The author is connected to Doug Wilson and it showed some. Good observation about the romanticized role of women in the past and the desire to regain an ideal that may not even be Biblical. Good history of the role of women in the last 100 years and the impact of feminism on it. ( )

This book is excellent . . . and imperfect. But, in a day when "women's issues" are bandied about like tennis balls, "excellent" is pretty good.

Mrs. Merkle, who thinks deeply yet writes with refreshing clarity, first traces the history of feminism — not comprehensively, but capably. (Inasmuch as it is not the main theme of her book, she is not obliged to record every peep and mutter emitted by every "feminist.") First in her chronology came "proto-feminism" (Mary Wollstonecraft and the harpies of the French Revolution); then "first wave" feminism (Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and that crowd); then "second wave" feminism (beginning with Simone de Beauvoir, Betty Friedan, and so many others, greatly assisted [if not enabled] by the invention of The Pill). She does not venture into an analysis of the alleged Third and Fourth "waves" of feminism, which are still very much in flux, as feminism itself is gradually swallowed up by the irrational conceits of "intersectionality." The importance of oral contraceptives cannot be exaggerated, but they were not the prescription for unprecedented happiness that many people predicted: indeed, their popularity led to such an increase in the use of psychiatric drugs that by 1963, 23% of American women were using some type of psychotropic medication: a fact acknowledged by Betty Friedan, and ridiculed by the Rolling Stones ("Mother's Little Helper"). "The Pill" could forestall conception; it could not guarantee contentment.

Having noted all these things, the author begins to expand on her main theme: the Biblical "roles" of women and men, and the psychological, social, and spiritual benefits that would accrue if today's unhappy women reexamined and seriously considered what the Bible actually says — NOT what too many loudmouthed, clueless pulpiteers have bellowed for centuries. The path to contentment and true fulfillment, Mrs. Merkle says, lies in a proper understanding of the teachings of the Bible.

Two things must be made clear. Although Mrs. Markle is herself a woman whose entire life is informed and empowered by her Christian faith, she has not written here an evangelistic "pitch." She would, no doubt, like for all of her readers to know the blessedness of the Christian life, but she is not playing an evangelistic role here. Second, Mrs. Markle is not a latter-day avatar of Marabel Morgan, the bestselling author of "The Total Woman" nearly fifty years ago. Anyone old enough to remember that book will understand the reference.

This is a very valuable book, 90% of which is well worth reading by any woman, be she Christian or not. Recommended, with one caveat: Mrs. Merkle, and her associates, are advocates of what's known as "dominionist" or "reconstructionist" theology, a radical Calvinist stance, which I consider false and unscriptural. But that's a theological difference between Christians, and I look forward to the day when our unity in Christ will be undeniable, as we "merrily meet in Heaven." ( )

This book targets Christian women, obviously wives and mothers, although there is a message for singles. It is a difficult topic and requires a change in thinking. This is about obedience, and we do not have the right to ignore God's commands or adopt the world's ways. All of us will be held to account for our disobedience in this area. The author makes clear that every woman has different talents and is in unique circumstances, and her work will look completely different than everyone else's. It is your challenge to find out how to tend to your garden by obeying God and glorifying Him in the role He has given you. By trusting and obeying Him, we not only find fulfillment, but the return will be multiplied.

I understand many women, including Christians, will disagree with Merkle. However, I believe she is correct because she uses Scripture to support her arguments; and we can't change God's intentions and commands.

I also did not go into my own marriage and motherhood knowing any of this. I chose to stay home with my kids out of a natural desire to be with them. It was not easy living on one income, and we had some difficult financial years. But I would never exchange being home for a "rewarding career or job or even my own business." Managing a home, raising five kids, homeschooling, and being married to a low maintenance husband is enough for me. Even still, Merkle convicted me because I realize I am not always putting in 100% of myself. I can be lazy and selfish, too. I still have a lot of work to do. So for me, this was definitely an excellent read. I hope other women will find it encouraging as well.

To read the rest of my long review: https://withfreedomandbooks.blogspot.com/2022/09/eve-in-exile-by-rebekah-merkle.... ( )

Very thought provoking of the women and morals of today. I only disliked a few opinions of hers and skipped one chapter as it didn’t pertain to me. It spoke of single women in that chapter. Overall, I would read this again and highlighted quite a bit. ( )

What is God's purpose for Christian women? Do women have a unique roll to fulfill or is it exactly the same as men's? In our Christian circles, which seems to be infected by our feminist focused society, this book is quite a refreshing breath of reaffirmed biblical truth (rather than reaffirmed worldly cultural preference).

In her book Eve in Exile: And the Restoration of Femininity, Rebekah Merkle writes an excellent exhortation to Christian women of our day. There are four sections in the book, I'll give a description and perhaps some comments on each one.

Section one: Two Distractions. The chapters within this section deal with two ways that will NOT fix the problem of ascertaining how Christian women can fulfill their purpose in life. I found it fascinating that one of the 'distractions' Merkle critiques is the way some women try to deal with the problem by looking to the past, a particular period of history, the Austen era, for example, a time when gender roles were very distinct. This is not a biblical method for obtaining true femininity as the Bible doesn't tell us isolate ourselves in our own little bubble of some other time period. We have to live in this age, though this age will not define us, nor will the ages of the past, which weren't actually that great anyway.

The second way, and this seems to be the most popular one, is to make yourself number one. Merkle demonstrates the selfishness of this view very plainly,"….. Our society has clearly ruled that when it comes down to a choice between your husband and children on the one side and you on the other….the right choice, the noble choice, the wise choice, is always you. You do what makes you happy. You do what makes you fulfilled. You don't let anyone get in the way of your dreams. You don't settle. You deserve it. You go girl!....If that baby is going to get in the way of your dreams or your pursuits, then obviously that baby must be eliminated. Nothing must stand in the way of your aspirations.. Your personal hopes, desires, or opportunities trump all else, and sacrificing your dreams for someone else is not seen as noble, it's seen as ludicrous. If you lay down your 'life' for another, you certainly won't get respect or admiration from our society, and you will definitely get disdain. By many, your choice will just be seen as downright offensive."

Section Two deals with the history of feminism for the past few hundred years or so. Don't worry, it's not a boring read. It's fascinating and sad at the same time and Merkle adds plenty of interesting commentary, including an interesting theory on what jumpstarted each wave of feminism: Feminist movements always seemed to happen when women saw their place in society as being an ornamental rather than doing any sort of really valuable work and they thought that the men were doing the really worthwhile things. In the 1950s housekeeping became easier and easier with all kinds of conveniences being invented. Instead of seeing it as a blessing and making the most of their work and being creative with it, women became bored and "fussy" and became very demanding. "This is fundamentally at odds with biblical teaching on what is an obedient (and effective) response to injustice. Christ did not tell us that when someone takes our coat we should loudly demand its immediate return….When we are reviled He did not tell us to make sandwich boards and picket. When we are struck, we are not told to strike back harder. When Paul was imprisoned, he didn't commence organizing a prison riot or, for that matter, go on a hunger strike. And yet, aggressively demanding that everyone give women what is owed to us has been the entire campaign strategy of the feminist movement from Day One."

Section Three: What Are Women Designed For? Addresses the way women can find true fulfillment. "If God designed women for a specific purpose, if there are fixed limits on the feminine nature, then surely it would follow that when we are living in accordance with those limits and purpose we will be in our sweet spot. That's where we'll shine. Where we'll excel. And where we will find the most fulfilment." We were not created to be the center of attention. We were made to work, to help, to be fruitful, to glorify…etc.

Let me pause here and say my usual disclaimer: Of course, I didn't necessarily agree with everything in this book. For instance, and I'm sure that Merkle didn't mean this, but sometimes some of her argument came across as though men merely preach the Good News and the truths of God's Word while the women are the ones who live it out and embody it. But that's not correct. Men are supposed to live out the truth also. I think that Merkle may have been trying too hard to describe our women's work as a unique thing. Our work doesn't have to be outstandingly unique, if it's of God then it's a privilege to be able to do it, unique or not. She also sounded rather mystical in some of her attempts to describe women's work and how great it is, I didn't follow all that she was saying especially in some of the chapters toward the end of the book.

Okay, back to the description:

Section Four: Living Out Our Design. Merkle exhorts women to be creative with what God has given them to do. She emphasizes that, "This teaching isn't meant to keep the women out of sight; it's describing the way that they can shine the light of the gospel on a lost and sinful culture. We have to trust God here, because oftentimes we want to be the ones to decide what will be a good witness. God says, 'Here's how to be a good testimony,' and we think He doesn't understand the nuances of modern society the way we do." And then she also clarifies that "A household is bigger than the house itself, and as Paul describes the duties of a wife and mother, it is clear that her duties are defined by the people she is surrounded by and not simply her street address." Keeping one's household doesn't not necessarily involve not having a job outside the building that a wife calls "home" but it means that "home", the people in it, are her priority, her focus, and if other things become the priority then they are distractions, not worthy goals.

Using those four sections Merle really gets one thinking about our God-given job as women and how we can best fulfill that service to the best of our ability. When we see that we can best please our Maker by doing what He made us to do then we have something to work toward. We are here to please our Savior, not ourselves, and He Himself tells us, in His Word, how we can be pleasing to Him and fulfill our God-glorifying purpose. Overall I really liked this book. And Merkle is an excellent writer, she keeps the attention (especially because of her sense of humor and sarcasm), and continually pulls one's perspective back to God's Word and His purpose rather than our own. It was a very enjoyable and thought provoking read.

Many thanks to the folks at Canon Press for sending me a free review copy of this book! (My review did not have to be favorable) ( )