One part of the gathering that I really enjoyed were the panel presentation/discussions of women of the Bible. The stories of women from the old and new testaments were retold in fresh and relevant ways. While I had heard all of those stories before I had never heard then told in a way where the women were the focus nor in ways that gave a message to women at all. Among others we heard of the Caananite womans passionate love and protection of her child from a mother whose child had faced cancer, we looked at Lydia and explored systems of power and authority, we heard the lament of Tamar after her brother raped her, we saw the strength of Vashti to say no to a controling man, and we heard of Lot's daughters and mourned for children who are victims of the sex trade still today.
My contribution to the discussion was a re-imagining of the story of the woman at the well told from her perspective. In the tradition of Jewish Midrash I explored her story and her cultural context to give her more of a voice and to challenge our default understanding of who she was. I've posted the story on my
blog for anyone interested in reading it.
Perhaps other women can share the stories they told or give their reactions to what they heard.
Labels: Gender Issues, Theology, Women in Ministry
Great job Julie, I posted the link to your site on a Blog for our church staff. We are "revisiting" stories and I thought it was great. Thanks for the post. Would love to hear some of the other stories that were discussed.