Women of the New Testament: 30 Devotional Messages for Women's Groups (edició 1963)

A few months ago, I was standing in a thrift shop perusing their book section. As I scanned through the religious section (mostly Rick Warren and Billy Graham – esque stuff), I saw the name Kuyper printed onto the binding of a book. Surely that’s a different Kuyper, I thought, pulling it off of the shelf, but it’s still worth checking. But it wasn’t a different Kuyper. It was the Kuyper. I stood and stared at the book, checking the back cover and the inside leaf to make sure I wasn’t experiencing a visual illusion. I’m sure I looked amazingly idiotic to anyone who was watching me.

But here Kuyper was in flesh and blood paper and ink! I’d heard much about him and his application of Biblical principles to the government of the Netherlands, but I’d never expected to find one of his works in a cheap thrift store! I lit into this book with fervor.

With fervor… and fear. It has been my experience to find studies on the women of the Bible to be loathsome in their misrepresentation, elaboration, and application. Often these studies preach a whiny psycho-babble of self-justification, affirmation, and empowerment. They promote the idea of spiritual supremacy and leadership for women rather than encouraging the self-effacing service of Jesus’ original followers.

But all of my fears were in vain. Mr. Kuyper presented sound, humble, realistic sketches of twenty-nine different women who each played roles in Christ’s ministry (or those of his apostles’). Rather than focusing in on the thought life of these women, he emphasized their love of and dedication to the Lord, and explained the significance of their actions in light of historical context.

Also, Mr. Kuyper did not content himself with merely recounting their lives; he also addressed any controversy that surrounded his subjects. He rejected the Roman Catholic view of Mary, pondered the identity of Mary Magdalene, and chastised those who view Martha, sister of Lazarus, with disfavor.

At the end of each chapter is a series of questions for group discussion. Although I read Women of the New Testament on my own, and thus had no one to discuss it with, I still found these questions to be helpful; they reinforced what I had learned in each chapter.

Conclusion. A good study for those seeking to gain a clearer understanding of the Women of the New Testament.

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This classic contains 30 character sketches of women in the New Testament, basing each study on a scriptural insight.