# Living like a good "Bible woman" complicated, author says



## Laela (Oct 22, 2012)

*Sisters, I read this article today ... your thoughts? *

*---------*​Oct 22, 2012
By Eun Kyung Kim, TODAY contributor

Rachel Held Evans has spent the past year sewing her own clothes, cooking for her husband, doing penance on her roof, foregoing hair cuts and occasionally sleeping outside in a tent — all in the name of adhering to the Bible’s definition of a good woman.

Evans wrote about her radical life experiment of living “A year of Biblical Womanhood” in a new book that examines the Bible’s rules for how woman should behave, how those tenets might apply in today’s society.

“People were throwing around this phrase, biblical womanhood, as if that’s something any of us are really practicing,” she told TODAY’s Natalie Morales on Monday. “That’s the challenge, looking for any person of faith who loves the Bible, trying to figure out what parts of this book apply and should that be followed literally, and which parts may be culturally influenced, and how do we decide.”

Evan said the term “biblical womanhood” has created a popular movement, but also confusion over its true meaning. She said she hopes the lessons she learned from the past year will help shatter some of the unrealistic expectations the term has built up for conservative Christian women.

“All women can relate to the feeling like they’re falling short of some sort of ideal and, growing up in the conservative evangelical subculture, that ideal for me had always been biblical womanhood,” she said. “I wanted to playfully challenge that idea and challenge that idea that any of us are actually practicing biblical womanhood all the way.”

She hoped her experiment would “liberate women from that fear that they’re falling short and remind everyone that (in) the Bible, women are much more complex than just following a set of roles or rules.”

Evan approached her task in various ways. To keep from becoming contentious, she kept a “swear jar” and spent a minute on her rooftop in public penance for every penny she contributed.

Because Proverbs 31:23 describes a virtuous woman as praising her husband, Evans took to the streets with a sign about her own spouse, declaring, “Dan is awesome.”

To adhere to specific rules about femininity, Evans wore flowing skirts and skipped haircuts. And when she got her period every month, she avoided hugs and even handshakes from her husband and slept outside in a tent.
But Evans also got to do many fun things, like cook for her family, including during Jewish holidays for the first time. 

“I tried to defer to Jesus, because I’m a Christian and love the Lord, with all my heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself, and that’s how I tried to decide which parts I’m going to practice,” she said. “Does this help me love God better, does this make me love my neighbors better? So the stuff I wanted to keep after the year related to that.”





Her husband, Dan, said he found the experiment difficult at times, particularly after seven years of marriage, because it imposed “this hierarchy on our relationship that wasn’t there.” 

He said it got especially uncomfortable the week Evans called him “master.” 

“You’d think it would be a turn-on but … it just wasn’t,” he said. “You live in a small town, rumors can get started if she’s out in public calling you master.”

Evans acknowledged that some critics feel she is making a mockery of the Bible. She said she is doing just the opposite. 

“As a person of faith, I love the Bible and I hate seeing it reduced to an adjective, and that’s one of the reasons why I did this,” she said. “The biblical woman is much more complicated than we try to make it.”
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*<source, with video of interview>* http://todaynews.today.com/_news/20...-bible-woman-was-complicated-says-author?lite


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## Shimmie (Oct 22, 2012)

Laela... I'll be back Loved One, after I have a chance to read this.  I have to leave my desk for a little while.


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## Iwanthealthyhair67 (Oct 22, 2012)

I thought biblical women referred to their husbands as lord, somehow master compared to lord sounds very belittling and slave like imo


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## Iwanthealthyhair67 (Oct 22, 2012)

swear jars? lol

sorry, I think I need to take it from the top


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## Nice & Wavy (Oct 22, 2012)

Laela said:


> *Sisters, I read this article today ... your thoughts? *
> 
> *---------*​Oct 22, 2012
> By Eun Kyung Kim, TODAY contributor
> ...


I read this before and I feel this way...I don't have to do any of those things and I'm STILL considered a "Good Woman" in the eyes of the Lord....I am under Grace!

I believe she did this because she wanted to promote her book.

That's all I have to say about that.


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## LucieLoo12 (Oct 22, 2012)

Yea um, this is a little...extra..But Ok....


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## Shimmie (Oct 22, 2012)

What husband would allow his wife to sleep outside in a tent?  Obviously, this woman failed her own test, by disobeying her husband's wishes that she not do it. 

On the otherhand, he may have been relieved ...  

I agree with Nice & Wavy, because this is just too extreme to prove a point and to put one's marriage in jeopardy.   She could have been locked up for carrying a sign in public, going on the roof, she could have fallen and broken her neck (God forbid); sleeping outside 'alone' wasn't too wise.   

The only thing I give her props for is not cutting her hair; she's a real LHCF woman right there which in my opinion makes her a good and wise woman, afterall.   

I'm just sayin'...


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## Shimmie (Oct 22, 2012)

_"Double Shimmie" _ 


Deleted duplicate post


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## Shimmie (Oct 22, 2012)

Iwanthealthyhair67 said:


> I thought biblical women referred to their husbands as lord, somehow master compared to lord sounds very belittling and slave like imo





Iwanthealthyhair67 said:


> swear jars? lol
> 
> sorry, I think I need to take it from the top



  What on earth was she swearing?   


Now I'm a' wonderin' if I need one.


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## Nice & Wavy (Oct 22, 2012)

Shimmie said:


> What husband would allow his wife to sleep outside in a tent?  Obviously, this woman failed her own test, by disobeying her husband's wishes that she not do it.
> 
> On the otherhand, he may have been relieved ...
> 
> ...


I don't sleep outside cause I don't do BUGS!!!



Shimmie said:


> What on earth was she swearing?
> 
> 
> Now I'm a' wonderin' if I need one.


 :rofl3:


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## Iwanthealthyhair67 (Oct 22, 2012)

Shimmie a potato sack (didn't you post a pic of one of those before), lol

 I agree with Nice & Wavy, she's trying to get books sold..



Shimmie said:


> *What on earth was she swearing? *
> 
> 
> Now I'm a' wonderin' if I need one.


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## Shimmie (Oct 22, 2012)

Iwanthealthyhair67 said:


> Shimmie a potato sack (didn't you post a pic of one of those before), lol
> 
> I agree with Nice & Wavy, she's trying to get books sold..



   Healthy Hair... 

I wondered what she was 'swearing' to have a need for a swear jar and to go up on the roof for penance. (sp?)     

Now you have me Scrolling to Laela's original post to view her picture just to see what she's wearing.  I missed that potato sack.   

I think I did post a picture of a potato sack dress ... :scratchch:  Now I'm tryna' remember which thread, if it was a clothing thread or sumpin' .  

You're giving me 'extra' things to do and think about... scrolling upwards and wondering which thread I posted that picture.  It's Monday and I'm being lazy ...  

Love you girl...


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## Shimmie (Oct 22, 2012)

Nice & Wavy said:


> I don't sleep outside cause I don't do BUGS!!!
> 
> :rofl3:



I do not do bugs either.   I don't know how people camp outside when they don't have to.  

As for this roof top, I'm thinking about Proverbs 25:24....


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## Iwanthealthyhair67 (Oct 22, 2012)

actually I was gonna post something similar, that's prolly why she's really sleeping outside, nagging poor hubbie to death, only he has the good sense not to go on any roof tops ....



Shimmie said:


> I do not do bugs either. I don't know how people camp outside when they don't have to.
> 
> As for this roof top, I'm thinking about Proverbs 25:24....


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## Nice & Wavy (Oct 22, 2012)

And about her going on the roof for a minute, and put a penny in her "Swear Jar" if she swears? 

She's bonkers

Sorry, I couldn't help it


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## Nice & Wavy (Oct 22, 2012)

Iwanthealthyhair67 said:


> actually I was gonna post something similar, that's prolly why she's really sleeping outside, nagging poor hubbie to death, only he has the good sense not to go on any roof tops ....


Well, he didn't need to go on any roof tops cause he wasn't swearing or being contentious..


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## Shimmie (Oct 22, 2012)

Iwanthealthyhair67 said:


> actually I was gonna post something similar, that's prolly why she's really sleeping outside, nagging poor hubbie to death, only he has the good sense not to go on any roof tops ....



I wonder if she used bathroom tissue... It's not being a good Bible woman if she didn't. 

OKAY... don't stone me     There was a thread in OT last week about a woman who didn't.   

I'm running before you all, get me for saying that.


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## Shimmie (Oct 22, 2012)

Nice & Wavy said:


> And about her going on the roof for a minute, and put a penny in her "Swear Jar" if she swears?
> 
> She's bonkers
> 
> Sorry, I couldn't help it





Nice & Wavy said:


> Well, he didn't need to go on any roof tops cause he wasn't swearing or being contentious..



You are making me hurt from laughing so hard at this...    

Especially about the hubby... "Well he didn't need to go on any roof tops cause he wasn't swearing or being contentious....  

That just says it all...


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## Iwanthealthyhair67 (Oct 22, 2012)

I hate to be an echo today, but I wondered about the same thing cause you can't be roughing it using in door plumbing, she needs to do it the same way the Israelites were taught to do it ..




Shimmie said:


> *I wonder if she used bathroom tissue... It's not being a good Bible woman if she didn't. *
> 
> OKAY... don't stone me  There was a thread in OT last week about a woman who didn't.
> 
> I'm running before you all, get me for saying that.


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## Nice & Wavy (Oct 22, 2012)

Shimmie said:


> You are making me hurt from laughing so hard at this...
> 
> Especially about the hubby... "Well he didn't need to go on any roof tops cause he wasn't swearing or being contentious....
> 
> That just says it all...


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## Nice & Wavy (Oct 22, 2012)

Iwanthealthyhair67 said:


> I hate to be an echo today, but I wondered about the same thing cause you can't be roughing it using in door plumbing, she needs to do it the same way the Israelites were taught to do it ..








Corn husks

What?


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## Iwanthealthyhair67 (Oct 22, 2012)

sorry didn't mean to gross anyone out ...

seriously though, what bible is she using I've never heard of roof penance and swear jars and walking around with signs, is this like a modified version of biblical times


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## Nice & Wavy (Oct 22, 2012)

Shimmie said:


> I wonder if she used bathroom tissue... It's not being a good Bible woman if she didn't.
> 
> OKAY... don't stone me     There was a thread in OT last week about a woman who didn't.
> 
> I'm running before you all, get me for saying that.


 ooooohhhhhh, Laela gonna get us for messin up her thread.

Sawry, Laela 

I'm blaming Shimmie

What?


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## Nice & Wavy (Oct 22, 2012)

Iwanthealthyhair67 said:


> sorry didn't mean to gross anyone out ...
> 
> seriously though, what bible is she using I've never heard of roof penance and swear jars and walking around with signs, is this like a modified version of biblical times


This is what happens when you live in tents in the 21 Century.


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## Iwanthealthyhair67 (Oct 22, 2012)

Laela said:


> To adhere to specific rules about femininity, Evans wore flowing skirts and skipped haircuts.* And when she got her period every month, she avoided hugs and even handshakes from her husband and slept outside in a tent.*
> But Evans also got to do many fun things, like cook for her family, including during Jewish holidays for the first time.


 


so this was the only time that she slept in the tent...


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## Iwanthealthyhair67 (Oct 22, 2012)

I'm sorry too Laela


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## Iwanthealthyhair67 (Oct 22, 2012)

well at least you didn't post any pictures of any rocks ... 



Nice & Wavy said:


> Corn husks
> 
> What?


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## Nice & Wavy (Oct 22, 2012)

Iwanthealthyhair67 said:


> so this was the only time that she slept in the tent...


Oh, I see now...



Iwanthealthyhair67 said:


> I'm sorry too @Laela






Iwanthealthyhair67 said:


> well at least you didn't post any pictures of any rocks ...


... Yes, you are right....


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## Laela (Oct 24, 2012)

Boom.... ITA .. 



Nice & Wavy said:


> I read this before and I feel this way...I don't have to do any of those things and I'm STILL considered a "Good Woman" in the eyes of the Lord*....I am under Grace!*
> 
> I believe she did this because she wanted to promote her book.
> 
> ...


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## Laela (Oct 24, 2012)

ya'll got me lol'ing hard over here... thanks ladies for sharing your thoughts and insights. I agree this author has gone to the extreme to prove a point...seemingly at a cost.


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## Shimmie (Oct 24, 2012)

Laela... I'm sorry.   I started it.     I couldn't help it.  

But see what had happen was...  

Well see, it was funny that this woman lived in a tent and had no bathroom tissue and lotion and soap and stuff, and no hair care products.   I just couldn't handle it.     And then when Nice & Wavy posted that corn picture and Iwanthealthyhair67, wondered about the same things I wondered about... 

Well...  it was over, I lost it.    

Love me, still?    I hope so.


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## Laela (Oct 24, 2012)

Shimmie..you know I love you dearly.. LOL... that corn husk photo is what did it for me..   .


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