The first purpose of Priscilla Papers is “to provide scholarship on topics related to a biblical view of equality and justice for women in the home, church, and world.” To provide such scholarship, we must first find it. One key way that we search for scholarship is to listen to and interact with scholars at conferences.
Academic and professional conferences are seedbeds for journal articles. As an example, Priscilla Papers published my article, “What Can We Say About Phoebe?” in 2011 (before I became the editor). Prior to submitting that article for publication, however, I had presented it at two academic gatherings. Though improving the paper based on feedback from conference attendees created more work for me, it was an important part of the process. This scenario is not unique. Conference papers are considered works in progress. In fact, the sessions in which they are read are often called “study groups,” a designation reflecting the non-final nature of the scholarship being presented.
Priscilla Papers has often been blessed to be on the receiving end of processes such as the one described above. This is specifically the case with the current issue. All of the articles in the following pages were presented at conferences and then revised before being submitted for publication.
One of the articles, by Rob Dixon, was presented as a workshop in Houston, Texas, at CBE’s 2019 annual conference. CBE’s next major conference is in London on August 11–14, 2021.
The other three articles, by Mimi Haddad, Cristina Richie, and Amos Yong, were presented in San Diego, California, at the 2019 annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society. Certain CBE leaders, especially President Mimi Haddad, have been instrumental in founding and sustaining a study group within the Evangelical Theological Society called “Evangelicals and Gender.” The 2019 theme for this study group was “Gender and Race,” and you will therefore explore aspects of that theme as you read these articles.
While much scholarship is disseminated and developed at conferences, books offer a more accessible means of encountering egalitarian scholarship. In this issue of Priscilla Papers, you will read reviews of The Gospel According to Eve (by Amanda Benckhuysen, reviewed by Allison Quient) and Men and Women in Christ (by Andrew Bartlett, reviewed by Laura Spicer Martin). Though Priscilla Papers can only review a few select resources, CBE’s online bookstore provides an up-to-date repository of egalitarian books.
We strive to provide scholarship that is sound, useful, engaging, and challenging. And we are grateful to the many scholars who partner with us in this quest.
