Vindicating the Vixens: Revisiting Sexualized, Vilified, and Marginalized Women of the Bible
Gain a greater understanding of gender in the Bible through the eyes of a diverse group of sixteen evangelical scholars who assert that Christians have missed the point of some scriptural stories by assuming the women in them were “bad girls.”
Did the Samaritan woman really divorce five husbands in a world in which women rarely divorced even one? Did Bathsheba seduce King David by bathing in public? Was Mary Magdalene really a reformed prostitute?
While many have written studies of the women in the Bible, this is a new kind of book—one in which an international team of male and female scholars look afresh at vilified and neglected women in the Bible. The result is a new glimpse into God’s heart for anyone, male or female, who has limited social power.
Profits benefit the International Justice Mission (IJM). IJM is a global organization that protects the poor from violence in the developing world.
“Finally, a book that recognizes misunderstood biblical women as Kingdom builders rather than home-wreckers. What a joy to know teachers have a resource to exhort their congregations to be like Peter and Paul, and also like Tamar and Rahab. As each chapter vindicates another woman, God’s love for the marginalized and oppressed jumps off the pages reminding us that he welcomes men and women to pick up the hammer and get to work in the Missio Dei.”
Nika Spaulding
Director of Women’s Equipping and Curriculum at Watermark Community Church
Meet the Author
Dr. Sandra Glahn
Sandra L. Glahn (PhD, University of Texas at Dallas) is Professor of Media Arts and Worship at Dallas Theological Seminary, where her emphases are first-century backgrounds related to women, culture, gender, and the arts. She has authored or edited more than twenty books, including Vindicating the Vixens, Earl Grey with Ephesians, Sanctified Sexuality (coeditor), and Sexual Intimacy in Marriage (coauthor).
Resources for Vindicating the Vixens
DTS Panel Discussion
Vindicating the Vixens is the result of a diverse team of 16 male and female theologians who’ve partnered to take a second look at vilified and marginalized women in the Bible. The church has often viewed women’s stories through sexist eyes, resulting in a range of distortions. In this panel discussion, three DTS profs and three graduates talk about the women they explored.
HeartStrong TV - Dr. Sandra Glahn Interview
“One of the most important tasks of the believer is to practice faithful exegesis of Scripture, to allow the text to speak for itself without inserting personal or cultural bias. Through the centuries, many women of the Bible have unfairly labeled, and thus, inaccurately taught. Drawing from faithful study, insight, and experience, the authors expose the errors passed down through the generations and bring to light this beautiful truth: The God of the Bible highly esteems and works through women. Let the Vixens be vindicated and the Word of God celebrated! I am so grateful for this book.”
Rebecca Carrell, Honestly, Though podcast
“The biblical narrative provides an accurate description of gender. All human beings bear the imago Dei and enjoy the same God-given value and dignity. The Fall distorted the relationship of humanity with God and among all people regardless of their gender. The salvation and restoration that Christ brings to humanity makes no distinction between male or female and, in fact, destroys all human-made gender marginalization. For this reason, it becomes imperative to handle faithfully the biblical text in order to have an appropriate understanding of gender, sexuality, and marginalization. Sandra Glahn selected an important group of contributors who together portray a faithful description of key women in the Bible. This exceptional and relevant text fills an unfortunate gap created by distorted perspectives created by tradition and not from the Scriptures.”
Octavio Javier Esqueda, Talbot School of Theology
“Vindicating the Vixens is a monumentally important work in that it confronts the prevalent misinterpretations of some of the most critical women in Scripture. The faithful and meticulous research of Dr. Glahn and the contributing authors advances the powerful message of the book―of God’s passion for the marginalized, the misunderstood, and the outsider. This book will challenge the way you look at women, both those in the Bible and those you meet every day.”
Paul Lanum, RightNow Media
“I always love the stories of God's daughters in His storybook of His relentless love and pursuit of us. I especially love when the fuller stories open our eyes to surprising realities. In Vindicating the Vixens, Sandra Glahn has pulled together a treasure trove of those stories, written with careful theology, cultural comprehension and captivating narrative. I can name a few of my favorites―Eve, Ruth, Deborah, Mary Magdalene―but truly, I loved getting to know every one of these too-often maligned sisters better. And so will you, I'm sure.”
Judy Douglass, Cru
“Vindicating the Vixens is a course correction for the Church―and an invaluable one at that. Chapter after chapter it redeems the reputation of many of the biblical women we’ve often misunderstood. In the process, it removes misunderstandings, misplaced convictions, and unintentional bias and in their place leaves a better sense of God's love and justice. Reassessing my forgone conclusions has never felt so valuable.”
Kelsey Hency, Fathom Magazine
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