Tell the Whole Story: Some resources
Ever listened to a series on Genesis that glossed over Tamar’s story (Gen. 38) or one on Exodus that skipped the midwives (Exo. 1)? I have. And I doubt I’m alone. Dominick S. Hernández in the Bulletin for Biblical Research (BBR) writes that commentaries are predominately “written by male authors who interpret the voices and actions of male personages in the Bible” which “lends itself to the default of underemphasizing, or even overlooking, both the biblical characters and their exponents, in a field that by and large features the work of men.” He’s not wrong. I thumbed through a women’s Bible study recently that included quotes only from men. While we owe medieval woman a lot for their translation/scribal work, until recently it was predominately only men who had the opportunity to get the kind of education that made writing commentaries possible.
Yet if our preachers, writers, and teachers (including women) today read books and consult commentaries written only by men, our listeners and readers will hear and see perspectives “focused on the particular concerns of a limited segment of the church, all too often missing fresh questions and perspectives that are fruitful for biblical interpretation.”
Imagine my delight, then, when I heard a male speaker at my church cite the excellent work of Dr. Karen Jobes (president of the Evangelical Theological Society) in a message on 1 Peter. Quoting a female scholar communicates to the congregation that they should listen to both male and female voices. And hearing women quoted reminds us that women and men are partners in “doing theology.” Citing scholars from a range of ethnicities communicates that we have much to learn from each other. And hearing the stories of Miriam, Huldah, Puah and the daughters of Zelophehad along with those of Moses, David, and Peter helps us all to mature as we hear the whole Bible, rather than just select parts.
To help us draw on a broader range of sources, some scholars are already doing good work:
Commentaries by Women Scholars
My colleague John Dyer teaches seminary-level theology. He vets Christian resources by women scholars. You can find here his online bibliography of biblical sources by female scholars.
Commentaries by Black Scholars
BBR’s site has an easily accessible bibliography of Black scholars’ commentaries.
Writings by Asian-American scholars
The society of Christian Ethics makes accessible their bibliography of Asian-Americans doing work in Christian ethics.
Diverse perspectives in one resource
IVP Academic recently released a new resource, The New Testament in Color, a one-volume commentary on the New Testament written by a multiethnic team of scholars holding orthodox Christian beliefs. The editorial team of Esau McCaulley (editor), Janette H. Ok (co-editor), Osvaldo Padilla (co-editor), and Amy L. B. Peeler (co-editor) each “bring exegetical expertise coupled with a unique interpretive lens to illuminate the ways social location and biblical interpretation work together. Theologically orthodox and multiethnically contextual, The New Testament in Color fills a gap in biblical understanding for both the academy and the church.” As the book’s description notes, “Listening to scholars from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities offers us an opportunity to explore the Bible from a wider angle, a better vantage point.”
Visual images
All of this is written. But what about images?
Some years back, I received grant funds to create a resource featuring images of women in the visual record of the church. I teach in Italy every other summer, and on these trips, I noticed how many women from the early centuries of the church are featured in art and architecture yet unknown to most people in my world. Agnes. Catherine of Siena. Catherine of Alexandra. Feliticas. Perpetua. And many others. Hundreds of them. Yet when I went to include images of them in my presentations, I kept finding the art hidden behind paywalls.
Fast forward a few years. I got together with Dr. Lynn Cohick (HCU) and Dr. George Kalantzis (Wheaton College), and we applied for and received a $50,000 grant from The Henry Luce Foundation. With the funds we received, we founded the Visual Museum of Women in Christianity. Today the site offers multiple images of women in church history—all high quality photos that viewers can download for free. Many of Dr. Cohick’s grad students, and a few of mine, have researched and written content to accompany the pieces—telling the stories of the women featured and the art that features them.
Next time you write, speak, or read, ask yourself if you’re including a broad range of perspectives. In an ideal world, “there is neither Jew nor Greek” (see Gal 3:28), but that does not mean ethnicity disappears in the kingdom. Rather, one of the social ramifications of our equality is the embracing and celebrating of “every tribe and nation and tongue” (see Rev 7). And that means seeing the differences in race, class, and gender as part of God’s beautiful design. And celebrating it. We have a variety of tools to help us do that–and in the process tell the whole beautiful story.
Image courtesy Visual Museum of Women in Christianity. Archbishop’s Palace arch, Ravenna Italy; featuring Daria, Felicitas, and Perpetua
