This post contains affiliate links
I received A Place for You compliments of Moody Publishers in exchange for my honest review.
A Place for You: Reframing Christian Womanhood is the debut title by seminary graduate, mother, and women’s ministry director, Kendra Dahl. Years ago, I came across an essay Kendra wrote on women in the church, and on reading it, I immediately felt like I wasn’t alone. Much of what was included in the article is articulated and expounded on in her book. Her approach to women in the church is reasonable and, most importantly, deeply rooted in Scripture.
The book begins with Kendra sharing a poem called Your Mom Went to Seminary that she wrote for her kids that details the wrestling she felt between being a mother and a seminary student. After she graduated, a conversation with a friend prompted her to think about the place of women in the church. Her two goals with A Place for You are: “. . . to help you form conviction, and I want to instill courage. I want you to know your God, and I want you to know your own mind,” (pg.23).
As a Christian woman who has at times felt like both a second-class citizen and a threat within the church, I appreciate Kendra’s acknowledgments of how it is often difficult to be a woman in the church. I felt seen and understood as I read A Place for You. Having once had extreme, extrabiblical requirements taught to me as the way to live out biblical womanhood, I deeply appreciate Kendra’s faithfulness to not require of women what God doesn’t. Because of my experiences, I rarely read books on biblical/Christian womanhood, but I’m so glad I read A Place for You.
This book is a breath of fresh air, and for me, it’s been a healing read. Kendra does hold to the complementarian position, but does so with gentleness and humility. On page 177, she acknowledged, “Regarding authority, the word Paul uses for ‘exercise authority’ in 1 Timothy 2:12 is not used anywhere else in Scripture, and some have argued that Paul is restricting women from a particular kind of abusive or domineering authority. I don’t think their arguments are convincing, but you can see the note for some references if you’d like to dig deeper.”
I don’t consider myself a complimentarian or egalitarian, but I appreciated Kendra’s willingness to acknowledge a view different from her own and even her provision of resources for those who want to study further. To me, this demonstrates humility and charity which I’ve often found lacking in the debate on gender roles in the church and it was quite encouraging.
Kendra did use some of the book to explore the idea of headship. This is one I still struggle to understand since Paul often refers to a body when he mentions a head. It’s also a term that’s not in the Bible, which Kendra helpfully points out on page 42, and one I’ve seen often abused, so it’s been difficult for me to reconcile. I appreciated what Kendra shared about the concept, though, and trust her research and plan to use the information she provided to dig deeper. Her declaration on page 80 that, “. . . male headship when practiced rightly, does not oppress women, it elevates them,” really encouraged me.
Another expression of Kendra’s humility that blessed me is on page 180, where, referring to the role of elder being restricted to qualified men, she wrote, “. . . the Bible isn’t explicit about why this role is entrusted only to males.” I’ve heard many arguments for only qualified men being pastors, and appreciate Kendra’s honesty in acknowledging that the Bible doesn’t say.
A Place for You is an excellent, deeply encouraging read that I believe will bless all Christian women regardless of their positions on gender roles in the church. This book is one I desperately needed, and reading it helped heal my heart in some areas. I’m so grateful for the time and love Kendra put into writing it, and I eagerly anticipate reading more by her in the future.
Leave a Reply