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HEROINES
OF THE FAITH
By Jessica Colund
From Shakespeare’s Rosalind to Jane Austen’s Elizabeth
Bennet, many of my literary role models are intelligent, strong
women. I admire them as heroines and identify with them as
women. They become portals that draw me into their beautiful
stories. Ever since I was a child, I have also claimed
God-fearing women like Esther and Joan of Arc as my mentors.
They invite me to participate in their stories and empower me to
create my own life story.
Unfortunately, sometimes these wonderful women seem scarce in
Christian history. Recently, a Bethel University professor
mentioned something about “church fathers and church mothers,”
and one of my female classmates remarked sadly that
there weren’t any church mothers. And many of us can relate to
that sentiment. It’s difficult for women to feel a part of God’s
kingdom when we are not aware of the great cloud of female
witnesses whom we can seek to emulate.
That great cloud does exist, however. There are countless women
who have served God valiantly in many different capacities and
in all time periods. Many of their stories have been told in
whispers instead of proclaimed from the rooftops as they should
have been. Nevertheless, their relative obscurity does not mean
that their contributions were any less significant than their
male counterparts.
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Many women's stories have been told in whispers
instead of proclaimed from rooftops as they should
have been. |
Coming face to face with talented, charismatic women of God
ought to make even the strongest doubter of biblical equality
take notice. CBE member
Timothy Vanderpool used to be such a person. However, on the
very night that he had said, “If a woman starts to preach
tonight, I’m going to get up and leave,” he began to question
his Southern Baptist beliefs about women. The reason? He had
just listened to his first sermon preached by a woman.
Timothy’s experience was incongruous with what he had been
taught to believe. Like any mature Christian should, he went
straight to the Bible to wrestle with this question. After a
year and a half of in-depth study, research, and meditation, he
came to the honest conclusion that Scripture teaches the
equality of women and men in ministry, the home, and every
aspect of life. Yet he never would have studied the issue if he
had not encountered a strong woman committed to the Lord.
One person’s example can forever change a life. As members of
the body of Christ, we have a responsibility to tell the stories
of all who have lived wholeheartedly for the Lord. Beyond this,
we also have a responsibility to make sure all are given an
equal opportunity to have their own stories to tell. The kingdom
of God is severely crippled when half of its members are told
that they cannot be the heroines in stories of faith.
Let us be inspired by the stories of Christian women to search
wholeheartedly for the truth, and let us be empowered to preach
the gospel, unconstrained by stereotypes and according to God’s
calling and gifting.
In this issue...
Rena Pederson shares the story of Junia, the
first woman apostle, and the repercussions of her
story for modern women.
Myrna Grant writes about Teresa of Avila, a
medieval visionary and church reformer.
Paul Zahl tells the true story of the
Protestant queen Anne Boleyn, in an excerpt from his
book Five Women of the English Reformation.
Jessica Colund describes the faith journeys
of three members of CBE and explores how CBE has
impacted and been impacted by their lives.
Catherine Clark Kroeger answers a tough
question about women elders, drawing on her
knowledge of biblical scholarship.
Marion Larson reviews Terms of Empowerment,
a book about three generations of women in the
Salvation Army. |
In Christ,
Jessi Colund
Editor of E-Quality
Would you like to share your story with the
readers of E-Quality? If you have an article you would like to
submit for consideration, send it to
cbe@cbeinternational.org. We also welcome your feedback,
comments, or suggestions. |
Jessica Colund
