts these passages in the context of the feminist movement(s) of our modern times, and in the process shows us why our initial reaction to some passages in the Bible might be to wince or dodge. There are some fascinating vignettes from those 'outside' our culture and how they respond to these passages.

While examining each key text, articulating the differing views and presenting arguments for and against the various views, we are left in no doubt where Claire's colours lie - and that is a good thing. She is a clear and careful voice in an often muddied and emotionally charged debate.

She also writes compassionately and with great experience in addressing pastoral issues like marriage and domestic violence.

I'd highly recommend it - as a resource for your own study and understanding, but also as a reference for "those" passages when they come up in Bible study or discussion.

What's more - you can get it as an e-book! (I did!)