Ah, the Proverbs 31 woman—she’s the biblical epitome of what true womanhood means. She’s the dream lady for many men and the role model for many Christian women. Proverbs 31 contains an exhausting list of her endless, diligent endeavors. She works, and she works astutely and industriously. This is one strong lady. Tucked away, however, buried within the list of her physical accomplishments, is a revealing description of her heart. “On her tongue is the law of kindness” (Proverbs 31:26).

Nothing has divided Britain more over the past 40 years than the question of its place in Europe. It joined the nascent EU in 1973 for economic reasons—with the assurance that there was no political dimension involved.

But after the Maastricht Treaty of 1992 revealed the political ambitions of the EU, establishing itself as a political entity in its own right, a growing proportion of the British complained they had never been truthfully consulted about the organisation they were now part of—one that was headed toward “ever closer union” and some kind of federated superstate.