I love reading women’s magazines. Okay, back up. I love life and I am inspired by its every aspect. I love to hear about what other people think, feel, and do. I love it, especially, when hearing about the stories and ideas of women, in particular, motivates me to respond in some way – and the response it inspires isn’t always because I agree with what I have just read.

Most women have had the opportunity to sit in a waiting room at some point in their life. Let me tell you that waiting room of an OBGYN office, where I have spent much time during my pregnancies, is the Library of Congress of women’s magazines. OBGYN offices know their clients, and they subscribe to magazines that appeal to women so that the lengthy wait to see a doctor isn’t as noticeable.

A few weeks ago, while waiting for an appointment, two women sat across from me and pored over an article entitled ‘Twenty-nine ways to please your guy in bed.’ They were reading it to each other, loudly, and it was impossible for anyone in the room to ignore. The article never used the word “husband” – no that would be politically incorrect – but rather the word “partner”, and words like “love,” “marriage,” and “commitment” seemed to have gone missing. Surely, this had to be a “trashy” women’s magazine, I thought to myself. But, as I discreetly peeked at the cover, it was from a magazine that one would think should be rather tame.

Then, I started reading the headlines on the covers of other magazines on the table. I was saddened to see that the common themes were sex (no mention of the word marriage anywhere), spirituality (in the navel-gazing sense of the word), fad diets (whatever happened to moderation?), “holiday” craft projects (witches, and jack-o-lanterns), and self-improvement (more like self-glorification). There were a few “parenting” articles (including one that I ended up reading called something like, “When children lie: It may actually be good for them” about how parents should sometimes overlook lying if it’s not really hurting anyone… because after all, adults use deception tactics every day), but they all dealt with coping with problems and not really addressing their roots.

Don’t even get me started on the advice columns.

The response these magazines evoked in me was sadness and even anger, as to how the even “good” magazines were filled with material that was anything but edifying.

For a long time, I have searched for a Christian women’s magazine that was doctrinally sound, had articles for all generations of women, and didn’t expect that all of its readers were avid tea drinkers (though, if anyone asks, my favorite kind of tea is Chai).

Admittedly, there are a few “Christian” magazines for women out there, but they offer doctrine so lukewarm it’d be a sin not to spit after reading.

In my search for a Christian magazine that I could unapologetically recommend, I was hopeful that Christianity Today’s “Today’s Christian Woman” would be different.

The answer was no. For example, a single woman wrote in to essentially complain her friend doesn’t consider the friendship as a priority – because every time she calls her on the phone, her friend is distracted by raising toddlers. Instead of taking an opportunity to speak of the honorable profession of motherhood and to show ways the friend can be included in a covenantal, mentoring relationship with the children, or even (from a courteous and practical standpoint) to call after children are asleep, the editors empathize with the writer and conclude with, “In addition to working to continue the relationship with your best friend, I also want to encourage you to look to other single friends and those who don’t have children to provide the time and attention you rightly need.” Huh? Is the body divided between married women with children and single women? Should our goal for relationships be to get attention? *spit*

The presupposition behind most “main stream” Christian literature isn’t to proclaim truth boldly and to spur women to maturity, but rather to try to peddle Christianity to the masses by making it trendy and hip. There is little mention of scripture, just a lot of ear tickling (sounds good, but not necessarily Biblical), emotional Christianese. Essentially, the magazine shows how to fit God into the box called your life, and how to make Him work for you.

This is not real Christianity, it is how to have your cake (be a “Christian”) and eat it, too (still have a foot rooted in the world). Ultimately, it is how to look (and/or “feel”) like a Christian without unreservedly giving your heart over to the Lord. It is making Jesus a friend with benefits, rather than a bridegroom.

Yes, Pastor Rick Warren does have quite the merchandise empire, but he is right when he says in his book, “The Purpose Driven Life”, “…you cannot arrive at your life’s purpose by starting with a focus on yourself. You must begin with God, your Creator. You exist only because God wills that you exist. You were made by God and for God – and until you understand that, life will never make sense. It is only in God that we discover our origin, our identity, our meaning, our purpose, our significance and our destiny. Every other path leads to a dead end. Many people try to use God for their own self-actualization, but that is a reversal of nature”.
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More later, I need some rest! 😉