School carol services provided (alongside Christingle services) my first encounters with the Word of God. Different students from each year group would be selected to do the Bible readings and in the Senior School, it was tradition for John 1 to be read every year by the Headmistress. So it was that my abiding memory of the reading of Scripture was a female voice; I didn’t find out until later that this is actually quite an unusual experience! Hearing women reading the Bible is really important as it brings to life better some of the passages about women as well as the more maternal side of God’s character; consider the comparisons of God desiring to gather people close like a mother hen keeping her chicks safe under her wings (Matthew 23:37-39) or the comfort of God being like that of a mother comforting her child (Isaiah 66:13). It makes the Bible more accessible to others, who for whatever reason may find hearing the voice of men and the power dynamics within that reading of Scripture harder to engage with. Her Audio Bible UK, which I am a voice for, is the first audio bible entirely voiced by women from across the UK and seeks to open up the Word of God in what is still considered as a pioneering way.
In recent years, more has been written on women in Scripture. A few years back, I took part in a Bible series based entirely on some of them, including those lesser known or preached upon such as Jael, who killed the leader of the Canaanite army, and Huldah, a prophetess who interprets a book of the Law found in Solomon’s temple. Mary, of course, is the most well known woman in Scripture, with her role as Mother of God and importance in Catholic tradition, particularly as intercessor for us. Several other women in Scripture also have familiar names and stories – Mary Magdalene, Anna, Jochebed, mother of Moses, Esther, Martha and Mary, to name a few. However, several more appear both named and unnamed in Scripture, yet if nameless are not drawn attention to or overshadowed by other events in the Bible, and if named have lives not known in detail, as other passages tend to be selected for the church lectionary to be preached upon.
The presentation of women who appear in Scripture is sometimes heavily influenced by contextual cultures of the time. Take Mary, who often is praised most of all for her humble submission in saying ‘Yes’ to God, and not as much focused on for her courage and strength or prophetic witness to Christ’s coming, or Jael, whose actions may be met with discomfort and misunderstanding. Eve is usually painted out as a ‘temptress’ of Adam in the Creation story, leading him astray, and the guilt of The Fall is oftentimes placed upon her shoulders; from this and the interpretation of the two creation stories, women are sometimes viewed as inferior to men rather than viewed as equals, albeit who may, though don’t necessarily, have to hold different roles in the Church and the world. Thomas provides a helpful reframing of Eve in her piece on ‘Eve as everywoman’ (in Malcolm (2020) Words for a Dying World: Stories of grief and courage from the global Church). She recounts Eve’s experience as an Israelite woman encountering the difficult conditions life can bring, where she ‘had little agency of voice’1 within a patriarchal society, and the resulting disproportionate level of pain and anguish she went through, and then highlights the solidarity and community she offers to women across the world today in their own experiences, who sadly are still disproportionately affected by struggles in society, particularly in the context focused upon in the chapter and book, by the climate crisis.
A recent prayer for International Women’s Day produced by the Church of England referred to the ‘love and devotion’ of women, which had built up the Church and prayed we might follow their example2. Understandably, this received quite a bit of backlash on Twitter by women who highlighted the struggles women go through, in the Church and society, which were not referenced, or the characteristics of women which had not been praised but should have been recognised: their courage amidst adversity and commitment to speak truth to power, hope, strength, passion for justice, to name a few. For me, these qualities are an outworking of love and devotion demonstrated by women inside and outside the Church, which though painted in submissive terms, can be a powerful statement and be inverted to the type of love expected and seen as acceptable in a society which is still for the most part built upon patriarchy.
Seeing women at the front involved in all aspects of worship and teaching – speaking in the pulpit in churches, presiding over the Eucharist at the altar, leading worship, reading the Word and delivering intercessions – highlights the valuable role women continue to have in the furthering of the kingdom and the living out of the gospel message. It isn’t a new phenomenon but has been inherited by women before them, since the early days of the Church and prior to that within the ministry of Christ, where they are radically included as expositors, prophets and interpreters of the Word, literally at that time. Seeing women reading the Bible from an early age has stuck with me; despite challenges from complementarian theology I was taught on the place of women in church, and the incongruence with the experience of being baptised into the body of Christ by a female chaplain, I considered the possibility of ordained ministry (should the church agree) due to seeing female priests exercising their ministry both in a church I attended, and within representations on TV.
Later, I was encouraged to explore giving readings and intercessions in church, then preach and lead worship, by the fact I was taught by and then served alongside faithful women of God, both lay and ordained, which grew my confidence in exploring gifts God has given me to serve the Church and pay attention to God’s prompting in this way in my life and faith. Bolz Weber recently highlighted the need for equality and gender justice in church, pointing out that ‘there are no US courtrooms where women aren’t allowed to argue cases because of our gender, no hospitals forbidding women to practise medicine. But there are churches everywhere from whose pulpits women are not permitted to preach.’3 For Bolz Weber and for me (as I had the privilege to be present too), the ordination of Rev Sally Azar in the city of Jerusalem marked an ‘astoundingly hopeful thing’ and an historic moment as she was the first Palestinian woman (hopefully many more to come) to be ordained in the Holy Land. In this city, where Jesus fulfilled God’s plan for the world through his death on the Cross and resurrection, the past and the present and the voices of women then and now poignantly intertwine.
Women are mentioned frequently within the accounts of Christ’s life; their contributions in conversation or in actions often were used by God to pave the way for Christ to share more of the plan for his life and his true identity. They also provided an opportunity for him to share his teaching and display the values of his kingdom, so different to that expected, or highlight the differences between the actions of ordinary women, often viewed as second class citizens with their stories and lives often hidden, and that of the ruling elite. For example, the encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well enabled him to share about the living water available to all, which those who drank from would never thirst afterwards. His anointing with perfume by women alluded in one case to love of the woman in comparison to the Pharisee’s lack of hospitality, in others prefigured his burial. The woman caught in adultery is used by Jesus to highlight the hypocrisy of those around him who judged her yet were also sinful. The desire of the woman with the issue of blood to get close to be healed by Jesus is commendable. The faith of the woman who came to ask for her daughter to be healed is great.
Women played an important part in Jesus’ life, from its beginnings to its end and beyond in the spreading of the Christian faith and living out of the Gospel. Mary, his mother, of course, was present throughout. Anna, with Simeon, prophesied who Jesus was on meeting him as a baby on his presentation at the temple and spread the news that he was the promised Messiah. Women were some of the first to find out that Jesus had risen from the dead, after going to the tomb to prepare the body, only to find the stone rolled away, the body gone and encounter Jesus, albeit taking him at first as a gardener. Paul commends Timothy on his great faith, paying tribute in turn to the faith of his grandmother Lois and mother Eunice, from whence his own faith was nourished (cf: 2 Timothy 1:5). He also commends Phoebe, ‘deacon of the church in Cenchreae’ to those he is writing to, asking them to receive her graciously and provide her with any help she needs (Romans 16: 1-2). Lydia was the first person to become a Christian in Philippi, Macedonia, then opened her home to Paul and his fellow co-workers to stay, enabling the Christian community to form and grow (cf: Acts 16:14-16). Other women too (I don’t have space to list them all) gave their resources of time, hospitality and/or money to support the ministry of Jesus and after him, his disciples. Far from being passive recipients of faith, women powerfully enabled the word of God to be spread, kingdom values to be lived out and people’s lives to be changed as a result of their encounters with that.
Today, as like then, these valuable, varied ministries continue and the voices of women inside and outside the Church still play a huge part in revealing the love of God to all, nurturing the faith and lives of others and building up the body of Christ.
Young Anglican Theology 
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