Did you notice?
The last issue of Priscilla Papers (spring 2019, on the theme of Bible translation) had only male authors—Aloo Osotsi Mojola, Dennis J. Preato, Joshua Robert Barron, and Philip B. Payne. I noticed, but not until the content was set and publication was right around the corner. It is safe to say that our readers differ, perhaps widely, on how troublesome it is to have an issue authored entirely by men. Wherever you fall on that spectrum, allow me to provide some context.
First, please know that each issue of Priscilla Papers is a team effort (and the same is true, of course, of CBE International’s magazine, Mutuality). For example, Theresa Garbe (associate editor/graphic designer), Katie McEachern (executive assistant), and Mimi Haddad (publisher and CBE president) have each had input into the issue you are currently reading. In addition, our team of peer reviewers consists of six women and five men. To be sure, women influence every item we publish.
On the topic of team effort, this is a good place for me to give recognition to the several students at Milligan College (where I teach) who have served behind the scenes as proofreaders since I became editor in the autumn of 2014. These include Mandy Chambers, Destiny Clem, Abbey Booher, Abby Hook, Eden Huhn, Bethany Witherspoon, and Kristin Kumbera (who will begin her work in the fall of 2019).
Second, you will be pleased to know that, since Priscilla Papers began in 1987, none of the previous 129 issues, which house nearly 1000 publications, has been authored exclusively by men. In contrast, several have had only women as authors. Other than this half-page editorial, women composed all the contributions to this issue.
The following pages demonstrate the inseparability of the New Testament from church history. First, Meredith Fraser writes about Maria Woodworth Etter, a key figure in the founding of Pentecostalism. Next, Amy Smith Carman draws parallels between the well-known story of John 7:53–8:11 and abuse of women across the centuries. She makes an insightful appeal for the reframing and renaming of this misnamed story. Lucy Peppiatt then writes on 1 Corinthians 11, drawing from her book, Women and Worship at Corinth (Cascade, 2015). Next, Kirsten Guidero promotes a healthier approach to evangelical biblical interpretation, using Galatians 3 as a test case. The issue ends with two book reviews. Aída Besançon Spencer reviews Kevin Giles’s important book, What the Bible Actually Teaches on Women (Cascade, 2019); Michaela Miller reviews Paula Gooder’s novel, Phoebe: A Story (InterVarsity, 2018).
The Priscilla Papers team wishes you every blessing as you read and ponder these articles.
