Book Review: The Accidental Feminist by Courtney Reissig
Though many Christian women would rightly push away feminism, Courtney Reissig believes that despite this, many women have embraced aspects of feminism unknowingly as our culture subtly influences us.
The book’s introduction presents this, revealing ways Christian women may have become accidental feminists and giving a brief but important history of the feminist movements.
The following chapters are packed with theology and practical advice for living out our roles as women. While rich in depth, readers will still find the book approachable.
Reissig tackles hard subjects like a woman's role in the home, submission, and church leadership with grace and insight, all while fully relying on God’s Word.
Sometimes, books on godly womanhood can make being a Christian woman feel unattainable as they dwell on the Proverbs 31 woman and lofty goals of femininity.
These books can sometimes avoid addressing the very real difficulties in our lives and honest questions as we try to navigate nuanced situations and feelings.
Alternatively, Reissig’s book addresses more practical concerns that are bound to come from being seeped in our feminist saturated culture without losing sight of the gospel and biblical womanhood.
Throughout the book, Reissig is fair and thoughtful. She is clear that some feminist movements, particularly the first wave of feminism, were good.
Because of feminism, women won the right to vote and more recently have made strides in equal pay. These are good and biblical things that we are grateful for and applaud.
However, as a whole, American feminism has come to also include a whole slew of other ideas and movements, and Reissig is bold in her declaration of how unbiblical and unhelpful feminism has come to be.
I also greatly appreciate how Reissig makes space for women in all seasons and stages of life. She frequently mentions singleness, working moms, stay at home moms, women struggling with infertility, and empty nesters, and when applicable, offers unique insight to those various groups.
Any Christian woman who feels like she doesn’t fully fit in with the majority of women at her church could read this book without feeling like less of a woman. In fact, Reissig actually addresses some of those issues.
My favorite chapter was on the home, where Reissig states that what’s important is not about where a woman is, whether at home or at work, but all about where her identity is placed.
Some of us tend to idolize the home and having children while others tend to idolize a career (I tend to do both at various times!) Both situations are wrong; our identity must be fixed in Christ instead of a career or being a wife and mother.
This chapter answered questions that have been circling in my head as I wonder how I will approach the topic of careers with potential future daughters and young women in the church. As a younger woman, I assumed marriage and children were in my future, but was forced to pivot and focus on a career.
I have also heard of women who have their heart set on challenging careers only to be faced with difficult decisions when they are surprised by marriage and children. Both of these situations are uniquely challenging.
Reissig has helped me understand that it isn’t a question about whether I should focus on emphasizing homemaking or a career as I consider what to say to young women, but rather I need to show and model that our identity is in Christ wherever we find ourselves glorifying Him.
I truly wish every Christian woman (and man, too) would read this book. I especially hope that mothers will read this book with their high school daughters. What better stage of life to begin having these conversations?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Allie Fullerton recently graduated from the Vermont College of Fine Arts with her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults. Her desire is to write good Christian fiction that changes, challenges, and entertains readers as well as shares the truth about the messy world we live in and the gospel that changes lives. Currently, Allie is working on a middle grade novel in verse. She lives with her husband Jared in Vermont where they enjoy reading and hiking together.