Never before have I hawked another person’s book on this site, but I am about to make an exception. I commend to you the latest release by Aimee Byrd entitled No Little Women, a book that addresses a very real problem in our churches today: the dearth of good literature and good teaching aimed at the fairer sex.
Why am I taking the time to promote this book, for which it must be stated that I receive absolutely none of the proceeds? First, because the subject matter is very important. After 2,000 years of trying, the Church as a whole still struggles to discern how to deal with women. Most of the literature out there about women in the Church has to do with their roles, whether that be as wives, mothers, or congregants. Much of the literature aimed at women is rather shallow doctrinally, trumpets internal “feelings” over the truth of God’s Word, and even manages to slip in the occasional heresy or two. There are too few books out there that challenge women to up their game theologically, to be good analytical readers, and to think twice about which sources of “truth” they devour.
Second, this is a very readable book. It doesn’t waste your time with clichés and endless anecdotes. (That is a pet peeve of mine!) It doesn’t use 100 words to say what could be said in 10, or make the same exact point 20 times. (More pet peeves!) Any book is a time investment, and you want to know that you will get a good return on that investment. I truly believe that this book will give you bang for your buck, and whatever the equivalent idiom is for the amount of time you spend with it.
Third, this is not only an awesome book, but it was written by an awesome person. I have recently enjoyed a correspondence with the author via e-mail, and can vouch for the fact that she is legitimately nice and not just faking it. She is an active member of an Orthodox Presbyterian Church denomination, writes books and speaks at conferences, and blogs in addition to her duties as a housewife, for which she is labelled the “Housewife Theologian”. She cares for five children: three of whom she birthed, and the other two being her colleagues at the Mortification of Spin podcast put out by the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. Of this trio of podcasters, Aimee is by far the best looking and the most likable.
Therefore, I heartily encourage you to get your hands on a copy of Aimee Byrd’s book, whether you be male or female yourself. She makes an excellent case for how the instruction of women in the church ends up affecting the entire congregation. So if you value sense over sentiment, invest a few hours and gain a renewed appreciation for the role that women play in the body of Christ and how we can do a better job ministering to and with them.
You can buy Aimee’s book here. You can read her blog here. You can follow her on Twitter here.