Carolyn Custis James - The Gospel of Ruth: Loving God Enough to Break the Rules

WHAT ARE PEOPLE SAYING ABOUT
THE GOSPEL OF RUTH?

In her gutsy profile of biblical Ruth, Carolyn Custis James challenges old religious mind-sets about gender, how God uses women, and how men should respond to the Holy Spirits work in women. The Gospel of Ruth is one of the richest and most insightful books Ive ever read about any woman in the Bible. Carolyn is to be commended for making such a valuable contribution to biblical theology.

J. Lee Grady
Author of 10 Lies the Church Tells Women

Writing in an engaging and winsome style, Carolyn Custis James considers the intriguing question, Is God good for women? through an in-depth study of the book of Ruth. Women who want to live for Christ will appreciate her critique of the biblical concept of submission in light of the gospel. But dont leave the men out! They, too, will better understand what it means to be a Christian man through her solidly Christian discussion of male-female relationships in Christ.

Karen H. Jobes, PhD
Gerald F. Hawthorne Professor of New Testament Greek
and Exegesis, Wheaton College

The Gospel of Ruth sparkles with cultural insights and contemporary illustrations that bring the biblical story of Ruth into direct contact with the lives of women in the twenty-first century.

Robert H. Gundry
Scholar-in-Residence and Professor Emeritus, Westmont College,
Santa Barbara, California

Carolyn Custis James refuses to reduce Ruth to a pretty story with a nice moral lesson. Instead, she makes this ancient woman of faith come alive for women and men today. A work of theological insight and practical Christian wisdom.

Timothy George
Founding Dean of Beeson Divinity School of Samford University
and a senior editor of Christianity Today

The Gospel of Ruth is indeed Good News as Carolyn Custis James writes compellingly of the essential importance of women and men in Gods redemptive plan.

Carla Foote
Editor of FullFill magazine

Carolyn James reinterprets the story of Naomi and Ruth from a romance novel into what its author intended: life-transforming, character-building biographies. This is so because Carolyn allows the harsh fate and profound love rooted in faith of these gutsy women to interpret her own narrative of trials trumped by her trust in Gods sovereignty, goodness, and love.

Bruce Waltke
Professor of Old Testament, Reformed Theological Seminary

(Orlando) and Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies, Regent College

This surprising examination of Ruth reveals so much more treasure than we thought this book held reminding us of Gods presence and work in troubled times.

Amy Simpson
Executive Director, Leadership Media Group,
Christianity Today International

Carolyn James provides a compelling and riveting reading of the book of Ruth that reveals its grace-full message and will change your assumptions about Ruth as well as Naomi and Boaz. Even more, this book will challenge your preconceptions about the relationships between men and women. I strongly encourage women and men to read this book.

Tremper Longman III
Robert H. Gundry Professor of Biblical Studies,
Westmont College

Carolyn Custis James journey through Ruth breathed courage into me, to show me that I am most feminine when I own the gifts God has given me, when I partner with my brothers in Christ, when I trust Ruths example that when strong men meet strong women, both masculinity and femininity become mightier. I want to be like Ruth, a woman who lived in bold, innovative, risky love of Yahweh, a woman who encountered a strong Boaz and coupled her mind with his to show the world more of what God is like. The Gospel of Ruth will remind you that God is stunningly good for women.

Jonalyn Grace Fincher
Author | Apologist | Speaker

Carolyn James has made the story of Ruth come alive in new ways for women and for men! who live in todays complex and confusing world. This is a marvelous book that offers much wisdom and inspiration for all of us.

Richard J. Mouw
President and Professor of Christian Philosophy,
Fuller Theological Seminary

I have not read (nor, I expect, have you) a more discerning, humbling, thought-provoking, God-honoring, life-enhancing treatment of Ruth than this one. It makes an outstandingly fruitful study for believers of all ages and both genders.

J. I. Packer, Professor of Theology, Regent College

This is not a womans book it is a powerful book that I wish every man and woman who call themselves Christian would read. Carolyn Custis James peels back the familiar story of Ruth and shows us the undeniable story of courage, equality, and partnership that reflect the gospel and that the world is hungry to see.

Nancy Ortberg, author of LookingforGod;
Founding Partner, Teamworx2

Also by Carolyn Custis James

Lost Women of the Bible
When Life and Beliefs Collide

ZONDERVAN

The Gospel of Ruth
Copyright 2008 by Carolyn Custis James

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Zondervan.

ePub Edition August 2009 ISBN: 978-0-310-85316-9

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

James, Carolyn Custis.

The gospel of Ruth: loving God enough to break the rules / Carolyn Custis James.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 978-0-310-26391-3
1. Bible. O.T. Ruth Criticism, interpretation, etc. I. Title.

BS1315.53.J36 2007
222.3506 dc22

2007032253

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers printed in this book are offered as a resource to you. These are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement on the part of Zondervan, nor do we vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Published in association with the literary agency of Wolgemuth Associates, Inc.

Interior design by Melissa Elenbaas

Dedicated with love
to my husband, Frank.

Like Boaz,
you are a man who gets it.
Youve listened, partnered, advocated,
and
(when I needed it)
given me a push.

Youve valued me and my gifts,
opened doors of opportunity I thought were stuck shut,
then sacrificed, coached, and cheered me on.

My world is bigger because of you.

This book (and all the others)
wouldnt exist without you.

CONTENTS