Eve’s Revenge: Women and a Spirituality of the Body

Lilian Calles Barger notes that the splitting of soul vs. body is “part of our spiritual problem.” So Eve’s Revenge is written not to help women overcome their perceived shortcomings, but to provide an increased understanding of how woman’s relationship with the body and its social meaning impacts spirituality. Barger investigates the tension women experience between their bodies and their desire for a spiritual life. She responds with the possibility of viewing women as something other than perennially split between body and soul. This paradigm, offered through the life and work of Jesus of Nazareth, provides insight into how women ought to live in the world and very much in their own skin.

Women struggling with a body/soul tension and those interested in the social and spiritual meaning of the female body will find this book revealing and liberating.

Selected Endorsements:

“Barger’s culture-challenging analysis collides with the American obsession with the body, how it looks to us and to others, and emerges triumphant. She provides a profoundly honest evaluation not only of the misogyny of our culture but also the misogyny of the Church, and offers something much better–a Christian view of the body. Barger reminds us that the incarnation of Christ means that our bodies are valuable mirrors in which we are enabled to see the redemption of Christ.”
–Frank A. James III, Reformed Theological Seminary

“I love this book! Lilian Barger has gently informed her readers of so many profound truths that it will dare you to release your inner person and give you courage to be who you really are. With wisdom and intellectual savvy she addresses so many misconceptions that have deceived us far too long.”
–Paula Mann, President/CEO Sunbelt Telecommunications, Inc.

“Christian Church has a reputation (often well-deserved) for being anti-body, and anti-woman. Modern culture has its own bias against the body and women. In this fresh and unpredictable book, Lilian Calles Barger shows that the biblical narrative, when understood on its own terms, challenges this bias, whether the source is religious or secular. It also meets the deepest needs of contemporary women who are searching for a way to be whole–to integrate spiritual yearnings with the full range of bodily experience, including its power and its vulnerability.”
–Mardi Keyes, co-director of L’Abri Fellowship, Southborough, Massachusetts and author of Feminism & the Bible

Selected Reviews:

“In this highly stimulating new book, Barger skillfully takes possession of modern feminism and Christian teaching to show women how Jesus and the experience of redemption can include real modern women and their real bodies. Negotiating both Christianity and feminism is not always easy, but Barger’s mind is razor sharp, and in her clear prose she capably sets forth her innovative, no-nonsense ideas about the condition of women and the potential of Christian belief. Highly recommended.”
–Library Journal

Lilian Calles Barger presents a coherent, persuasive, and challenging alternative… This is not a self-help book nor does it engage in ‘male bashing.’ Barger’s goal is nothing short of contributing to a paradigm shift. She argues that one cannot dismiss or separate women’s physicality from her spirituality and Barger seeks to reclaim the body as a central component in women’s understaning of self, community, and spirituality… Barger’s writing style is clear and engaging. She weaves historical and contemporary examples into a tapestry that shows how the threads of antagonism toward the embodied life have been challenged by Jesus.”
–Journal of Psychology and Christianity