Women of the Word

     

In the November 6, 2018, US mid-term elections, the highest percentage of eligible voters in fifty years turned out. What grabbed the attention of many of us was the surge of newly energized, organized, and mobilized women, including many Christians.

      This sent me to my bookshelves for perspective from one of my favorite authors (and a columnist for Christianity Today), Jen (Jennifer) Wilkin, whose bio simply describes her as a wife, mom, and Bible teacher with a passion to see women become committed followers of Christ.

      I’ve read all seven of Jen’s books, and have never paused to wonder: Is this a man’s book, or a woman's book?

      To dip more deeply into that focus on women expressed in her bio, I’ve been re-reading her 2014 offering Women of the Word: How to Study the Bible with Both Our Hearts and Our Minds (Crossway). Clearly, this is a Bible study for everyone, regardless of gender and the spoiler alert in the title.

      It provides well-researched insight into the role of woman inside the Bible and outside of it. But more important, it urges all of us to think afresh about Bible literacy in general, which, I believe, is the answer to many of the challenges facing the US today.

      Jen Wilkin is tireless in her commitment to help anyone who is hungry to know and understand the God of the Bible. All she suggests is that people study with her five P’s in mind: purpose, perspective, patience, process, and prayer.

      She explains: “The Bible is our burning bush—a faithful declaration of the presence and holiness of God. We ask it to tell us about ourselves, and all the while it is telling us about ‘I am’ (Exodus 3).”

      Jen continues: “We think that if it would just tell us who we are and what we should do, then our insecurities, fears, and doubts would vanish. But our insecurities, fears, and doubts can never be banished by the knowledge of who we are. They can only be banished by the knowledge of ‘I am.’”

      As a result, says Jen, we should read and study the Bible with our ears trained on hearing God’s declaration of Himself. And drawing upon her own life-long love of learning, applying, and teaching, she takes us every step of the way, pausing only to make sure we’re still with her.

      Jen believes that a well-rounded approach to Bible study recognizes that the Scriptures are always more concerned with the decision-maker than with the decision itself. Their aim is “to change our hearts so that we desire what God desires, rather than to spoon-feed us answers to every decision in life.”

      She writes that such a well-rounded approach to Bible study addresses a topic as it arises in Scripture, rather than attaching Scripture to a topic. It asks the student to labor at the process of discovery. 

      “We become what we behold,” Jen continues. “So make a faithful study of the One you want to imitate, as a dearly-loved child. Study everything that makes God wonderful, and mimic to your heart’s delight, as the joyful expression of your reciprocal love for Him.”

      Then, with grateful reference to Psalm 27:8, Jen concludes: “To the one who seeks him, the Lord is pleased to lift up His countenance, both now and forever. Study well the contours of His face. Let gazing on His loveliness touch mind and heart. And be transformed.”

      Transformed in the way I suspect Jen’s book is already affecting the lives of women—and men, everywhere!