Nurturing the Nations: Reclaiming the Dignity of Women in Building Healthy Cultures
by Darrow L. Miller with Stan Guthrie
Nurturing the Nations is primarily about women, but in addition, it covers the related topics of poverty and worldview.
Paternoster, 1820 Jet Stream Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80921, 2007, 277 pages, $19.99.
—Reviewed by Cheri Pierson, assistant professor of intercultural studies/TESOL, Wheaton Graduate School, Wheaton, Illinois.
Nurturing the Nations is primarily about women, but in addition, it covers the related topics of poverty and worldview. Darrow Miller suggests that one of the primary causes of world poverty is based on the notion that men are superior to women. His purpose in writing the book is to cite case studies that describe the transformation from the degradation to the reclaimed dignity of women in co-relationship with building healthy cultures.
The book is laid out in four segments. Part One, “The War against Women,” addresses the exploitation, murder, and abuse that women face in cultures internationally. Part Two, “The Lie, The Root of the Problem,” examines misogyny and various paradigms, such as Animism and Hinduism, and how they lead to the mistreatment and hatred of women. Part Three, “The Biblical Foundations,” looks at five broad biblical themes. Using the Trinity as a model for male-female relationships, Miller deals practically with topics such as: servanthood, submission, and the transcendence of sexuality. Part Four, “The Transforming Story,” looks at the history of women in the Old and New Testament and the liberating challenge by Christ to the sexist culture of his day. Each of the seventeen chapters includes endnotes for further reading. The book concludes with a glossary, subject index, and biblical reference index.
Having worked in international relief and development for nearly three decades, Darrow has confronted poverty in many places. In culture after culture, he encountered emotional, spiritual, and physical deprivation that has added to the suffering and degradation of women. In response, he asks the question: “What can I do to stand up for women?” By sharing his personal awakening to the pain of women’s suffering in this book, he challenges readers to be a part of the solution by restoring the dignity given to women by God.
Nurturing the Nations is written for anyone who wants to study the relationship of women’s roles in society and poverty. This might include social workers, relief and development workers, and missionaries. In addition, it is worthwhile for those involved with women’s issues and needs, such as: educators, clergy, and mentors. Finally, it should be of interest to all Christians who desire to understand the injustice women experience around the world, even in the name of Christianity. The challenge Darrow offers to all readers is to become “Mordecais” and “Esthers” who will stand with women who are mistreated worldwide.
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