Book Review of “God’s Good Design”

God’s Good Design: What the Bible really says about Men and Women
©2012 by Claire Smith
Published by Matthias Media
238 pages

I have taught the Bible for over 30 years, 20 of those years as a senior pastor. The highest compliment I ever give a book is “that will preach!” This book will preach! You have to appreciate the irony, because this is a book written by a woman who believes only “men should be the teaching elders in our churches” (pg. 196). So this book can be preached, just not by her.

This work is expositional; it looks at the relevant scriptures that directly discuss the differences between the sexes, first within the setting of the local congregation, then within the home. She goes into great interpretive detail on the passages in First Timothy 2, First Corinthians 11 and 14.

“If we were in any doubt, these passages make it clear that when the New Testament restricts the authoritative teaching of the church community to suitably gifted men, it is not because women are not capable of teaching. It is God’s order of relationships. Beyond that context, women can and do teach. They can teach the most vulnerable and suggestible among us – our children. The Lord can also use women to teach in other contexts with other types of speech, like prophecy, singing and prayer” (pg. 205).

And I would add, writing books. Smith is a tremendous teacher of the Scriptures. Her exposition of Genesis 1-3 is one of the best I have ever read. She also deals with Ephesians 5, First Peter 3 and Proverbs 31.

I highly recommend this book. I also plan on referring to it often when find myself coming to these particular passages in Scripture. I have no doubt it will preach.

Matthias Media freely provided this book for review and there was no expectation of a positive review.