In 1966, Gordon Fee was the first scholar from a Pentecostal background to earn a doctorate in biblical studies. He championed the way of scholarship within the Pentecostal, charismatic, and new-charismatic churches.
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This week we had our PhD Symposium for the School of Divinity at the University of Aberdeen. My particular area is Practical Theology.
As many things still remain, this was virtual. So I was grateful to be able to easily attend.
In the final session, we had a Q & A panel with the faculty. One question was what are they currently reading and why it is important to them. One member, Dr. Katie Cross, who is a prominent voice in feminist theology today, shared some insights about reading women in theology. From that, she also shared a post by Maggie Dawn, who is herself a professor of theology at St Mary’s College, Durham University. This post lists a plethora of resources on women writers in theology. These women do not just write about women’s issues. They speak into all things theological. And that’s how it is supposed to be!
Interestingly, this is how Maggie Dawn introduces her own post:
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Junia? Who is that?
She’s a biblical character who doesn’t get much attention, really, unless one is discussing the role of women in the church. Particularly, are women allowed to be leaders (apostles, pastors, teachers, elders, etc) in the church?
Where does Junia show up in Scripture?
Romans 16:7. This is the passage:
Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.
That’s it.
With that, at first glance, it seems this passage is of little consequence. But as noted above, it becomes not central, but still an important discussion piece, when complementarians and egalitarians debate the role of women.
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I want to put a new work on your radar, from Resource Publications, an imprint of Wipf & Stock. It’s entitled Broken, Searching, Trusted, Powerful. I was able to review the book not too long ago and offer an endorsement. The book just released a few weeks back.
Here is a brief synopsis of the book:
At first glance, it may seem as though the Bible is populated with the stories of faithful men, courageous men, or nefarious men, men who were either enemies or friends of God. Mostly stories of men.
Added to the difficulty of seeing women in the pages of Scripture is the effort it takes to “hear” their voices and understand their stories. The Bible itself was written largely from the male perspective, concentrating on male heroes and villains. (Only the books of Ruth and Esther focus on a woman, and neither one is written from an explicitly female lens.) Women most often become supporting characters. Without thinking about it, we’ve accepted this point of view, and this unspoken role for women across time.
But a second glance reveals the stories of often-unnamed women as living faithfully and courageously for God (as well as some living powerfully and villainously against God). Regardless of whose point of view is reflected in Scripture’s stories, women as much as men have contributed to the great narrative of God and humanity.
May their grit and tenacity, their dignity and tragedy embolden you and me to live out our faith to the full. Continue reading
I recently received a copy of a new work by Amanda Benckhuysen, Professor of Old Testament at Calvin Seminary. It’s entitled The Gospel According to Eve: A History of Women’s Interpretation.
I’m personally interested in such works due to my adamant support for women in leadership, both theologically and socially. This book specifically piques my interest due to its shedding historical light on the theological interpretation of Scripture regarding women’s roles.
These are some of the words from the IVP press release: Continue reading
The Prodigal Thought 