Product Description

This book is not another Christian-teenage-girl “survival guide.” So Much More shows how Christian girls can wage war with the world and win. The Botkin sisters focus on how young women can rise above their God-hating culture and change it for the better. Today, countless young ladies face difficult problems and challenging questions. While many long for godly purpose in their lives, their bewilderment mounts when they observe broken homes, distant fathers, overwhelmed mothers, degrading college courses, and a lack of spiritual guidance — both at home and at church. As hope for security and stability fades, it is no wonder that many young ladies feel orphaned, unprotected, and without hope for their futures. Within the pages of this book, discover practical, biblical solutions for the young woman who wants to do so much more than just “survive” in a savagely feministic, anti-Christian culture. Find the answers a girl is not likely to get from her church, her peers, or her culture.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #247149 in Books
• Published on: 2005-10-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 352 pages

Review
Anna and Elizabeth Botkin have managed to expose the feminist lies that have indoctrinated our western culture. . . -- Stacy McDonald, Homeschooling Today (back cover of book)

Anna and Elizabeth Botkin have managed to expose the feminist lies that have indoctrinated our western culture. . . --Stacy McDonald, Homeschooling Today (back cover of book)

I encourage fathers, mothers, daughers, and sons to read this book---and that covers everyone. -- R.C. Sproul, Jr., Highlands Study Center (back cover of book)

I encourage fathers, mothers, daughers, and sons to read this book---and that covers everyone. --R.C. Sproul, Jr., Highlands Study Center (back cover of book)

Page after page, I laughed, rejoiced, wept, and felt "hallelujahs!" rising in my throat. -- Jennie Chancey, Ladies Against Feminism (back cover of book)

Page after page, I laughed, rejoiced, wept, and felt “hallelujahs!” rising in my throat. --Jennie Chancey, Ladies Against Feminism (back cover of book)

About the Author
Anna Sofia and Elizabeth Botkin, ages nineteen and seventeen, respectively, have observed the decline of Western civilization in both the United States and the British Commonwealth. They are the daughters of Geoffrey and Victoria Botkin and currently live on New Zealand's Seven Arrows Ranch with their family. For many years they and their five brothers have shared their family's vision for cultural reformation, and have actively worked with their father on projects affecting family, church, and state. They both share a deep concern about the momentous choices young, unmarries women will make at this very important time in history---choices that will not only affect the rest of their lives, but also the future of the West.

Customer Reviews

Some Really Good Points: Some Impractical Points.
The positive elements of this book is that it really places value on women, something not seen in today's culture! It places responsibility on men to protect and cherish women. The advice to young women is exceptional and definitely raises the bar! Young women are encouraged in their relationships with their fathers. However, one thing I found to be very impractical is the stand they take against higher education among women. "So Much More" takes a huge stand AGAINST ANY college for girls and basically makes it sound like they will be ruined for life if they go. I disagree! It's an unpredictable world and I believe that women need something to fall back on--just in case. The authors believe (STRONGLY) that young woman are to stay under the protection of their father until they marry, not go to college and then transfer their dependency over to their husbands. This might have worked 100 years ago, but men are not the same "protectors" as they once were. I am not a feminist or believe in Women's Lib, but I do believe that a woman needs to be able to support herself, if needed...I've had several friends "trapped" in horrible/abusive marriages due to this very thing. The authors of this book support the idea that it's a woman's family or her church's responsibility to step up and support her financially. This might be true in a perfect world, but I don't live in that world. I've never seen a church step in and support single moms...maybe they should...but it doesn't happen. Another factor is that in today's world, many girls have absent dads in their lives and this book is geared towards the girls who have the traditional family. I have four children(ages 8yrs-22yrs.)who are blessed to have that traditional family...a father who loves them, a mom who stays home and home schools them, however, most kids aren't blessed with this. A girl who has an absent father might get the feeling as though her life isn't the "perfect life" and she's messed for good! Just my opinion:)

I have some concerns...
First, I want to say that I have nothing personally against the authors of this book. I really don't have anything against the book because God will use it to His advantage. However, there are some concerns that I have about some of the content. One of the concerns I have is that a lot of homeschoolers are falling into the trap of putting faith in their standards and beliefs as a measuring stick to how close somebody is to God. However, when life falls out from under your feet, dresses, homeschooling, women staying at home, daughters waiting for husbands, and any other standards cannot help you. There is no measuring stick to being close to God. It is only Christ living within a person that makes them positionally righteous before God. Sin is disobedience to God's commands. So what does God command? We can take the scripture and ignore it because we don't want to change or we can take the scripture and run with it leaning on our own understanding. The culture of Israel at the time was strongly against women. Women were viewed as lower then men. Jesus Christ raised women to a new level of respect and honor. (Mary was given the task of bringing the savior into the world.) (Note that her father knew nothing of this and wasn't even mentioned in the story. God spoke to Mary and Mary alone and chose her for this calling. Her family had nothing to do with it.) Women were mentioned frequently through out scripture as workers in the church. Even if they were not as prominate as men that is no surprise because the cultural view of women was so low. Perhaps women were not as brave as to answer God's call to service. The authors of this book state a few things that I disagree with:

1. That women cannot be missionaries unless they are married and even that is iffy. The view they teach is that by raiseing strong healthy large families and staying where you are at witnessing to neighbors etc. you are fulfilling the great commission. When Jesus gave the great commission he was meaning that each christian "as they are going" should make disciples of ALL MEN and to teach them everything that God has commanded. I am surrounded by kids from totally broken families. Most of them no nothing about Jesus. They barely know what church is. Their families are unbelievably wrecked by sin and foolishness. These children are so immersed in the godless culture that the average homeschooler would be SHOCKED. I tell you this because this is an example of people who need to be reached out to. They have no chance of even being discipled let alone raise a Godly family one day. If we didn't try and reach these children they would never be reached. Yes, I am a girl and yes I am a missionary to these kids. There is no command for women to not be missionaries in the bible.

2. Women should never go to college. Not everything about college is perfect. It is often very wicked. But to make a blank statement that no lady should go to college is to black and white. It isn't a sin to go to college. God doesn't like everything about college however he uses it in people's lives to work out his purpose even if the system isn't perfect. (Israel wasn't perfect either. For years they thought that having more then one wife was ok. Abraham for instance. However God didn't approve of it. In is long term plan he used the cultural views to accomplish his purpose.) God does call some women to go to college. God never says that women are not to be educated and what proof do you have that it is more godly to stay at home and learn housekeeping and business skills from dad?

3. Unmarried women are to remain at home helping their father and the family until they are married. Paul spoke highly of singleness and he stated that a single women is to be concerned with the things of God. (A married woman would be concerned with her family and her husband. So to be single you are free to focus on serving God in a way that is not an option if you have a family.)

4. Single girls of marrying age are to obey their parents and fathers like they were children. God gave two commands in the scripture. (Children "being brought up," (cit. Michael Pearl) obey your parents and wives submit to the leadership of your husband. When you become an adult you are now free to "submit" but not "obey." Submit means choosing to be under somebodies protection and leadership. For instance, we are under the President etc. We are not required to obey them only submit to their leadership as God leads.

In conclusion, I think the book needs serious prayfulness and thinking before you take these ideas as God's ideas.

A Doctrinally Sound Premise
The premise of this book, that one woman was made to submit to one man (first her father, then her husband), is absolutely Biblical! From the creation order to Paul's intructions to women in the New Testament, we see that God's beautiful design for women is indeed a plan to bless them! [Some would misrepresent the authors by saying that they believe ALL women should submit to ALL men; This is not what the Scriptures teach and it is not what the Botkin's believe.]

The Botkin sisters are firmly convinced that it is possible to live this Biblical truth and to do it fervently with joy. As singles, they are committed to submitting to their father and blessing his vision, instead of going along with a self-seeking, independent female culture. Those who think this notion boring, archaic, or revolting ought not take issue with Anna Sophia & Elizabeth Botkin, but with the Holy Scriptures themselves. To understand this book, one must let go of all culturally-ingrained defenses and be committed to a purely objective look at what they present and what the Scriptures teach. Until one takes on this attitude of humility, don't bother reading it!

[A scoffer does not love one who corrects him, Nor will he go to the wise. Prov. 15:12; He who disdains instruction despises his own soul, But he who heeds rebuke gets understanding. The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom, And before honor is humility. Prov. 15:32]


The Botkins' believe that this path is exciting, creative, fulfilling, and full of blessing from God! They encourage all single young women to submit to their father, to prosper and bless him, and to devote themselves to service to others. Their exhortations are fully in line with the Biblical paradoxes:

"He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it." Matt. 10:39

"Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone. But if it falls, it bears much fruit." -John 12:24

One ought not dismiss this book until they have endeavored to live consistently in light of its principles. The Botkins believe that young ladies will succeed, not because of their own ideas, but because the principles belong to God, and he has promised to bless all those who seek the Kingdom of God first!