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An update, some announcements, an invitation, and a book giveaway
Update
It’s Spring Break for me. Which usually means some travel. Last week, I spoke at John Brown University during two days of International Women’s Day events. From there, we headed to Houston’s Lanier Library and Stone Chapel for The Visual Museum (“VizMu”) symposium, “See Her Story.” I spoke at both the JBU and the VizMu events on “Women in the Early Church: Art and Space.” And I taped three podcasts while on the road in addition to a few in the can that include return visits to Preston Sprinkle’s “Theology in the Raw” podcast (topic: Vindicating the Vixens) and the Beyond Ordinary Women podcast (topic: purity culture). Coming soon.
In late February, I spoke in chapel on the Washington DC campus of DTS, followed by teaching a two-hour writing workshop. I loved meeting students I’ve long known only virtually.
Some announcements
Early this month, Nobody’s Mother was named a finalist in the 2023 FOREWORD INDIES Book of the Year in the Women’s Studies category. But wait, aren’t “indie” books self-published? At one time, “indie” did pretty much refer only to self-published authors. But now “indie” means anyone not published by one of the Big Five—HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Penguin Random House, Macmillan, and Hachette. The FOREWORD “Women’s Studies” category focuses on books that deal with the experiences, issues, and advancement of women throughout history. This year more than 2,400 entries spanning 55 genres poured in for consideration. Selected by Foreword’s editorial team, the finalists now await judgment from teams of librarian and bookseller judges nationwide. Winners in each category will be announced in June.
Last month, Nobody’s Mother was named a finalist in the “Online Presentation” category of the Christian Authors Network’s CAN Excellence in Marketing Awards. These awards celebrate “excellence in Christian media and marketing by authors.” The award was designed “to recognize, educate, and encourage superior marketing and promotional skills of Christian authors.” I’m especially happy about what this means for my intern, Sarah Griffith, whom some have described as the book’s “zealous promoter.” Winners will be announced April 27.
You can find me on new episodes of these podcasts:
Know Why podcast: How Did Jesus Treat Women? (Part 1)
Know Why podcast: Did Jesus Prescribe Gender Roles? Know About Jesus: Interview With Dr. Sandra Glahn (Part 2)
On the Way with Max Botner Why Does Paul Say “She will be saved through childbearing”?
You can also watch/listen to me here: Artemis of the Ephesians, Northern Seminary’s New Testament World Colloquium with Dr. Nijay K. Gupta
The Alabaster Jar podcast hosted a mini-series featuring the Visual Museum and works on the site. I appear on or host the following episodes—but listen to more than these! We have some wonderful expert guests.
Why is this project important?
And you can read some new reviews:
Dr. Joy Dahl featured a review of Nobody’s Mother for The Denison Forum.
Marg Mowczko featured a review of the book on her fab site, as well.
What’s ahead for me? Speaking at the first commencement for the Opened Bible Academy in Ireland next weekend. Attending the Calvin Festival of Faith and Writing with a bunch of my students. And attending board meetings and the national conference for EPA—the Christian media organization I serve as president. Then DTS graduation, my favorite day of the year. Then, before I teach a doctoral course in self-publishing, it’s off to Italy for about three weeks with my students. Speaking of Italy…
An invitation
Lynn Cohick and I are leading a winter trip to Italy that we’re opening up to the general public. (Someone asked if she can bring her husband. Yes, of course!) We’re calling the trip “Art, Faith, and Gelato.” Mark your calendar for December 27, 2024–January 12, 2025. We’d love to have you join us for some key sites (though not necessarily the Top 10 on Trip Advisor) in Rome, Torcello, Venice, Ravenna, Padua, Vicenza, Milan, Florence, Orvieto, Siena, Assisi, and Civita di Bagnoreggio. If you plan to sign up, don’t delay. Slots are filling fast.
Win a FREE reference book
Dr. Nancy S. Dawson has just released a beautiful book titled All the Genealogies of the Bible. In case you wondered, that’s 340 genealogies. I have a copy of this work, and I love it. It’s a thick, hard-bound reference book that presents content in a simple visual format. Dawson was aided by my friend and colleague Eugene H. Merrill (he wrote the “Sarah” chapter for Vindicating the Vixens), and Andreas J. Köstenberger. These two provided brief commentary on each entry. Ever wondered how Elizabeth was related to Jesus’s mother? Or how exactly Jesus and the John the Baptist were kin? You can see the family trees laid out in All the Genealogies of the Bible. How do you win? Just download any free resource from this site (which will capture your email), and I’ll enter your email for the drawing to be held on Easter.
Happy Spring!
Big News!
IVP sent out this press release on December 18, which included a photo of me and a shot of Nobody’s Mother:
Sandra L. Glahn Signs Two-Book Contract
with IVP Academic
December 2023 | Krista Clayton | kclayton@ivpress.com
LISLE, IL—Sandra L. Glahn has signed a two-book contract with IVP Academic for the spring 2026 release of A Woman's Place Is in the Story. Her second contracted book, a work in biblical studies yet to be determined, will release at a later date.
Alexandra Horn, marketing manager for IVP Academic, said, “There is scholarship that moves scholarship forward, and then there’s scholarship that has the potential to heal the church. Sandra L. Glahn is a rare and superb scholar whose work has the ability to do both.”
Glahn (PhD, University of Texas at Dallas) is professor of media arts and worship at Dallas Theological Seminary, where her emphases are first-century backgrounds related to women, culture, gender, and the arts. She has authored or edited more than twenty books, including Vindicating the Vixens, Earl Grey with Ephesians, Sanctified Sexuality (coeditor),Sexual Intimacy in Marriage (coauthor), and most recently Nobody's Mother: Artemis of the Ephesians in Antiquity and the New Testament.
“Working with Sandra Glahn on her stellar book Nobody’s Mother has been a career highlight for me personally, as I daresay that book will be a highlight for readers,” said Jon Boyd, acquiring editor and IVP’s academic editorial director. “Her meticulous scholarship behind the scenes is matched by her skilled attention to the craft of writing, so I’m frankly reveling in the prospect of reading her next manuscript.”
In Nobody’s Mother Glahn combined spiritual autobiography with scholarly exploration to take readers on a journey to ancient Ephesus and across early church history. Ultimately, she lays a biblical foundation for men and women serving side by side in the church.
Boyd said, “Nobody's Mother zoomed all the way in on Ephesus, and her next book zooms way back out to consider the biggest arcs of Scripture’s narrative, and how women are present in them, not segregated off to the side. Glahn knows how to read a story (just as she knows how to write one), so her insights should be golden.”
Glahn’s next book, A Woman’s Place Is in the Story, will provide a broader view of the role of women in the whole of Scripture. Glahn said, “First, we had men’s history. As a corrective, we added women’s history. Now it’s time to integrate the two. Women in the Bible are participants in the grand narrative rather than missing altogether or stars of isolated cameos. A woman’s place is in the story. She’s not absent from it nor is she a sidebar. This work will explore how women of the Bible appear in their literary contexts—that is, how their narratives fit as part of a whole.”
Glahn says that she is passionate about subjects relating to women, gender, and justice. This focus came out of the decade that Sandra and her husband spent going through infertility and pregnancy loss. “Our trauma led me to take a closer look at the Scriptures and their blueprint for marriage, women, gender, the human body, and bioethics,” Glahn said. “The answers I found drove me to look more closely at the cultural backgrounds that influence biblical texts that relate to these topics. I love helping people engage their hearts and minds in these important issues.”
Glahn is represented by Chip MacGregor of MacGregor Literary Inc. Both titles will have world rights.
People’s Choice Winner!
Nobody’s Mother won in the IVP People’s Choice Arts & Humanities category!
In IVP’s People’s Choice Awards, Nobody’s Mother won in the Arts and Humanities Category! Thanks to those who voted. This win comes with a 25% discount for you if you order between now and year end by using the code IVPRCA23 at ivpress.com/readerschoice !
Welcome to SandraGlahn.com!
Welcome to sandraglahn.com!
Aspire2.com has now transitioned to SandraGlahn.com. Welcome to the new site! You’ll find here lots of free resources (some downloadable) plus my more than two thousand searchable blog posts on a variety of topics.
Wondering what I’ve been up to lately? I just launched Nobody’s Mother: Artemis of the Ephesians in Antiquity and the New Testament. You can order it from me here on this site or from Amazon, Barnes and Noble or where you usually buy books. You can get it on Kindle and Audible, as well. Want to help me market Nobody’s Mother? Grab a copy, read it, and post a review on your favorite book site. Reviews help algorithms know where to send people.
I’ve spent the past few months doing a podcast tour. Here are a few places you can find me talking about the book:
That Won’t Preach podcast:
Marcella Project: Nobody’s Mother: A conversation hosted by Jackie Roese (audio)
Unpacked with Skyler: Nobody’s Mother (audio)
Twin cities podcast: Nobody’s Mother (audio)
IVP women scholars:
Beyond Ordinary Women: Is Motherhood Our Highest Calling? (audio)
IVP Academic, my publisher, is holding a People’s Choice context for their 2023 books. Voting ends today, so get your votes in ASAP! Vote here.
In other news, I know it seems too early to think about Christmas, but planning ahead helps us have a less crazy holiday season. I published some tips on bible.org for How to Make the Holidays More Meaning-full
Welcome to the new site. I hope you find it useful. Let me know how I can serve you through the contact form.
Bird by Bird Podcast
Listen in as I talk with hosts Michael Bird, Aussie theologian, and bestselling writer Aimee Byrd about Nobody’s Mother. We discuss “What are those bulbous appendages?” and other awkward questions.
Nobody’s Mother + Other Stuff
Join me on a social media tour of topics ranging from women and art to my forthcoming book, Nobody’s Mother.
Pistis With Us podcast (video)
One hour on Nobody’s Mother and women in the church with special focus on “saved through childbearing.”
NT scholar Scot McKnight is running a series on his Substack, interacting with Nobody’s Mother
NT scholar Michael Bird weighed in on Nobody’s Mother
Publishers Weekly: A starred review of Nobody’s Mother
My thoughts on mentoring, story, and the pantheon: IVP Website and catalog interview
My publisher for Nobody’s Mother featured an interview with me on their web site in which I talk about a broad range of topics from the pantheon of gods and the NT, mentoring, and narrative non-fiction. Portions of this interview are slated to run in their fall catalog.
Enter Book Drawing: 7 Secrets for the Spirit-Filled Life
In Seven Secrets of the Spirit-Filled Life, my friend Jack Levison, a professor of Old Testament and Hermeneutics, offers a devotional with 49 chapters. That might seem like an odd number until we consider that the Jewish feast of Pentecost falls 50 days after Passover. (Not that readers have to time their readings with the liturgical calendar, but the tie-in with the Holy Spirit dovetails nicely with the content.)
Levison begins with a narrative set in his Wheaton College Greek class. His professor scribbled some Greek on the board, which, as it turned out, was Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” The prof asked if these well-known words of the apostle Paul meant students could pass a test without studying. And they knew: Of course not.
So, what do they mean? We have the power to face whatever life brings because of the indwelling Spirit.
This anecdote sets the stage for a work that guides readers through living in the power of the indwelling Spirit. And the place Levison begins is with praise. How fitting.
Seven Secrets of the Spirit-Filled Life is smaller than most books. And shorter. And less academic than what one might expect from a Hebrew professor. But it's not less deep. And it includes lovely black-and-white photos, which relate to the content. The style is easy to read. Short prayers guide the reader in how to form words. And the meditations guide the reader into a fuller life.
I have two free copies for giveaway (US readers only, please). I plan to draw two names from the comments on August 8. So tell me—what's one thing for which you praise God?
Shackled: A riveting read
Rarely do I say of a memoir that "I couldn't put it down," but that was my experience as I read Shackled: One Woman's Dramatic Triumph Over Persecution, Gender Abuse, and a Death Sentence, by Miriam Ibraheem. I received a copy of the book when I heard the author tell her story in April.
Ibraheem, born in a refugee camp in Sudan, lost her (abusive) father when she was six, and her mother raised her in the ultra-minority Christian faith. After she married a man who professed Christianity and had a son, Ibraheem was arrested by authorities who insisted she was Muslim because of her father's background. That meant she had broken Sharia law for marrying a non-Muslim. For this she went to jail, and when she refused to renounce her faith, she was sentenced to 100 lashes and death by hanging. While in jail, she gave birth (with her legs in shackles) to her second child. Her memoir follows her dramatic story as she faces death rather than deny her faith. Both Christians and Muslims from several governments worked to protect her and help her fight for religious freedom.
Shackled provides true-life snapshots of poverty, domestic violence, the fight for survival in a refugee camp, resourcefulness, life under Sharia law, and the courageous souls willing to fight for justice. But most of all, it's the story of how the Spirit gives and sustains life far beyond temporal living.
Inspiring. Shocking. Motivating. This well-crafted story kept me up late till I finished its final page.
She Reads Truth
I got to help kick off the next She Reads Truth series, which is on the genealogy of Jesus, starting with Genesis. She Reads Truth helps people, especially women, keep reading the Scriptures—improving their Bible literacy. Have a listen to the episode.
Author Q&A: What chickens can teach us about creativity
Architects, surgeons, sculptors, poets, chefs, and knitters all practice creativity in their fields of interest and expertise. Historians, novelists, landscapers, and nurses find creative ways to put their skills into action. Creativity lives in all of us and reveals itself in uncountable variations and configurations.
For my friend Ann Byle, it was a flock of chickens that set her on a path of creative discovery. Her book Chicken Scratch: Lessons on Living Creatively from a Flock of Hens(Broadleaf) launches today! This little, accessible hardback book offers a link between backyard hens and the God-given creative impulses we all hold. My older sis raises chickens, and she tells me they have distinct personalities. Ann apparently sees the same phenomenon and connects the world of chickens with creativity—one of my favorite subjects. You don’t have to be “a creative” to qualify as creative. Here Ann answers questions about creativity, chickens, and living a creative life.
Q: Chickens? Really? What about chickens sparked your creativity to write this book?
A: One day I was working on my laptop at a table on my deck. Up popped a chicken who stared at me over my laptop and seemed to ask, “What are you doing, Ann? Can I help? Got any snacks?” I started posting pictures of them on Instagram and people liked it. Pretty soon I was discovering how creative chickens really are, and how we would all do well to mirror that creativity in our lives. It was an odd and funny juxtaposition—chickens and creativity—but it worked. I had originally planned to do the book just for writers, but my publisher asked to expand its audience to all creatives. A creative and brilliant idea.
Q: What are some of the characteristics of a creative person?
A: Creatives are curious about the world around them and, particularly, about the field they work or play in. Knitters are curious about new yarns and patterns. Bible scholars are interested in the newest research and archaeological discoveries that impact Scripture. Architects are curious about new design tools or materials. Gardeners are curious about new types of flowers or vegetables.
Creatives are also courageous explorers, willing to step outside boundaries to find new ways to work and live. With that comes the ability to say no to negative self-talk and to ignore what others say about their art, plans, dreams, and goals. Their ultimate authority is God, not others; they move forward with God’s pleasure in mind. Another thing creatives do is nurture their creativity through things like reading widely, exploring outdoor places, visiting museums, going on retreats, unplugging tech, tasting new foods or going new places. Creative people are always looking at new ways to do things, asking new questions, trying new things.
Q: In February I ate a grasshopper. For sure that was a new thing. What do you mean when you say that all people are creative in some way?
A: I’m convinced that God has gifted everyone to be creative in their own way. I have a friend who makes the most glorious purses, totes, and wallets with leftover fabric and a sewing machine. Another is an entrepreneur who can see the big picture and moves forward to change our community for the better. Whether we are bankers or elder care workers, therapists or builders, each of us has a level of creativity that we can nurture and explore in our jobs or our personal lives. Whether we choose to develop that creativity is another story. So many people think they aren’t creative, but we all are if we can find our creative niche and get over our fear.
Q: What did you learn about yourself as you wrote this book?
A: I learned that my inherent nosiness about life and people is about being curious, and that my role as a journalist and writer is part of that. It’s okay to be a little nosy—despite what my kids used to say about not talking to any of their friends. Also, creativity is fun. I loved learning how to play the ukulele, decorate a cake, knit, and draw chickens as part of writing this book. Being creative is about living life fully and using all of our gifts well.
Q: Random: Tell us some trivia about chickens that we can use at parties?
A: Chickens are smart animals! They can learn and remember things, communicate, and express their opinions. Also, who knew that the color of the egg is most often determined by the color of a chicken’s ear lobes? Our hens have red/brown ear lobes and lay brown eggs. White ear lobes? White eggs.
Yup. Definitely did not know about chicken earlobes.
Ann Byle is a freelance writer and book author who lives in West Michigan with her family and a variety of animals including three chickens. Find her at annbylewriter.com.
Got Questions?
Recently I taped two podcasts/videos with "Got Questions?" talking with the host about 1) the debate surrounding women being pastors and 2) those head-scratching Bible verses about women.
Part 1 – What about women pastors?
Part 2 - What about those hard Bible verses about women? What was Paul saying?
An Untidy Faith: New from Kate Boyd
Kate Boyd is one of my travel buddies. We've been to Kenya, the UK (photo of us at Dover Castle below), Italy, and Mexico together. And she's the author of An Untidy Faith (Herald Press, April 2023)—which launches today! The host of the Happy & Holy podcast and a seminary student, Kate helps weary and wounded Christians rebuild their relationship with Scripture and community and to love God and their neighbors with their whole selves.
In the wake of scandal, culture wars, and abuse, many Christians wonder whether the North American church is redeemable—and if not, whether they should even stay. While many are answering "no" to those questions, An Untidy Faith is for those who long to disentangle their faith from all the cultural baggage and recapture the joy of following Jesus.
Through personal anecdotes, encounters with the global church (some of which we experienced together), deep dives into Scripture, and helpful historical context about Christianity, An Untidy Faith takes readers on two journeys. The first journey lays out the grand vision of Christianity and the legacy passed on to us by the early believers in hopes of renewing readers' belief in the church writ large. The second journey helps believers understand why they feel distant from their church settings and provides a reorientation drawn from Scripture of God's vision for community.
A gentle companion, Kate Boyd walks alongside those who have questions but can't ask them for fear of being labeled by or cast out of their communities. An Untidy Faith is a guidebook for those who want to be equipped with practices to rebuild their faith and shape their communities to look more like Jesus. Here's Kate in her own words:
Q: What gave you the idea to write An Untidy Faith?
Over the last few years, I have noticed an uptick in the Christian community of conversations around “deconstruction.” In listening to those conversations, I realized that there was a segment of the population who are working through their beliefs that did not seem to be represented. Most were talking about their deconversions or how people shouldn’t be deconstructing at all, but there were people like me who had walked through a season of renovating belief and practice while still remaining committed to Jesus. As more and more people were beginning to ask questions because of the many scandals and idols within white American evangelicalism that have been revealed over the last few years, I realized that because I had walked through this journey before that I may be able to create a space to meet those like me there and provide guidance to the way of Jesus and a bigger faith full of joy.
Q: Who will benefit from reading An Untidy Faith?
My initial audience tends to be people like me—millennials raised as evangelicals. However, as I have been gathering a community and writing the book, I have found that as often as someone in their 30s or 40s resonate with these topics, I also find those from older generations who are walking through the same journey now or trying to understand their children’s current journeys. While I also am generally focused on lay people, I think it will also be a helpful tool for church leaders to understand the mind and desires of those who are deconstructing or disentangling their faith.
Q: Why do you think this book is important for right now?
An Untidy Faith is important for this moment because deconstruction is not going away, and we have reached a point where many who were tearing down parts of their faith are looking for a way to rebuild a faith that is holistic, authentic, and joyful. Many lack the vocabulary or resources to go about creating a new theology and practice that connects to global and historic Christianity while existing in their current context. An Untidy Faith connects the readers to stories from the global church and examines some of today’s most relevant topics to provide a way for rebuilding and reshaping ideas about them in order to live out a faith that looks more like Jesus and that works for every time, place, and people.
Q: What are some of the topics An Untidy Faith covers?
An Untidy Faith covers a wide range of topics with intention. I wanted to help people process by example and provide information related to the topics that are being widely discussed today. The book then covers how to adjust one’s relationship with the Bible, the relationship between righteousness and justice and what that means for how we love our neighbors, the ways we have misused and misunderstood the Kingdom of God, how the end of the world is discussed in the Bible and how it changes how we relate to all of creation, what to look for in leaders and discipleship that lead to healthy and whole disciples, and reframing the work of evangelism and missions in today’s world.
Q: Which chapter did you most enjoy writing and why?
My favorite chapter in the book is chapter 11, “In Spirit and In Truth.” I think this may be my favorite because it draws on themes very close to my heart as to how we view the purpose of church and how we frame worship. In some ways, I think it is at the heart of all the other topics—how our entire lives fit together in worshipping God every moment of every day. Situating worship within the context of all we do rather than in a few hours we spend per week has changed how I approach all of my life as a follower of Jesus. I think it is one of the most impactful ideas to grasp for the church writ large today.
Q: What do you want readers to take away from An Untidy Faith?
At the end of An Untidy Faith, I hope that readers find the permission they seek to ask questions, rework big ideas, and find joy again in their walk with Jesus. I also hope they find new processes and perspectives for engaging with those questions and finding their feet in their faith again. Most of all, I hope they walk away seeing that Jesus is better, and walking in his way is how we give hope to the world.
As Kate and I have traveled, we have often joked in litotes—or massive understatement. If we eat an awesome bowl of sticky toffee pudding or see a view of the English Channel on a gorgeous day, we'll say, "This does not suck." So here is an endorsement of her book: This does not suck! (Also, what Kaitlyn Schiess said in the banner ad above. It’s a much needed work.)
Want more from Kate? Find her here:
Website: kateboyd.co
Instagram: @kateboyd.co
Twitter: @thekateboyd
Untidy Faith Newsletter: kateboyd.co/newsletter
Podcast: kateboyd.co/podcast
Woman: Who She Is/What's She's Made For
Over the weekend, I was in Omaha, Nebraska speaking at a retreat. I met some wonderful people and ate my first runza. Good eating on a cold, windy day!
My topic related to identity: Who woman is and what she was made for—or her calling. I've done versions of it several times in the past year. And I promised to post retreat notes here. But everyone is welcome to use them. You can download the PDF by clicking on the link along with a short Bible study. (Chrome seems to work best.) Once inside the retreat-notes document, if you see a rectangle on top of or near a word, click on the hyperlink if you want to read a blog post I've written on the topic relating to that word.
Podcast: Hear my thoughts on Artemis of Ephesus
Recently, Dr. Preston Sprinkle hosted me on his popular "Theology in the Raw" podcast. We talked about my forthcoming book, Nobody's Mother: Artemis of the Ephesians in Antiquity and the New Testament (IVP Academic), which is about, well, Artemis (the book is due out in October and available now for pre-order). We also talked about Amazon women. And what the apostle Paul means when he talks about a woman/wife being "saved through childbearing." Plus the probable meaning of those breast-y appendages on the goddess's front in the Ephesus-specific images of her. Also, hermeneutics and cultural backgrounds. Grab a coffee or sit in the carpool line and have a listen!
Nobody's Mother: We have a book cover and a launch date!
Today IVP Academic announced we have a launch date: October 10. And a book cover I can finally share forNobody's Mother: Artemis of the Ephesians in Antiquity and the New Testament!
Here's how they describe it:
Some Christians think Paul's reference to "saved through childbearing" in 1 Timothy 2:15 means that women are slated primarily for delivering and raising children. Alternate readings, however, sometimes fail to build on the best historical and textual evidence.
Sandra Glahn thinks that we have misunderstood Paul by misunderstanding the context to which he wrote. A key to reading and applying 1 Timothy, Glahn argues, lies in getting to know a mysterious figure who haunts the letter: the goddess Artemis.
Based on groundbreaking research and new data about Artemis of the Ephesians, Nobody's Mother demonstrates how better background information supports faithful interpretation. Combining spiritual autobiography with scholarly exploration, Glahn takes readers on a journey to ancient Ephesus and across early church history. Unveiling the cult of Artemis and how early Christians related to it can give us a clearer sense of the type of radical, countercultural fellowship the New Testament writers intended Christ's church to be.
This book is for those who want to avoid sacrificing a high view of Scripture while working to reconcile conflicting models of God's view of women. Through the unexpected channel of Paul's advice to Timothy—and the surprising help of an ancient Greek myth—Nobody's Mother lays a biblical foundation for men and women serving side by side in the church.
Review:
"In this masterful literary, epigraphic, architectural, and exegetical study, Sandra Glahn brings the significance of Artemis worship to bear in the interpretation of being 'saved through childbearing' (1 Tim 2:15). This text is critically linked to the seemingly transcultural prohibition of women teaching men (1 Tim 2:12). However, anyone seeking to be faithful to Scripture should remember that these texts were first God's Word to others before they were God's Word to us. By understanding who Artemis of the Ephesians was and how this likely influenced these texts, Glahn exposes the context of 1 Timothy to apply these words more accurately today. This book is a game changer."
—Christa L. McKirland, theology lecturer at Carey Baptist College and executive director of Logia International
I received an email from InterVarsity Academic, my publisher, back in December that included the proposed cover. I took one look at the image and thought, "I'll be at the museum with that very art this month!" I was teaching a course in Italy, and for the first time we were adding Pompeii and the Archaeological Museum in Naples.
So while at AMN, my husband and friends took the photos below for fun. They also bought me swag and celebrated with me. Today we can finally make it all public. So fun to share this with you!
3 Book Recommendations for Ministry Leaders
I am here to commend to you three new ministry resources that belong on your reading (or listening) list. All three are available on Audible and read by the authors themselves:
Released this week:
Tell Her Story: How Women Led, Taught, and Ministered in the Early Church (IVP Academic), by Nijay Gupta
Matthew. Mark. Luke. John. Jesus. Paul. When most of us learn about the early church, we hear stories of prominent men. But ample evidence exists in the New Testament that women were actively involved on the front lines of the gospel mission, too. And not just baking cookies. They were respected leaders. Mary Magdalene supported Jesus and the male disciples from her income (Luke 8:1-2). Nympha led a house church (Col. 4:15). And Phoebe was a deacon and benefactor (Rom. 16:1).
Northern Seminary New Testament professor Nijay Gupta brings these women—and many more—out of the shadows as he shines light on their contributions. Before reading Tell Her Story, I had never imagined Junia the apostle in jail (see Rom. 16:7), nor considered how dangerous it would have been for her to suffer for her faith in a dark, dank place where men and women coexisted without protection. Gupta brings out these details.
Last year I conducted an informal poll among my Twitter followers who went to seminary asking them if they’d ever studied the sixteenth chapter of Romans. Forty percent of them had never translated it nor heard a lecture or message on its contents. One person even took two separate classes on the Book of Romans in which students were never required to read Romans 16. In contrast, Gupta explores it. In depth. My favorite section of Tell Her Story is the work he has done here—exploring the multiple women named and described by Paul in this oft-overlooked chapter—boldly going where few men have gone before.
My friend Cynthia Hester recently reviewed this book on her blog. I was honored to be one of Tell Her Story‘s pre-publication endorsers, and yes, I read the book in its entirety. Here’s what I wrote:
In Tell Her Story Nijay Gupta brings to the topic of early Christian women (and some of their foremothers) a mastery of New Testament texts and backgrounds. Combining academic expertise with approachable prose, Gupta takes a fresh look at stories, people, and contexts—from judge Deborah leading Israel to deacon/patron Phoebe delivering “Romans” to apostle Junia doing prison time. In exploring the prominent place of women in the history of our faith, the author recovers lost meanings and casts a vision for men and women partnering to serve God’s people.
Get it.
Women and the Gender of God (Eerdmans), by Amy Peeler
Over the 22/23 winter school break, I co-taught a course in Italy with Dr. Lynn Cohick on Early Church Women in the Visual Record. That is, art. In the van returning to the Rome airport at the end of our sixteen days, I asked the students in the vehicle with me what they saw emphasized in churches that they don’t see emphasized in the US. They unanimously agreed that art of the Annunciation—the scene where Gabriel appears to the Virgin Mary to announce God’s plan for her to bear the Messiah—surprised them. It appeared in just about every church, sometimes twice. The scene pointed largely preliterate people to the incarnation. And we acknowledged that in our Protestant de-emphasis on Mary, we have lost something important.
Rev. Dr. Amy Peeler’s work Women and the Gender of God helps readers recover some of what we’ve lost.
Does God like men more than women? Of course not. We know better. And yet some things make us wonder…. Isn’t God male? After all, we refer to God as “he” and “him,” and “Father.” And certainly the Son of God, Jesus Christ, was embodied as male. John Piper famously said that Christianity is meant to have a masculine feel to it. Some even wonder, Did God violate Mary’s agency in the incarnation? Did she even have a choice—who can say no to God?
Some of my readers will recognize Amy Peeler as the name of the scholar who contributed the chapter on Junia for Vindicating the Vixens. This time she’s the sole author, and she takes a deep dive into incarnation narratives in the New Testament—along with some other relevant biblical texts—to address the questions cited above and more. Peeler makes a compelling argument for how God both empowers women and honors women’s agency. She also explores from a theological perspective how the virgin birth of the second Adam reverses the power struggle introduced in the Garden of Eden. One of her strengths is that she is familiar with the works of both conservative and feminist theologians and demonstrates she is conversant with their questions before providing what I found to be compelling answers.
In the publisher’s description of Women and the Gender of God they write, “While acknowledging the significance of the Bible’s frequent use of ‘Father’ language to represent God as a caring parent, Peeler goes beneath the surface of this metaphor to show how God is never sexualized by biblical writers or described as being physically involved in procreation—making the concept of a masculine God dubious, at best. From these doctrinal centers of Christianity, Peeler leads the way in reasserting the value of women in the church and prophetically speaking out against the destructive idolatry of masculinity.”
My colleague John Dyer, a theology professor whose syllabus includes works by both male and female scholars, has written insightful analysis of Peeler’s book here and here.
I highly recommend Women and the Gender of God. In it Peeler answers a few questions I had and others I did not even realize stood hovering in the corner waiting for permission to come out.
All My Knotted-Up Life: A Memoir (Tyndale House), by Beth Moore
Best memoir I’ve ever read.
And I’ve read a few, because I teach writers to tell their stories. If you can get the audio version, all the better, because Moore reads it herself. I laughed and cried, partly because of how she told her story.
Moore’s work is brilliant, wise, raw, witty, honest, riveting, heartbreaking, inspiring, devastating, and true. It ranges from Vacation Bible school to mental illness to sexual abuse to infidelity to church potlucks to salsa at Pappadeaux. One of my Instagram followers said this after reading it: “I so appreciate her care in the art of storytelling without triggering or exhibitionism of graphic details. Her word choice and narrative style are lovely.” Agree.
The woman can write. Her chapter ending with “And you can bet your toy poodle on that” is one of the funniest “stuck landings” you will find in any memoir. All the funnier if you can hear her punctuate it with that deep Arkansas drawl.
Gender and Bible translation
My former student Rick Hale compared how different Bible translations rendered the word "anthropos" in passages that (a) could reasonably have both men and women in view and (b) are translated with gender inclusive language in the NET Bible. The table provides interpretation of ‘anthropos’ in the specified Bible translations for each passage listed. Click on the link to download the entire PDF. (Works best in Chrome.)
I've Been Talking...
In the past few months I've taped a number of podcasts on a variety of topics. I also did a interview about writing with Christian Authors Network. Have a listen, watch or read. I'd love your feedback.
Podcasts:
Gender and Scripture — Beyond Ordinary Women podcast with Claudia McGuire
Sexual Identity and Gender Identity — Beyond Ordinary Women podcast with Kay Daigle
Rethinking Purity Culture — Honestly Though podcast with Rebecca Carrell
On the Virgin Mary. — Graced Though podcast with Christian Williams
Leaning into Luke’s Gospel (in conjunction with launching Latte with Luke) — Honestly Though podcast with Rebecca Carrell
The Story of Ancient Christian Art and Women in Ministry — The Alabaster Jar with Lynn Cohick
Interview
with Christian Authors Network about writing.