God Is

by Mallory Wyckoff

God is Mother. God is Midwife. God is Hostess. God is Mystery. God is Home.   Traditional language for God has been dominated by a single image—Father—and masculine norms. For some, this language is meaningful. For others, it is deeply problematic. In both cases, it’s limited.  One thing is God is More.  Mallory Wyckoff believes it’s past time to expand the ways we think about God. Through personal story, theology, spirituality, and social justice (and highlighting the interconnectedness of each), Wyckoff explores feminine metaphors and untapped language for God—some biblical and familiar, some less well-known, but all revelatory of a God who is More than we’ve been allowed to imagine.  As Wyckoff illustrates, when we expand the ways we image and engage with God, we are invited to see the Divine more fully—and, in the process, our neighbors and ourselves. Those who have felt alienated by the typical ways of describing God in Christianity will meet God As a Seamstress who stitches tapestries out of our tatters of shame. As a Sexual Trauma Survivor who has suffered alongside those who have endured the worst. As a Mother who nurtures us to life with her body.

Genres: Nonfiction, Theology, Religion

158 pages, Hardcover

Published September 20, 2022

Reviews

[Melanie Glass · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️4.5
A thought-provoking book encouraging us to look beyond the fixed image of God most of us have been brought up with and, instead, to reflect on how we can see God as much more. The headings, words, and descriptions challenge us to expand our thinking and not to limit God to the mainly male-centred images that exist.

[Caroline Jansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the interest of full disclosure I work for this publisher so idk if I'm actually allowed to review at all. But I didn't work on this book in any significant way, I just saw it was coming up and was intrigued, so I snagged an early copy. So here's the unbiased review:

To be honest I don't think I'm necessarily in the target audience for this book. It's a bit more touchy-feely than I usually go for. A lot of the humor didn't really land for me, and the chapter on "mamas" was just... not for me.

BUT this book was 100% what I needed at this moment in my life, which is why I'm 5-starring it. It was wise and challenging and though it's written in this very chatty, accessible way, you can tell Wyckoff has some serious theological chops. also she alludes to some of my favorite books ever, including Julian of Norwich's Shewings (and I'm pretty sure Endo's Silence?), and she takes these themes and ideas I'm really familiar with but casts them in an entirely new light.

Coming from a place, right now, where religion is mostly associated with anxiety, guilt, excessive legalism, and restrictive orthodoxy, this book gave me more peace than I've felt, perhaps forever?, while doing spiritual reading. Especially as I've been trying to figure out what the fuck *is* a relationship with God. I don't think the book answered that question at all but it made me feel it's ok and good to feel discomfort and it's ok and good to explore and it's ok and good to expand.

So yeah, I read it, and I still don't know what/who "God is," but that's kind of the point, isn't it?

Highly recommend the midwife and communicator chapters in particular.

PS here's the biased review:

Wow the jacket copy is so entirely free of typos! They should give that person a raise!

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the honor of getting Spiritual Direction training from Mallory. When she told us about this book, I knew that I had to read it. This book is beautiful in the way that it helps us expand our language for God. I highly recommend to this book to anybody but if you are looking for other ways to connect with God or just want to get out of the language you’ve always used to described God, this one is it!

[Drew Howerton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have had the privilege of learning from Mallory Wyckoff both as a member of the same church for a time as well as coworkers for the same nonprofit. Every time Mallory speaks, I listen. She crafts words in a Beautiful, sincere, intentional way with such ease. She always has the best words and the right ones.

This book is no different. I am going through a season of losing my mother to cancer. Wyckoff’s analogies and descriptions of God in the feminine—including as Mother, Midwife, and Hostess—resonated deeply with me in ways I didn’t know I needed. My faith has been on shaky, questionable ground the past few years, and this was the first faith-focused book I’ve read in a little while. I feel that this book is equally welcoming to anyone at any point in their faith. I thank Mallory for her tact and care in gently inviting us to open and expand our understanding of God.

Wyckoff leads with vulnerability, and reading her words feels like talking with a friend. Highly recommend this book… and anything else she (hopefully) releases in the future :)

[Grant Azbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

God Is will challenge and expand your view of God. The author weaves her own story and insightful research together while pointing out neglected feminine metaphors of God's character. Some metaphors are pulled directly from scripture and others from both biblical themes and the female experience. The The temptation is to say: "this is a great book for women." However, I think it is equally (if not more) valuable for men to be reminded of the feminine characteristics of God as we (men) can so easily overlook them. I was blessed and challenged by this book. The author manages to be funny and profound, sensitive and brutally honest, accessible and intellectual. It is well worth the money and time to buy and read "God Is."

[Elizabeth Burton, LCSW, PMH-C · Rating 5 out of 5]

A true treasure and deep well of wisdom is both the author & this text. I took a long time to devour this book, not because it is long or difficult to read, rather, because it is so richly heavy with wisdom that connects us more deeply to true selves and expands our understanding of God. I have had the gift of receiving spiritual direction from Mallory and am so immensely in awe of who she is and what she offers the world. Grounded in trauma-informed practices, she extends and embodies hope, safety, and courage to live into the more full and Really Real. She is authentic, vulnerable, and relatable. I highly recommend this to anyone longing to have new pathways and language for connecting with your most authentic self and the Divine.

[Jacque Kelnhofer · Rating 4 out of 5]

My rating is really more of a solid 3.5.

This is a timely book that addresses the overdue need to reimagine and expand our images of God, but the possibilities are limited in the author only choosing to explore feminine possibilities.

Some chapters were definitely more supported by theological reflection and Scripture than others, but all invited creative personal interpretation. Of all the examples, Jesus as a Sexual Trauma survivor was the weakest, especially considered in the context of the time of the crucifixion, and in some ways calls into question the credibility of other chapters if I were relying on the author's interpretation, only. I agree with the premise of the chapter, though, and only wish better supporting examples had been considered.

[Stephanie Yttrup · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is far overdue for our cultural and church led conversations that somehow still stick our beliefs about God into tiny boxes of the desire for control and power. Mallory is an amazing writer, wonderful storyteller, and hilarious human that feels like your friend throughout the book. Her writing humanizes every moment of life instead of overspiritualizing or over perfecting every messy moment.

The concepts she explores of God as female images and more are (somehow) radical to mainstream Christian thought and yet so deeply biblical, relatable, and relevant. She is not only sharing from her wisdom within her experiences and others shared with her, but from a wealth of knowledge of Scripture and how God has chosen to reveal God’s self through the Word.

For anyone wrestling to understand who God is through unconventional means (likely because the conventional means haven’t helped thus far), this book offers comic relief, valuable insight, deep soul searching and a healing perspective.

[Nicole Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wyckoff is a storyteller who invites her readers on a journey to explore some of the many facets of God. She does a beautiful job softening the cervix in a way that allows readers to birth new ideas and possibilities.

[Jillian Armstrong · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ Beautiful, thought provoking exploration of using feminine language to describe God. At times the theology felt like it could’ve used a little more back up and I definitely didn’t agree with everything. But overall I felt encouraged and inspired to dig into the character of God that is revealed when we don’t only use masculine language.

[Kelley Coe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is such a breath of fresh air. As someone who isn’t religious but had a somewhat religious upbringing and a general interest in theology, this was unlike anything I’ve ever heard of or read of. It’s such a beautiful book - weaving in womanhood and femininity and God and personal stories. I learned a lot, and it pushed me to expand my perceptions of God even more. All things I’ve never thought possible or put together until now. Can’t recommend enough.