Ruby Slippers: How the Soul of a Woman Brings Her Home

Jonalyn Fincher wants to show that women can be both fully human and fully feminine. Traditionally, femininity has been a role women play, a role defined by culture and simplistic sermons. The author encourages women to look at the feminine roles or boxes that pinch their souls: mother, fashion devotee, working wife, intellectual. Does God treat femininity as a role, a curse, or a gift? And when Jesus redeemed women, what was it exactly that he redeemed? Even after Eden, Fincher points out, God planned to redeem both men and women. But for centuries, women have been taught to devalue the very aspects of their souls that are unique and irreplaceable. Femininity itself runs deeper than aprons, frills, or romance. It begins with feminine souls who are living cameos of the triune God. In Ruby Slippers, Fincher takes a fresh, direct look at the challenges she faced on her search for the feminine soul. She goes step by step through what it means to be a woman and how to cultivate her soul, choosing not to shy away from psychology, theology or personal transparency. In her journey she discovers an understanding of femininity that is timeless and groundbreaking. The roles melt away into something like Dorothy?s ruby slippers, something women have always had-the souls to walk today with freedom and femininity. Review ?The most repeated and most mistaken response that evangelical hierarchical-complementarians make to egalitarian-complementarians is that the latter deny male-female differentiation. In over thirty years in this debate I have neither read nor heard any evangelical even imply this. All evangelical egalitarians insist that God has made us equal and different. Alike we bear the image of God, alike God has made us rulers of his world, alike God gives and blesses the varied ministries the Spirit non-discriminately bestows, yet we are men and women. Thank God Jonalyn Grace Fincher has given her able mind to exploring alikeness and difference in men and women. I love her vision of men and women standing side by side complementing what each is given by God. This is a well written, well researched, thought provoking book.? -- Kevin Giles This book recounts the story of how Jonalyn came to see that femininity is truly 'of a woman'--of every woman--living out the fullness of her God-given being and design -- Sarah Sumner For any woman who has struggled as I have with what it means to be feminine, Ruby Slippers provokes deep thought on how Christ redeems a woman?s soul. -- Nancy Beach Every once in a very long while, a book comes along that challenges you to become everything you were created to be. Ruby Slippers is beautiful, persuasive, and rich: a feast for any woman who longs to be her truest self -- Ginger Garrett With warmth, wit, and insight, Fincher invites women to embrace an important, and sometimes counter-cultural, image of who God created us to be. May we encourage each other to accept the invitation! -- Lisa Graham McMinn, Ph. D., Author Jonalyn Fincher?s scholarly approach combined with unflinching candor and insight from her own journey makes Ruby Slippers a compelling read that is both smart and personal and will inspire women to meaningfully consider the enormous value that lies in their own femininity. -- Sarah Zacharias Davis, Author Young women are increasingly becoming disenfranchised from and disenchanted with the church; with Ruby Slippers, Jonalyn offers them a lifeline as she explores what it means to have the soul of a woman, and offers a fresh and fearless take on biblical femininity. -- Susy Flory, Author 'Finally! An alternative to popular Christian books on gender that define women only in relationship to men, as patriarchy after the Fall has always done. Instead, Fincher redefines femininity in relation to God, whose image we bear, giving women the freedom--and responsibility--to wrestle with who they are before their Maker. Along the way, Fincher takes on the icons of femininity in