Publication Date: 03/15/2011
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Genre: Non-Fiction Christian Living
Pages: 320
ISBN-10: 078523179X
ISBN-13: 978-0785231790
(Received for an honest review from Thomas Nelson)
Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Indiebound
Marcia Ford on the WEB: website, goodreads
Excerpt from, A Conversation with God for Women, courtesy of Amazon's Look Inside feature.
Synopsis:
A front row seat to a fascinating conversation with God, Jesus, and other biblical characters answering important questions women have regarding life and faith.
A Conversation with God for Women allows readers a one-on-one dialogue with God, his son Jesus, and other important women and men from the Bible as they respond to questions and concerns relevant to the Christian faith. The questions, in some cases challenging, address the issues and tensions specifically felt by women. Each answer, designed for both believers and seekers, is based on Scripture and written with the warmth and intimacy of a Heavenly Father relating to His child.
Topics covered:
- existence and nature of God
- Jesus, Virgin birth of God's only Son
- authenticity of Scripture
- meaning in and unique challenges of a woman's life
- power and purpose of prayer
- importance, realities, and struggles of relationships
- coexistence of good and evil
Thoughts:
Marcia Ford brings readers a book that while controversial, still addresses the religious concerns of women in today's society. Ford attempts to bring the reader into an intimate conversation with God, by posing questions that many women have probably asked themselves at one point or another. With beautiful design, a conversational tone and precise and in depth research, A Conversation with God for Women is an interesting account of what God might answer when His child asks a question...
What I liked:
The design of this book was beautiful, from the cover to the way the book was organized. Ford asks 55 questions that many of us have often wondered about, no doubt. Things like... How can good and evil coexist in the world? What should the position of women be in the ministry? I liked the fact that the author was trying to take a lot of the guess work out of Bible study. She uses impeccable research from a lot of different sources and brings it all together in a conversational manner, that might be good to spur conversations with other believers. I liked the tone of Ford's writing and I understood what she was trying to accomplish, but the manner she chose to do that was a little too controversial for me.
What I didn't like:
To offset all of the good things that the author had going for her, she makes a bit of a mistake. In trying to make her book conversational and relatable to readers, she chose to write the answers to her questions in a dialogue format, essentially answering as the voice of God. That was a little hard for me to swallow. I believe the Bible is the authority on what God has to say and nothing should be added or taken away. Each of Ford's answers were meticulously researched, but she still did not have the authority to answer for God. I can see how some readers would definitely be offended by this. I found it somewhat disturbing and I am very open minded.
Bottom Line:
I do not think it was the author's intention that her book would be taken this way, but unfortunately, some readers who are new to the faith or swayed easily by what they read, may take this book far too seriously and I think that is the danger here. Ford gives readers intense research and tons of notes at the end of the book. She took her time with it and did it the way she thought it should be done. It could be used as a tool to start conversations in small groups about the questions she poses, but this book was not my cup of tea.
Take it with a grain of salt and try it for yourself. I am not one to judge what is appropriate and what is not for each person. Your relationship with God should be as individual as you are. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this one, if any of you have read it.
A Conversation with God for Women is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.
I'm giving this one 3 out of 5 apples from my book bag!
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