Biblical advice in the blogosphere: paradoxes on agency on two Evangelical American womens' blogs.

Abstract

This bachelor’s thesis concerns two blogs maintained by American Evangelical women, the blogs being TheTransformedWife.com and AboveRubies.org. The blogs are mostly advice about Biblical marriage and womanhood. This thesis considers what exactly the blogs communicate to their readers and how they communicate that. The first chapter concerns the establishment and nature of American Evangelical Christianity as well as Bible verses that concern gender roles. This is to examine where the stance of the blogs is based on. The second chapter contains passages from both blogs, selected with the help of ‘passive virtues’ by Mary Daly. The passages are analyzed with the help of Critical Discourse Analysis, specifically truth claims. The third and last chapter is a reflection on agency and how it is used in the context of the blogs. The thesis concludes that the stance of the blogs on gender roles stems from the Bible and the development of Evangelicalism in the United States. The blogs speak in authoritative tone that help them make their message convincing. Finally, the conclusion also points out some inconsistencies between the blogs’ ideals and words and their actions.