Bound & Determined: Christian Men and Women in Partnership

by Jeanene Reese

Christians have to work alongside each other at work, school, family, and church, yet we are often divided by poor communication, mistrust, and confusion over the role of gender in our relationships. Bound & Determined invites readers into a more satisfying approach to Christian partnerships in all areas of life. Men and women work together every day in a variety of relationships as friends, spouses, and colleagues. We try to understand and support one another, but we frequently find ourselves confused and frustrated in our relationships. Too often, we joke around about our differences or explain them away. Sometimes we give up in despair, or, perhaps worse, we resort to keeping the sexes apart and avoid real and meaningful interaction. In Bound and Determined , author Jeanene Reese draws on years of her own research and addresses the relationship between men and women and explores what it means that God designed these two genders to work together - including places we must all be willing to reflect and repent, how men and women can support and honor each other more effectively, and the role of forgiveness in authentic relationships. Accepting that ''women are from Venus and men from Mars'' is frankly simpler than working through the complexities of our relationships. Yet as Christians, we are called to live and work together in meaningful partnership, reflecting God's intimate and relational nature. If you've ever experienced the frustration of working in mixed-gender groups, or if you feel loss over the lack of mixed-gender opportunities, this book offers a vision of how we can all work together in honest, rich Christian love.

191 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2010

Reviews

[Dawne Piotrowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the whole book was good, it was really only the first three chapters which addressed male/female partnerships specifically (except the chapter on marriage). The discussion in the first chapter on disputed passages in the Bible on women's role in ministry and leadership was very insightful. I also was convicted in chapter two on ways in which we need to repent of judgments against the opposite gender.

Overall, it was a good introduction to healthy partnerships and group dynamics, and contained theory as well as extremely practical advice.