Elaine Storkey - Women in a Patriarchal World: Twenty-Five Empowering Stories from the Bible

As I read this book, each page left me feeling more empowered than the last. Shedding light on many forgotten scriptural accounts of fearless women whom God raised up, Elaine succinctly gathers their stories and opens our eyes to the high places they occupied. She gives us hope for a brighter future reminding us that we are to continue the legacy of these heroines, and even points us to organizations already deployed on the front lines.

Ruth Akinradewo, Press Red Ambassador, author and social justice activist

This book blows wide open the all-too-common assumption that women in the Bible always bowed to a patriarchal system. Elaine Storkey brings their stories vividly to life, then parallels their experience and wisdom with events and initiatives today enabling us to respond to contemporary challenges with informed understanding of the revolutionary roles that many women played in biblical times. I was inspired, especially by how Jesus affirmed the value and significance of the women he met, whatever their position in society, and how female disciples were pivotal to the life of the early Church.

Julia Bicknell, former BBC journalist for Womans Hour, first Breakfast host, Premier Radio, and co-founder of

In Elaine Storkeys wise, compassionate and scholarly hands these familiar stories erupt like gentle fireworks bringing fresh illumination, excitement, colour and impact. Wonderfully inspiring and thought-provoking.

Henrietta Blyth, Chief Executive Officer, Open Doors UK and Ireland

Elaine Storkey tells a brilliant story, weaving the lives of outstanding biblical role models with informed commentary on current affairs, and highlighting ways in which women can resist being victims of the system. Her book is easy to read yet full of profound wisdom, encouraging all of us to take what we have and use it for Gods glory. None of us is insignificant and none of us is powerless. We just have to use what we have with courage.

Bev Murrill, speaker, author and director

Elaine Storkey is well known as a perceptive writer, speaker and broadcaster on contemporary theological, social and ethical issues. In this new volume, she brings her deep scholarship and wide experience to tell the stories of some of the women found in the Bible, including many of the lesser-known characters. As well as bringing to life the historical realities of these women, she also draws parallels between their lives and ours, challenging us to act with the same boldness, courage, wisdom, integrity and intelligence. Storkeys insight into the lives of these women is augmented by her immense knowledge of the challenges of womens lives across the globe today. As in everything she writes, this book combines rigour with deep humanity and faith, inspiring and challenging us to enlarge our understanding of God and of our own potential to engage with and shape the world around us.

Christina Rees CBE, writer, broadcaster and former chair of National WATCH (Women and the Church)

This immersive, persuasive and triumphant celebration of women is smart, bold and brave, cheering us on and challenging us to live lives of liberation. Faith and ethics dance effortlessly together, as biblical women look us firmly in the eye.

Rachie Ross, eco-theologian

Elaine Storkey is a philosopher, sociologist and theologian who has held university posts at Kings College, London; Stirling; Oxford; Calvin College, USA; and the Open University. A Fellow of Aberystwyth University, high-table member of Newnham College, Cambridge, and former Director of the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity, she has also lectured in Africa, Asia, Canada and Haiti. Her presidency of Tearfund, the aid and development agency, spanned 17 years. A broadcaster and author, she has been a passionate advocate for justice and gender issues for 30 years, implementing many changes for women through 28 years on the General Synod of the Church of England. Her writings include The Search for Intimacy (Hodder/Eerdmans, 1994) and The Origins of Difference (Baker, 2002). Her most recent book, Scars Across Humanity: Understanding and overcoming violence against women (SPCK, 2015/IVP USA, 2018), won the Christianity Today 2019 Book of the Year Award, Politics and Public Life.

WOMEN IN A
PATRIARCHAL WORLD

Twenty-five empowering
stories from the Bible

Elaine Storkey

First published in Great Britain in 2020

Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge

36 Causton Street

London SW1P 4ST

www.spck.org.uk

Copyright Elaine Storkey 2020

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

SPCK does not necessarily endorse the individual

views contained in its publications.

Scripture quotations are taken from the niv or the nrsv.

The Holy Bible, New International Version (Anglicized edition) is copyright 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton Ltd, an Hachette UK company. All rights reserved. NIV is a registered trademark of Biblica. UK trademark number 1448790.

The New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Anglicized Edition, is copyright 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 9780281084074

eBook ISBN 9780281084081

1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

Typeset by Falcon Oast Graphic Art Ltd

First printed in Great Britain by Jellyfish Print Solutions

Subsequently digitally printed in Great Britain

eBook by Falcon Oast Graphic Art Ltd

Produced on paper from sustainable forests

To

Iona Ella Storkey,

along with her cousins and brother:

Zadok, Torin, Kieran, Elijah and Ezekiel

2A calm mother, a sharp sister and a wet
princess Exodus 2.110

Some of the chapters in this book are based on articles that first saw the light of day in the magazine Woman Alive. I wrote them in a much shorter form, encouraged by the stalwart editor, Jackie Harris, who worked hard to bring a stimulating monthly journal to women of faith. I want to express my thanks here for all her encouragement and sisterhood in a number of projects.

Im grateful too to a number of people who have worked in biblical studies themselves and provided the resources for others. My friend Cathy Kroeger would have been delighted to read all that is being done in these areas since her death. And I want to acknowledge women from backgrounds other than my own who continue to open up the Bible for other women across the world: Rosalee Velloso Ewell, Ruth Padilla DeBorst, Melba Maggay, Faith Forster, Kate Coleman, Cham Kaur-Mann, Bev Murrill, Lauran Bethel, Ann-Marie Isenring, Joy Graetz, Jen Singh, Tarana Mirzoyeva, Katei Kirby and so many others it has been a privilege to work with you.

Im grateful to the library at Newnham College, Cambridge, for providing resources for me, and to those, like Anne Roberts, who suggested amendments to the text. I am also indebted again to the editorial team at SPCK for their professionalism. But as ever, my ongoing thanks go to Alan, who is never happier than when we reach the end of a project and are able to share the results of our work with others.