Armstrong, cofounder of Christian networking organization Polished, explores how women can perform and thrive outside the confines of traditional roles in her convincing debut. Armstrong begins by describing how she believes the church upholds a patriarchal society that keeps women from leadership roles and relegates their influence to home and family life. Armstrong calls the Christian church's obsession with marriage and motherhood dangerous, as it places unnecessary pressure on women to concentrate on family: 'If we look closely again at Jesus's priorities, there is nothing that speaks to a particular role of wife or mother, husband or father, boss or subordinate.' In careful readings, Armstrong mines scripture to demonstrate how women were just as influential as men in receiving and preaching the word of Christ, including a novel portrait of what a 'Proverbs 31 woman' whose 'passion for her work, success on the job, or willingness to follow Jesus is not a negative' looks like. The final section includes a call to reject misogynistic ideologies by helping women take on the agency, authority, and entrepreneurship normally championed as the domain of men by Christians. Readers interested in considering and reforming how Christianity regards women will find great value in Armstrong's passionate work. * PW *
'Kat is one of my favorite Bible teachers, and I've been supporting her work through Polished for years. She inspires me every time I hear her speak, and, finally, we have her grace-filled teaching in a book! Every woman needs her words.' --Catherine Giudici Lowe, reality TV personality, Founder/CEO of LoweCo. and LoweCo.ncierge 'Kat is a brilliant Bible teacher and a ferocious cheerleader for women. I underlined so much of my book and said out loud 'You go, girl' more times than I can count! This book will challenge you, encourage you, and inspire you to do all the great things that God has prepared in advance for you to do.' --Jamie Ivey, Bestselling author of If You Only Knew and host of The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey 'This will be my go-to resource for anyone looking to elevate women's voices in the church and to see women everywhere flourish in their gifts. No More Holding Back is a game changer!' --Jessica Honegger, Bestselling author of Imperfect Courage, Founder of Noonday Collection 'What a joy to read No More Holding Back. Its message is on target: women are gifted by God to love and serve him fully. Men and women are to honor God together. Read this book and let's cheer one another on to a deeper walk, better cooperation, and more effective ministry together with God.' --Darrell L. Bock, Senior research professor of New Testament studies, Dallas Theological Seminary
