Jesus Feminist: An Invitation to Revisit the Bible's View of Women

Written by Sarah Bessey

Narrated by Cassandra Campbell

For centuries, the role of women in the Church has been a subdued one, with many limitations. The time has come, argues Sarah Bessey—who has been called an "accidental grassroots voice for postmodern and progressive evangelical women"—to take a new look at Scripture and challenge old assumptions.



In Jesus Feminist, Bessey shares her spiritual journey, which ranges from growing up in a post–gender-debate home to learning about the worldwide struggles of women and the obstacles even a well-meaning church can pose. Through disarmingly intimate storytelling, she tells how she grew to understand the story of God and the vastness of his work through women. Never one to shy away from the hard questions, Bessey engages critically with Scripture and church practices that are often used against full equality and shares how following Jesus made a feminist out of her.



Filled with beauty, hard truth, and brave vulnerability, Jesus Feminist urges the Church to stop asking "man or woman" as a qualification for ministry and to start helping everyone find freedom in the fullness, hope, glory, and work of Christ.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Sep 9, 2014
• ISBN: 9781494575052

Sarah Bessey

Sarah Bessey is the author of the popular and critically acclaimed books, Out of Sorts: Making Peace with an Evolving Faith, Jesus Feminist, and Miracles and Other Reasonable Things. She is a sought-after speaker at churches, conferences, and universities all around the world. Sarah is also the cocurator and cohost of the annual Evolving Faith Conference and she serves as President of the Board for Heartline Ministries in Haiti. Sarah lives in Abbotsford, British Columbia, with her husband and their four children.

Reviews for Jesus Feminist

[Kerrigan McDonald Ortega · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Different from other biblical womanhood books, the author takes us on a unique journey to discover ways in which we can use our everyday lives to redefine “womanhood” and learn what kingdom serving can look like. It’s not as historically based as other commentary on this topic, but more of an anecdotal narrative that’s captivating and inspiring. The author has an unusually easy way with words and many chapters are rather poetic. Short read/listen that I will be recommending to friends!

[Tana Padilla · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book felt like a giant hug for my beat down feminine heart and spirit.

[Abra · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

It's not about Jesus or feminism, it is an autobiography.

[Nicole M · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent book! Definitely an introduction to the topic of women's roles in the church, not the in-depth investigation I thought it would be, but still well done.

[Sarah Bencosme · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautifully written. She puts such value on human life. I was filled with the desire to love others and to feel the blessing and honor it is to be a woman in these times. Such freedom for us in the Gospel. I will be listening immediately to it again to process it all further and soak up more of what God has for me and my daughters.

[JL Andrews · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The narration was atrocious. I will avoid this narrator going forward. Some of the writer's points were appreciated, but her assumption that all women are mother's and that we are all "sisters" in our motherhood was a blindness.

[annetteoc · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

“Jesus feminist”? The title struck me as a bit awkward. I think most people would’ve said “Christian feminist” or “feminist Christian,” even if they thought it was a bit of an oxymoron. But my curiosity was piqued, so I bought a copy. A few pages in, and I realized that I had expected something different.For those of you not familiar with blogger Sarah Bessey, she’s known in the more “egalitarian” circles when it comes to discussing the roles of women in the Christian church. Her book title, Jesus Feminist: An Invitation to Revisit the Bible’s View of Women – Exploring God’s Radical Notion That Women Are People, Too (Howard Books, 2013), suggested to me an in-depth study of various arguments and biblical passages, concluding with a defense of female preachers and church leaders in today’s churches. That’s not what it turned out to be, and there are both “pros” and “cons” to that.Bessey starts out painting a very familiar scene: Christians, on all sides, emotionally and spiritually wounded from the perpetual war over gender roles, marriage, and the family. The result is defensiveness – proof-texting, cynicism, name-calling, and “consigning-to-hell” – where there should be love, kindness, and a genuine concern for those suffering around us. She seems to be calling us, at least for now, to admit that no of us has all the answers and that we have to allow each other times to grow and mature in our understanding. We need to “agree to disagree,” so to speak, and take the opportunity to get some real godly work done. There are orphans, AIDS patients, and sex trafficking victims who need our help, while nothing is gained for the kingdom by attacking our fellow believers with the same old tiresome arguments.The solution? Christian women (regardless of their views on women’s roles) have a great opportunity before them. Enough with the sentimentalizing of marriage and motherhood that leaves no place for the singles and childless. Women have more to offer than the crafting, fashion shows, and fill-in-the-blank workbooks that masquerade as Bible studies and women’s ministries. Instead we can make a profound impact, rolling up our sleeves and serving our communities in the ways God wants us to.That was my big positive takeaway from the book. To be honest, I’m not sure that was exactly what she had in mind. If you think the expanded title sounds a bit like rambling, then I’d say that it accurately reflects the book’s content. Bessey writes in a billowy style that might be more suitable for blogging than a book, which needs a more concise approach. This also crosses over in the book’s content, which was more messy than focused. While she effectively calls for a truce in the introduction, she tries to resurrect the debate in later chapters, tackling biblical passages instructing women to be silent in the church and to submit to their husbands. And in doing so, she gives the same weak, tiresome arguments we’re all familiar with. In addition, she seems to flop back and forth on her positions, so it’s not clear where she stands on the present state of women’s ministries, the lauding of motherhood in the church, and the effectiveness of women (or men for that matter) in preaching positions. I was left with the impression that she still needed to give herself some time to make up her own mind on these issues before writing about them for others.I also need to call out Bessey on being needlessly divisive. She sets up a “straw man argument” insisting that “women are people, too.” This entirely misrepresents her opposition. While I have come across some who insist that women are to be owned and treated like animals, they certainly aren’t the majority of those who adhere to rigid gender roles (and often tend not to even identify as “Christian” anyway). Associating Christians who disagree with her with that view is understandably a major turn off to some readers who might otherwise take heart to her other points. In the end, Jesus Feminist will more than likely discourage any fruitful discussion among the various sides. This I think was the biggest disappointment. If another book is forthcoming, I hope the author puts more effort into building bridges than roadblocks.

[Erin Parham · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If you never thought that as a woman you were seen by God this is a reminder that he sees us. We are not beneath our brothers in Christ but are equal in our value. God calls us all to some form of ministry no matter how big or small.

[Amy Fullerton · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was the book that I needed at just the time I needed to hear these words. I have been so lost in what it means to be a woman who follows Christ and have been searching for the words to help me rewrite the messaging I’ve received. Outside of the Bible, This is the book.

[Olga de Juana · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It is wonderful to see all the pieces come together with such strength.

[ms_rowse · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I will be rereading this book again and again and again. The subtitle is a bit misleading, if you pick it up expecting a rehashing of the few women's stories from the Old and New Testaments. What this book does more than anything is show women how they are empowered through Christ, regardless of what any church culture teaches about women being quiet or submissive or lacking in authority. Just loved every page.

[drfuriosa · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A truly excellent invitation to unite Christianity and feminism. Bessey's style is warm and engaging. The chapter on church ladies gave me a lot to think about.

[spinsterrevival · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I can see that the author is a feminist, but I had a hard time seeing the logic behind her reworking of some Bible verses that make them pro-women versus the patriarchal crap they sound like. I enjoy the author’s blog and her podcast so will continue with more of her work, but I didn’t think this one worked very well for its purpose.

[michelleannlib · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This was a did not finish... The language was a bit too flowery for me.

[empress8411 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I find this book complicated to review. My own experience with books of this sort is often disappointment and anger. This has made me wary and cynical of Christian books written for the Western Middle-Class White Christian Female.
Bessey is tackling an issue discussed ad nauseum in the Christina world. And honestly, she added no new insight to the argument. That isn’t to say her words aren’t good or true. But they are weaker versions to arguments already posed in stronger and better supported words than hers.
She spends more time than needed speaking about the emotions of women – a pet peeve of mine. Most Christian Women’s books are emotion-based and rarely (if at all) does one find a book written for Christian women with an intellectual or logical base. It’s frustrating and more than a little damaging, in my mind. And yet, in some ways, she speaks out against the typical Christian women’s route – speaking about how we often simply “churchify” things of the world. I appreciate her remarks on this. She encourages women to seek out places to serve other women – in homes for teen moms, pregnancy resource centers, and medical missions’ trips. This is a good thing and worth writing.
This book affirms women as beloved by God and for some, may offer healing from hurt caused by prideful men in the Church. There is nothing heretical about her assertions; indeed, her arguments for women serving as leaders in the church is too weak to offend. But she offers no new angle or evidence for women in the church. This book will help some and for that, I would recommend it. But if you are looking for strong declarations of women’s place in the church, other books might be more suitable.

[brittanystoess · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Well worth the read.

[aevaughn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is not intended to be a theological work (Although, there are a few snippets here and there.) Instead it contains lots of stories about how women can do much in the Kingdom, when they put their gifts to good use. I found the book to be highly encouraging, and it gives me the impetus to encourage women everywhere to do everything they can to further the Kingdom of God.

[bethiebear-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I love Sarah Bessey's blog and read it regularly. The way she writes is simply beautiful. This book is along the same lines as that blog. It is not as rigorous as I hoped it would be but still lovely. Overall, I enjoyed this book but anyone looking for something scholarly will be disappointed.

[aishahwrites · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

As a Jesus lover, a feminist, and a Sarah Bessey fan, I was really looking forward to reading this book. I ended up giving up on it for several reasons.

The style of writing is very much like an impassioned blog post (or sermon) - stirring, it doesn't hold up for a whole book. It gets tiring after about twenty pages. I did enjoy reading about Bessey's personal experience and convictions - that is the book's saving grace - but I was highly disturbed by her "both sides have some good points and just need to come together and talk" approach. In a world where women face unimaginable oppression, egalitarianism and complementarianism aren't just two sides of the same coin. One side consistently reinforces male privilege and continues to have a stranglehold on women's rights, both in Christianity and - because of Christianity's cultural influence - the secular world. It is dangerous to approach this issue without an analysis of privilege and oppression.

Additionally, Bessey plays on the common stereotypes of feminism (feminists are man-hating shrews) and the Biblical womanhood movement to attempt to draw both into her discourse, which is an appeal to both sides, but the book doesn't really end up speaking to either. Most of the positive reviews of it are people who already see things (or are predisposed to) from her perspective, like me, while the negative reviews are mainly from feminists and followers of the idea of Biblical womanhood. Addressing actual feminist arguments or appealing to the exegesis of the Biblical womanhood movement in her argument could have strengthened it, but rather than doing this, Bessey mostly engages in interpreting scripture in ways that support her personal views, rather than addressing how both sides view things and breaking that down. As a result, rather than being convincing or moving, it seems to draw closer those who already agree with her, while alienating both sides that do not.