Freedom for Mothers: Caveat Emptor*
While this prodigious resource from MotherWise Ministries of Houston, TX has much to recommend it, “Freedom” also has significant deficiencies that should not be overlooked. At 272 pages, this study is twice as long and half as lucid as it could be. Author Denise Glenn tries hard–perhaps too hard–to cover too much at once. The result is a voluminous, tedious study that often over-reaches while remaining thin on focus and cohesion. Also problematic is Glenn’s penchant for proof-texting and her frequent violation of the historical-grammatical method of Biblical exegesis.
Curiously, Freedom for Mothers claims to be “based on John 15,” but doesn’t stay there for long. Instead, the material careens through Old and New Testaments like Dale Earnhardt, Jr. at the Daytona 500. The unfortunate result is a muddled mad dash through Holy Writ that is virtually incoherent in places.
Additionally, the fill-in-the-blank sections following specific workbook questions sometimes have little or nothing to do with the Biblical text noted. The use of verse fragments and/or partial paragraphs to “support” a particular viewpoint remains problematic. Glenn’s habit of wrenching Biblical passages out of context to support her *agenda* rather than allowing the text to speak for itself should also give careful Bible students cause for pause. (The tiny print will be difficult for some eyes.)
Especially disappointing is the lack of attention Freedom gives to the main reason for “dying to self” and “living in the Spirit”: that believers may more fully and accurately reflect the image of Christ in the on-going process of sanctification. The author’s use of questionable sources, such as Joyce Meyer and Liberty Savard (Units 6 and 8), whom most credible Bible scholars place on the rim edge of orthdoxy at best, is also troubling (see Unit 6) and may be sufficient grounds in itself to pass on this study.
Opinions on Freedom will vary. Some women will love it, some won’t. Loaded with good intentions and a charming journalistic style, this material falls short as a balanced Bible study. Serious students of Scripture may be disappointed.
* Let the buyer beware.
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AUTHOR’S NOTE: For a closer, more careful look at John 15, the following sources are recommended:
– Secrets of the Vine, by Bruce Wilkinson
– Not Good if Detached, by Corrie ten Boom
– A Path Through Suffering: Discovering the Relationship Between God’s Mercy and Our Pain, by Elisabeth Elliot
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For a related discussion, click on: Why I Don’t Do Women’s Ministry or visit: Nuggest and Nudges
For another review of Freedom, click on:
