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Author Manuell brings to new light the basic roles that men and women must play, based on the book of Genesis. This is shown when Eve, the first woman, was tempted by a serpent to disobey God’s orders, eating the fruit that God had forbidden with the complicity of Adam, the first man. After their sinful act, God ordained that Adam’s toil would forever be harsh, and for Eve, he ascribed greater pain in childbirth and decreed that she would be ruled by her husband. These principles, Manuell emphasizes, require that men be strong leaders of their domain as husbands, fathers, and supporters of the family, with women wisely and effectively assisting them. However, cultural changes, especially in the recent era, have fostered a notion that women are equal to men in employment and social stature. Meanwhile, men, Manuell asserts, have acquiesced, relinquishing the power to revoke that misperception.
The narrative clearly illustrates that an understanding of and obedience to God-given roles could revolutionize society, endowing men with their innate power and women with the strength and patience to “help their husbands to be the men God wants them to be.” Manuell states that it is now time for Christian men and women to accept their rightful gender roles as spiritual gifts. Manuell, after a career in banking and finance, attained an MA in early Christian and Jewish studies and has turned his attention to writing, a skill which he definitively demonstrates in this diligently researched treatise. He provides a lengthy bibliography and appendices that offer further support for his viewpoint regarding Christian gender roles, their origins, and their potential for social change. Manuell’s work gives readers a broader array of religious proofs, helping them to re-examine their unique gender destiny. This thought-provoking study will likely start lively discussions within Christian circles.