Reviewed by Jennifer Brooker

Had it (the joy) ever gone away?  Women Of Faith - a fast-growing renewal movement in the USA (30,000 participants at the first conferences in 1996, half a million expected this year) - describe their weekends away as "life-changing", so clearly they think (or their founder, Stephen Arterburn, thinks) that women in the Church need to recover something.  This disc is part of a project "to provide women with more than a one-time experience".  It is a sort of preview praise-and-worship album, presenting songs to be featured at the1998 conferences, so there is none of that audience participation and live atmosphere which can make showcase albums of Christian events so exciting.  It doesn't help either that the lyrics are printed on floral pink paper, and performed in floral pink arrangements.  That's a matter of aesthetic taste, but I also leave to the reader's judgement the arch-conservative theological agenda embedded in the album.  Radical feminists this side of the pond as well as State-side would say there is a fundamental contradiction between the organisation's mission statement (". helping women experience life to its fullest .") and the sentiments expressed in the conference theme song ("Women Of Faith . looking to Jesus to LEAD us each day . desiring to SERVE .").  Certainly there is little sense here of Jesus addressing us as FRIENDS: servants no longer, but co-workers with the grace of God.  For some people that would put a dampener on the joy.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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