Quivering Daughters—Hope and Healing for the Daughters of Patriarchy
by Hillary McFarland
ISBN: 978-0984468607
Darklight Press, 2010
232 pages

From the Book Cover: Homeschooling. Large families. Biblical womanhood. Quiverfull. The Christian patriarchy movement promises parents a legacy of godly children—if they adhere to specific Biblical principles. But what happens when families who abandon "the world" for "the Biblical home" leave hearts behind, too?

For many wives and daughters, the Christian home is not always a safe place. Scripture is used to manipulate. God is used as a weapon. And through spiritual and emotional abuse, women who become "the least of these" within Biblical patriarchy experience deep wounds that only God can heal. But if living "God's way" caused this pain, why should they trust Him to heal it?

Quivering Daughters—Hope and Healing for the Daughters of Patriarchy is a sobering work born from deep emotional and spiritual wounds. Despite her own patriarchy-inflicted scars, Hillary McFarland presents the subject with remarkable clarity and grace:

My primary concern is not necessarily with each tenet taught by patriarchal leaders, parents, or organizations. I fully acknowledge that those who preach biblical patriarchy sincerely believe they do so in obedience to God, and that some of the beliefs can be good, solidly backed by Scripture. However, I am deeply concerned with the manner this doctrine is carried out in the home. And as many daughters of patriarchy emerge from childhood carrying scars of soul and spirit inflicted in the name of "biblical" doctrine, where can they turn for gentle, Bible-based healing and support?

My intention is not to malign those who live as they believe the Lord has called them, but to offer a gentle alternative for the ones He calls differently. In obedience to His will for me, I've written the book I wish was available ten years ago—not that the content itself is exhaustive or that I am worthy to write it, but because the body of Christ is too silent and perhaps somewhat uninformed regarding these issues.¹

The author explains what today's Christian patriarchy movement is and how it came about. There are numerous first hand accounts—including her own—of living a lifestyle of shame, spiritual manipulation, and emotional abuse. But the overall tone of the book is hopeful and compassionate, focusing on helping girls and women damaged by such a lifestyle discover Truth, find their voice, and follow their Lord.

Quivering Daughters was intensely thought provoking, prompting a re-examination of ideas I had accepted as fact about Christian womanhood. I highly recommend this book.

Copyright © by Brenda King
¹p. xvi. Share