Subtitled: A Woman's Journey from Christian Tradition to the Sacred Feminine

http://www.amazon.com/Dance-Dissident-Daughter-Christian-Tradition/dp/0061144908

I saw this book at the airport a couple weeks ago, and looked for it and found it at our Half-Price Books. Has anyone here read it? I'm on p. 22 of 238 pp. so far.

I haven't read that one, Eric, but I did read The Secret Life of Bees.   It was a curious mingling of Christian and pagan ideas and imagery.  Lots of emphasis on Mary, making her a bridge between the two-- Mother of God becoming divine herself, that sort of thing.

She was raised Southern Baptist and is married to a (now former) Southern Baptist religion teacher, so her waking up from patriarchy was literally a life-changing/shaking event for her and her family.

I don't know much about her, but I know that her marriage stayed together even though she gave up the comp views.  I'm always glad when a marriage can stay together in spite of big changes.

I've just finished reading an article by Sue Monk Kidd about spiritual formation,  This article (really a chapter from one of her books) was recommended to me by the Bible College I am currently studying with.

I'm concerned by the sub-title of the book being discussed on this thread.  Has Sue Monk Kidd rejected Christianity?  What does she mean by the sacred feminine?  Does she now worship the pagan mother goddess?

Going to Amazon and reading what it was about, it kinda reminded me of my encounter with the idea of the book (because I didn't read that one either*) "Women Who Run With Wolves".

http://www.amazon.com/Women-Who-Run-Wolves-Archetype/dp/0345377443

I can see the value of the Dissident Daughter over the wolves book because it starts with a woman in the Christian, Southern Baptist situation. But it was the idea* within the pages of the wolves book that God used to empower me. That and also "Wild at Heart" a book much disliked by many egals but strangely used by God to minister to me and a few other gals concerning the 'wild and free' (John 8:31&32) place God wanted to bring us to.

I'll be curious to know what you think of it by the time you are done, Eric.

(*Wish I actually had time to read all the books that interest me. Then I could speak with a bit more confidence in this area.)

REVISED/AMENDED POST

I've little doubt that she's rejected Orthodox Christianity with its Hebrew patriarchalism and highly male God and almost complete ignoring of the feminine Wisdom tradition in the Scriptures. She's definitely moved to a Goddess/Earth spirituality. Her view is panentheistic (which she first uses on p. 159) as a middle way between theism's worshiping the distant and above-creation male God, and pantheism's limiting the Divine to creation/matter. Her book/journey is like an elementary primer or apologetic for Earth/Goddess religion mixed with native spirituality. Much of her journey was guided and shaped by dreams and figures/personages that came to her in her dreams.

She says some intriguing things about Wisdom/Hokhmah/Sophia (pp. 146-152) in the Scriptures and Gnostic writings that might be worth some further Bible study, including the Apocrypha.

"Does she worship the pagan mother goddess?"

She seems to be saying that we've all been cut off from the Sacred Feminine (though her book is primarily directed to women), and we (or at least women) need to discover that "She is in us." (the last four words of the book). I would not say that she "worship(s) the pagan mother goddess" because I think that phrase stereotypes and mischaracterizes what she believes and experiences and does with respect to the Divine.

Sue Monk Kidd would probably feel right at home on Pandora (see the movie AVATAR) as one of the Na'vi.  

It's definitely a non-scholarly treatise for the Sacred Feminine, but her endnotes reference many, many books.

A lot of it kind of reads like Divine Feminine/New Age lingo. I found the book interesting and easy to read. I don't know to what extent she really studied scholarly literature on the history and myths she cites or references and makes claims about, or just took what she read from popular treatments of the subjects. I think she makes some good points about (against) patriarchalism and the way our culture and the church/Christianity have devalued and demeaned and abused and stifled woman. I also think her spirituality would cause concern for Orthodox/Biblical Christians, whether Patriarchal or Egalitarian. If you're uncomfortable reading about nature rituals and finding one's true feminine self/soul, etc., then maybe you won't want to read the book. But I think she says some things that will resonate with Egalitarians re: patriarchal Christianity and its effect on its members, esp. its female members.

I read as much as could through Amazon's preview and I saw the endnote references of "many, many books."

I am so saddened that this woman has rejected Biblical Christianity because of the issue of male authority and heirarchy. 

When I read the New Testament scriptures I see freedom and equality and life. 

I didn't want to say too much, Marg, but I agree.
And someone somewhere said she drew from Greek mythology and what not.
And all I could think of was...
Greek? One of the most mysogynic cultures known? She could draw from that and turn away from Christianity?

BUT

Even though that sounds pretty snotty, I say it with sincere compassion and deep concern.

I wish that the people who pushed this male superiority crap would give up their delusion, open their freaking eyes, and see the violence they inflict to the Gospel. They are blind and can't see how they lockup tight the door between hurting people and the Lover of their souls.

"I wish that people who push this male superiority crap would give up their delusion."

I wish they would repent , too,  AND that more people who are living, or trying to live, a Biblically egalitarian way and have that understanding and belief system would step up to the plate in their surroundings and confront the false teaching.  I just don't get that...their living in comp church communities and not getting involved in the teaching and discussions of this issue, or bringing them up.    It doesn't seem like 'iron sharpening iron' to me.   I have heard a woman within that context say  "but some men won't listen to women"  as if that is the reason for a layer of male teachers rather than really relying on Scripture.  Some of the 'pushers' are in this category.  I think they 'push' by not speaking for the belief system they live by.   It is a different category than comp pastors/elders/corporate teachers.  People in this second category, I assume, really believe what they teach.

ls

I wish people would open their freaking eyes too!!!   

I really, REALLY don't understand the complementarians and their phobic, rigid and insistent
 stance against gender equality.