It is with excitement, trepidation, and just a hint of panic that I announce the theme of my next book—A Year of Biblical Womanhood.
Starting this month, I will commit one year of my life to following all of the Bible’s instructions for women as literally as possible. From the Old Testament to the New Testament, from Genesis to Revelation, from the Levitical code to the letters of Paul, there’s no picking and choosing. (Well, except for polygamy…and a few other things that I’ll tell you about later.)
This means, among other things, rising before dawn each day (Proverbs 31:15), submitting to my husband (Colossians 3:18), growing out my hair (1 Corinthians 11:15), making my own clothes, (Proverbs 31:22), learning how to cook (Titus 2:3-5), covering my head when in prayer (1 Corinthians 11:5), calling Dan “master” (1 Peter 3:5-6), caring for the poor (Proverbs 31:25), nurturing a gentle and quiet spirit (1 Peter 3:4), and camping out in the backyard for the duration of my monthly period (Leviticus 15:19-33).
Think of it as John Piper meets Martha Stewart meets Julie & Julia meets A Year of Living Biblically. Just enough crazy to interest everyone.
Some practices I will observe just once. Others I will observe all year. (Each month I will focus on a different womanly virtue.) Throughout the experiment, the "Biblical Woman’s Ten Commandments" will serve as a guide for daily living.
In addition to sharing my own experiences, I’ll be interviewing modern-day women incorporating ancient practices into their own lives—a polygamist, a conservative Mennonite, an Orthodox Jew, a Quiverfull mom, a “stay-at-home daughter,” and more. I’ve done lots of research, combing through feminist, complementarian, and egalitarian commentaries, and actively seeking out Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant perspectives on each issue. And of course I’ve read the Bible, cover to cover, isolating and examining every verse I can find about mothers, daughters, sisters wives, widows, queens, and prophetesses.
The book will be published by Thomas Nelson (probably in 2012), but you can keep up with my progress here on the blog as I devote Fridays to updates, photos, reflections, and videos. This project is meant to be a conversation-starter, so I want to make the process as collaborative as possible. I welcome your ideas, stories, opinions…and recipes.
Learn more:
The Biblical Woman’s Ten Commandments
So now that the secret’s out—got any questions? Where do you stand regarding the role of women in the church, home, and society? And what is your reaction to the phrase “biblical womanhood”
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