Your Inner Eve
Discovering God's Woman Within
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- $6.99
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
In the refreshingly candid Oh God!, the Reverend Dr. Susan Newman–a United Church of Christ minister and senior adviser for religious affairs to the mayor of Washington, D.C.–showed African American women of faith how to reconcile their spiritual and sexual selves. Now, in this empowering new book, written with her accessible blend of comforting straight talk and down-to-earth humor, Dr. Newman encourages you to discover your “Inner Eve”–the “original you” that embodies the feminine expression of God’s Spirit. This Inner Eve is the keeper of self-esteem, intuition, and creative nature. She is your best self, your champion, your protector. She is not afraid, she is not ashamed; she is strong and vital to your well-being.
As Dr. Newman reveals, negative feelings such as emptiness, self-doubt, and self-hatred can be overcome by nurturing and strengthening your Inner Eve. An awakened Inner Eve inspires women to take action, improve their lives, and find their voice. Emboldened by the Inner Eve, women can see how their gifts can change their life–and the world around them.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Newman shares encouraging thoughts and some inspired biblical exegesis in this brief book about black women's spirituality. Her short chapters cover topics such as prayer ("Eve Powered Up!") and forthrightness ("Eve Speaking Up!"), each dwelling initially on a passage of scripture. Newman's application of these passages is often impressive. In a chapter on epiphanies, she revisits the story in John's gospel of Jesus healing a man who had been sitting beside healing waters for 38 years, waiting for his chance to get in. Newman points out that people often spend their lives seeking ineffective solutions to their problems, when God usually has a real solution, if only they would receive it. Alongside these thoughtful interpretations, however, is a good deal of clich d advice. For example, Newman frequently encourages her readers to take care of themselves before they give to others a good idea, perhaps, but one that has saturated self-help literature for years and one to which Newman adds little. Further, Newman throws in a good deal of content related to sexuality (particularly sexual abuse and domestic violence), but does not connect it in any clear way to the rest of the book. These flaws, along with her liberal theology, will put off some readers, but many are sure to appreciate the book's easy-to-read, inspiring tone.