Thursday, August 21, 2014

Book Review: Defending The Faith: Apologetics In Women's Ministry by Mary Jo Sharp

I just finished reading this book and It has definitely made my favorites list. I want to encourage everyone who works in or leads a women's ministry to get their hands on this book.


Many women can carry on endless conversations on fashion, tv shows,  make up and things of trivial matters, yet when pressed on more important, deep issues of the faith many become quiet, or even dismissive.


We say God is the most important part of our lives but in reality there is a huge disconnect in our daily living.
Mary Jo explains this disconnection in the mind of women: "I (know) I am a fallen being who is prone to corruption, yet I believe I am usually right in all my thoughts and reasonings."  because of this thought process , "women are not generally ones who meticulously investigate how we know something we believe is true and who love discovering truth."

In Matthew 22:37 we are commanded to "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."  Women usually excel at the heart and soul level yet completely neglect loving the Lord with all their mind.


When our feelings change (and we women know too well how often that happens) we need a firm foundation in our beliefs so that we will not waiver.  As C.s Lewis puts it, " Faith is holding on to what your reason has already accepted in spite of your changing mood."


This is why apologetics is so vital  (for all christians) but especially in womens ministries. Women have the most influence over the next generation, so we need to not only live out the gospel daily but need to be able to articulate to our kids why Christianity is true above all other beliefs.


In this book Mary Jo goes over top reasons why women shy away from engaging non Christians in conversations about God including "a lack of confidence in what she believes,  a lack of knowledge , or lack of commitment to the truth, and putting too much burden on herself to have all the answers." Mary Jo than gives practical tools on how to start tackling these objections and how to start engaging your church and womens ministries in apologetics.


Here are a few points from the book that Mary Jo elaborates on through the chapters which every leader needs to consider pertaining to womens ministry.

"-We need to take an honest look at womens ministries and ask how or if they are effectively making disciples of all nations.
-Get back to the basics of hard doctrinal truths.
-Get women to analyze their lives to know whether they actually believe what they claim.
-Train them how to stand their intellectual ground and even advance against worldly pretensions.
-Take them out into the community to do good works and to spread the good news.
-Take some risky opportunities to testify to the most important event in human history: the resurrection of  Jesus Christ."


Even though this book is focused on engaging womens ministries in apologetics,  im sure even leaders of mens ministries can glean some Insight in introducing mens groups to learn apologetics.


so what are you waiting for..... go get this book, read it and make sure leaders In your church get a copy too.


blessings
-Vilmaris


1 comment:

  1. Very interesting, thank you for sharing this book. I had not heard of it before.

    Marissa
    htt://raysofgraceandjoy.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete