Book Review: Good Book
How white evangelicals save the Bible to save themselves by Jill Hicks-Keaton
The white Evangelical community has a deep love and reverence for the Bible, which makes perfect sense given that it is the primary source for them regarding what they believe God is trying to say to them. One could argue that the way they approach and talk about the Bible borders on idolatrous at times. I was raised in this very religious culture, so I understand the language of, what Hicks-Keaton calls “Bible benevolence projects”. The Bible is referred to in these circles as “The Good Book”, and, as a result, everything contained between its covers must be good as well.
It is this idea that Jill Hicks-Keaton tackles in her concise, yet fascinating, work Good Book: How White Evangelicals Save the Bible to Save Themselves. Her overall premise can be summarized by the statement on the back cover, “In the face of changing social norms, Evangelicals confront interpretive challenges as they work to render the Bible ever benevolent.” She spends the majority of her time speaking of feminism and the Bible’s treatment of women and its advancing of misogyny.
According to Hicks-Keaton, Evangelicals do not want to feel like they are irrelevant and so jump through some rather dubious interpretive hoops in order to prove, to both themselves and those on the outside, that the Bible is actually good for women and advances feminist causes. Only without undermining the Bible’s own male-dominated hierarchical structures.
The first half of the book is spent talking about the Old Testament and Jesus. She goes to great lengths to point out specific examples of where misogyny is advocated and even commanded. She points out places where Jesus seems to be immersed in the male-centricness of his time and how Evangelicals will try to justify it by saying that his inclusion of women in the first place is proof that he and the Bible are liberating for women.
The last half of her book is spent talking about the Pauline epistles, those being the places where the Bible seems to be most at odds with the direction our culture and even Christianity is moving. She talks about the ways white Evangelical women attempt to advance a light misogyny that still allows for feminine expression that does not contradict the literal words of Paul and still feels like empowerment.
Her assessment is important, and worth considering, especially if you are a part of the White Evangelical community. She speaks of the Bible in language that respects the role it plays in Evangelical life and, while being critical, she is never irreverent and never mocks Christians for their beliefs. Her reasoned approach is welcome at a time when feelings seem to dominate the religious and political discourse.
*******
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author and/or publisher through the Speakeasy blogging book review network. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR,Part 255.