General Resources on Women in the Bible

• Japinga, Lynn. From Widows to Warriors: Women’s Stories from the Old Testament. Westminster John Knox: Louisville, Kentucky, 2020.
• Kohn Rivera, Natalia and Noemi Vega Quiñones and Kristy Garza Robinson. Hermanas: Deepening Our Identity and Growing Our Influence. InterVarsity Press: Downers Grove, Illinois, 2019.
• Lockyer, Herbert. All the Women of the Bible. Zondervan: Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1988.
• Tucker, Ruth A. and Walter L. Liefield. Daughters of the Church: Women and Ministry from New Testament Times to the Present. Zondervan: Grand Rapids, Michigan: 1987.
• Tucker, Ruth A. Dynamic Women of the Bible: What We Can Learn From Their Surprising Stories. Baker Books: Ada, Michigan: 2014.
• Weems, Renita. Just a Sister Away: A Womanist Vision of Women’s Relationships in the Bible. Warner Books: New York, 1988.

Resources on Difficult Texts on Women in the Bible

• Glahn, Sandra L. Vindicating the Vixens: Revisiting Sexualized, Vilified, and Marginalized Women of the Bible. Kregel Academic: Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2017.
• Trible, Phyllis. Texts of Terror: Literary-Feminist Readings of Biblical Narratives. Fortress Press: Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1984.

Volume 1: Resources for Further Study

Session 1: Phoebe: Deacon and Benefactor
by Dr. Rob Dixon

• Video about Phoebe from Dr. Paula Gooder
• Gooder, Paula. Phoebe: A Story. InterVarsity Press Academic: Downers Grove, Illinois, 2018.
• McKnight, Scot. Junia Is Not Alone. Ebook. 
• Mowczko, Margaret. “Paul and Women, in a Nutshell.” Blog. October 6, 2014. 

Session 2: The Samaritan Woman at the Well: Called To Be a Disciple and Evangelist
by Rev. Dustyn Elizabeth Keepers

• Keepers, Dustyn Elizabeth, ed. Before the Face of God: Essays in Honor of Tom Boogaart. Reformed Church Press: Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2019.
• Cohick, Lynn. Women in the World of the Earliest Christians: Illuminating Ancient Ways of Life. Baker Academic: Ada, Michigan, 2009.

Session 3: A Time to Embrace and A Time to Refrain from Embracing!
by Rev. Denise L. Posie

• Posie, Denise L. Consider a Greater Purpose: Esther, Vashti and the Courageous Women who Followed. Fortitude Graphic Design & Printing: Kalamazoo, Michigan: 2015.
• Includes work on both Deborah and Esther: Leading Ladies: Transformative Biblical Images for Women’s Leadership by Jeanne Porter (Innisfree Press: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2000).
• Haddad, Mimi. “Esther, the Earliest Silence Breaker.” Blog. CBE International. March 18, 2019. 

Session 4: Elizabeth and Mary: Called to Encourage One Another
by Rev. Dustyn Elizabeth Keepers

• Story, J. Lyle. “The Discipleship of Women.” Priscilla Papers. CBE International. January 30, 2007. 
• Cohick, Lynn. Women in the World of the Earliest Christians: Illuminating Ancient Ways of Life. Baker Academic: Ada, Michigan, 2009.
• Carman, Amy Smith. “Ave Maria: Old Testament Allusions in the Magnificat.” Priscilla Papers. CBE International. April 29, 2017. 

Session 5: Priscilla and Aquila: The First Century Church’s Dynamic Duo
by Rev. Tim Breen

• Mowczko, Margaret. “At Home with Priscilla and Aquila.” Blog. November 11, 2015. 
• Priscilla and Aquila are large players in Phoebe’s story: Phoebe: A Story by Paula Gooder. InterVarsity Press Academic: Downers Grove, Illinois, 2018.
• Witherington III, Ben. Priscilla: The Life of an Early Christian. InterVarsity Press Academic: Downers Grove, Illinois, 2019.
• Armas, Kat. “Priscilla and Aquila Model Marriage ‘More Accurately.’” Blog. January 28, 2018. 

Session 6: Zipporah: Called to Remind Us Who We Are
by Rev. Dr. Denise Kingdom Grier

• Gafney, Wilda. “A Womanist Midrash on Zipporah.” Essay in I Found God in Me: A Womanist Biblical Hermeneutics Reader. Smith, Mitzi J., ed. Cascade Books: Eugene, Oregon, 2015.
• Mowczko, Margaret. “6 Women Who Protected and Rescued Moses.” Blog. August 24, 2011.

Session 7: Deborah: Embracing the Call of God
by Pastor Pam Otten

• Japinga, Lynn. Preaching the Women of the Old Testament: Who They Were and Why They Matter. Westminster John Knox Press: Louisville, Kentucky, 2017.
• Mowczko, Margaret. “Deborah, and the ‘No Available Men’ Argument.” Blog. June 28, 2012. 
• Mowczko, Margaret. “What’s in a Name? Deborah, Woman of Lappidoth.” Blog. November 28, 2015. 
• A resource on discernment and listening for God’s voice. Virkler, Mark & Patti. 4 Keys to Hearing God’s Voice. Shippensburg, Pennsylvania: Destiny Image, 2010. 

Session 8: “Daughter, your faith has made you well.”
by Rev. Alisha Riepma

• A novel with a different take on a woman’s sacred journey: The Red Tent – 20th Anniversary Edition by Anita Diamant. Picador: London, 2007.
• Blanco, Lauren Gross. “Jesus Sees You: Endometriosis, the Bleeding Woman, and Me.” Blog. March 24, 2020.
• Stiles, Eliza. “‘Precious Food of True Life’: Christ Our Mother, Female Embodiment, and the Eucharist in Julian of Norwich’s Revelations of Divine Love.” Priscilla Papers. CBE International. 

Session 9: Turning Tragedy into Triumph: One Woman’s Vigil for Justice
by Rev. Terry Ann Smith, Ph.D., and Rev. Micah L. McCreary, Ph.D.

• On Emmett Till – “Emmett Till is Murdered” 
• Rambo, Shelly. Spirit and Trauma: A Theology of Remaining. Westminster John Knox Press: Louisville, Kentucky, 2010.
• Beaumont, Susan. How to Lead When You Don’t Know Where You Are Going: Leading in a Liminal Season. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers: Lanham, Maryland, 2019.
• Crowder, Stephanie Buckhanon. When Momma Speaks: The Bible and Motherhood from a Womanist Perspective. Westminster John Knox Press: Louisville, Kentucky, 2016.

Volume 2: Resources for Further Study

Session 1: Anna the Prophet: She Never Stopped Praying
by Rev. Alisha Riepma

• Branch, Robin Gallaher, “Anna in the Bible: Luke reveals the prophetess as a Biblical model for aging.” Biblical Archaeology Society, Dec. 27, 2020. 
• Mowczko, Margaret. “Every Female Prophet in the Bible.”

Session 2: Junia: The “Hidden” Apostle
by Dr. Rob Dixon

• McKnight, Scot. Junia is Not Alone: Breaking Our Silence About Women in the Bible and the Church Today. Patheos Press: Englewood, Colorado, 2011.
• Mowczko, Margaret. “Junia in Romans 16:7.”
• Full text of John Chrysostom’s Homily 31 on Romans

Session 3: Hagar: The Woman Who Named God
by Rev. Grace Rohrer

• Buckley, Amy R. “In the Midst of the Mess: Hagar and the God Who Sees.” CBE International, June 5, 2013. 
• Hawk, L. Daniel. “Cast Out and Cast Off: Hagar, Leah, and the God Who Sees.” Priscilla Papers. CBE International, winter 2011.

Session 4: Jehosheba: How She Saved the Rightful King of Judah
by Pastor Lauralyn Vasquez

• Mowczko, Margaret. “25+ Biblical Roles for Women.” 
• Grady, J. Lee. “When a Woman’s Love is Fierce.” CBE International, June 5, 2013.

Session 5: Abigail: The Unseen Side of Injustice
by Rev. Dr. Denise Kingdom Grier

• Celoria, Heather. “Who Was Abigail?” CBE International, winter 2012.
  
• Mowczko, Margaret. “Abigail: A Bible Woman with Beauty and Brains.”

Session 6: Tabitha / Dorcas: Faithful Disciple of Jesus
by Elder Regina Brannock

• Besançon Spencer, Aída. “A Cloud of Female Witnesses: Women Leaders in the New Testament.” Priscilla Papers. CBE International, autumn 2009. 
• Kohn, Natalia. “Tabitha: Misión Integral y En Conjunto” in Hermanas: Deepening Our Identity and Growing Our Influence. InterVarsity Press: Downers Grove, Illinois: 2019. 

Session 7: The Levite’s Concubine: When Evil Poses as Justice
by Rev. Dr. Lynn Japinga

• Heath, Elaine. “The Levite’s Concubine.” Priscilla Papers. CBE International, January 30, 1999. 
• Sweerts-Vermeulen, Evelyn. “He Made Her Play the Harlot: Judges 19 through the Lens of Domestic Abuse.” Priscilla Papers. CBE International, summer 2021. 

Session 8: The Persistent Widow: How Prayer Changes Things
by Pastor Pete Watts

• Stamper, Meda. “Commentary on Luke 18:1-8.” Working Preacher, October 20, 2013. 

Session 9:  Mary and Martha: Sitting at the Feet of Jesus
by Elder Michelle Christy

• Garza Robinson, Kristy. “Mary of Bethany: A Vulnerable Leader Choosing Intimacy” in Hermanas: Deepening Our Identity and Growing Our Influence. InterVarsity Press: Downers Grove, Illinois, 2019.
• Stromer Hanson, Mary. “Mary and Martha: Models of Leadership in John 11.” Priscilla Papers. CBE International, spring 2012. 

Volume 3: Resources for Further Study

Session 1: Rahab: A Woman Who Feared God Only
By Lia and Thiago Dantas, Missionaries in the Amazon

• Jacobs, Aliyah. “Rahab the Innkeeper.” Blog. CBE International. September 28, 2011. 
• Japinga, Lynn. “Rahab” in Preaching the Women of the Old Testament: Who They Were and Why They Matter. Westminster John Knox: Louisville, Kentucky, 2017.
• Mowczko, Margaret. “Rahab and Lydia: Two Faith-Filled Bible Women.” Blog. July 13, 2012.

Editor’s note: Rahab is a complex character in Scripture. She was savvy and worked within the power structures available to her to have a profound impact on the history of the people of Israel. Scholars have wrestled with her vocation as a prostitute, an innkeeper, the head of her household, and possibly someone who dealt with linens and dye given the amount of flax on her rooftop. Without a doubt, Rahab was an influential woman of faith who came from an unexpected background. To learn more, check out the resources below:

• https://claudemariottini.com/2010/03/19/rahab-a-prostitute-or-an-innkeeper/ 
• https://www.thetorah.com/article/rahab-the-faithful-harlot?fbclid=IwAR0KAjhnpDs828Jin1nkVuo7yA1B8Yh901I8BC9CWI7FBwzrTV9w2pllZrU 

Session 2: The Widow’s Offering: Heart of Abundance
By Tiffany Fan

• Fiet, April. “A Tapestry of Unruly Threads.” Sermon on Ruth and the generous widow. November 8, 2015. 
• Lewis, Karoline. “The Widow’s Might.” Blog. November 4, 2018. 
• Powery, Emerson. “Commentary on Mark 12:38-44.” Blog. November 8, 2015. 

Session 3: Eve and Adam: Partners Created in God’s Image
by Rev. April Fiet

• Fiet, April and Rob Dixon. “Building God’s Church Together Bible Study.” Free digital download and purchasable online study course. Reformed Church Press. 
• Hess, Richard S. “Equality with and without Innocence.” Discovering Biblical Equality: Complementarity Without Hierarchy, edited by Ronald W. Pierce and Rebecca Merrill Groothuis. InterVarsity Press: Downers Grove, Illinois, 2005.
• Mowczko, Margaret. “Ezer kenegdo does not mean ‘a helper subordinate to him.’” Blog. December 30, 2017. 

Session 4: Lydia of Thyatira: Courageous Hospitality
By Elder Janet Cardillo

• Dickson, Kimberly. “Lydia.” Women in Scripture and Mission. CBE International. 
• Mowczko, Margaret. “Lydia of Thyatira: The founding member of the Philippian Church.” Blog. November 30, 2017. 

Session 5: Naomi: Resilient Hope in a World of Grief
by Rev. Dr. Travis West

• Giles, Terry and William Doan. The Story of Naomi—The Book of Ruth: From Gender to Politics. Cascade Books: Eugene, Oregon, 2016.
• Wines, Alphonetta. “Commentary on Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17.” Blog. November 8, 2015. 

Session 6: Achsah: Mutual Love and Daughter–Daddy Chronicles
by Rev. Kenita Harris

• O’Reilly-Smith, Ruth. “The Story of Achsah, Daughter of Caleb.” Blog. 2021. 
• Weems, Renita. “Daddy’s Girl” chapter. Just a Sister Away: A Womanist Vision of Women’s Relationships in the Bible. Warner Books: New York, 1988.

Session 7: The Daughters of Zelophehad: It’s Glass Shattering Time!
by Rev. Donna Owusu-Ansah 

• Grady, J. Lee. “Breaking Up the Good Old Boys’ Club.” Blog. CBE International. June 5, 2009. 
• Japinga, Lynn. “The Daughters of Zelophehad” in Preaching the Women of the Old Testament: Who They Were and Why They Matter. Westminster John Knox: Louisville, Kentucky, 2017.
• Porter King, Jeanne. “Standing before Moses: Insights from the Daughters of Zelophehad on Leading Change.” Blog. CBE International. March 5, 2005. 

Session 8: Jephthah’s Daughter: Courage and Lament
by Rev. Dr. Denise Kingdom Grier

• Lindsay, Sarah. “The Gift of Lament.” Blog. CBE International. July 5, 2021. 
• Ramsaran, Rollin. “Remembering Jephthah’s Daughter.” Priscilla Papers. CBE International. October 31, 2014. 
• Thompson, John Lee. “Sacrificing Jephthah’s Daughter: The Life and Death of a Father’s Only-Begotten” in Reading the Bible with the Dead: What You Can Learn from the History of Exegesis That You Can’t Learn from Exegesis Alone, 33-47. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing: Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2007.

Session 9: Huldah: Bold Prophetess of God
by Rev. Olga and Rev. Stephen Shaffer 

• Griffin Warren, Brenda. “A Woman’s Work: How God used Huldah to change the heart of a king and a nation.” Priscilla Papers. CBE International. April 30, 2003. 
• Pierce, Ronald W. and Rebecca Merrill Groothuis, editors. Discovering Biblical Equality: Complementarity Without Hierarchy. InterVarsity Press: Downers Grove, Illinois, 2005.

 

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