Dorothy Kelley Patterson. Nashville. B&H Publishing, 2013. 213 pp. (Paperback).
Dorothy Kelley Patterson, professor of theology for women’s studies at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, and wife of seminary president Paige Patterson, has written several books aimed at helping women in their Christian growth. The last one I reviewed, “A Christian Homemaker’s Handbook,” was basically a how-to. This one seems to be more of a “why-to.”
When you see Dorothy Patterson’s name on a book, you probably have an idea what to expect — something articulately and intelligently written, heavily reliant on Scripture and uber conservative in approach. That describes this devotional book well.
Many women struggle with the issue of biblical womanhood, sometimes chafing at the restrictions put on our gender. Dorothy Patterson would not call them restrictions at all. She is clearly comfortable in her role, describing herself as an ‘old-fashioned evangelical’ with master’s and doctor’s degrees and advocating a theological education for women.
The book is not a diatribe and it is not argumentative. Instead Patterson simply uses the Scriptures and her personal experiences to encourage, instruct and guide women in their “personal life, in the home, in celebrations and in service to God and country” — the places of their lives.
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