Your Women Did Prophesy

The book Your Women Did Prophesy documents evidence for biblical and historical precedent for women's participation in preaching and prophesying ministries. It cites specifi c activities of women as recorded in the New Testament, apocryphal writings, and a selection of early church fathers that refer to the fi rst two centuries. The focus of the book is on the activity of women rather than on opinions expressed about the role of women. This book uses the historical critical method of interpretation applied to ancient primary sources. The attempt has been to view these sources in light of their contexts with comment from secondary sources. It refl ects upon preaching issues and practices of today as they grow out of the research. The fi ndings are of a rich heritage of women preachers within the Christian tradition. To date, the church has neglected this aspect of its history. To the extent that the church includes women in the foundation of the teaching and preaching ministries, the stronger and more balanced the structure of the church will be. Clergy and laywomen particularly benefi t from an inclusive church in that their own rootedness in the faith is strengthened by knowledge of these foremothers. The whole church will benefi t from this knowledge as it will begin to see itself as growing in wholeness as refl ected in creation (Gen. 1:27). The information contained in this book is suitable for studies in the local church. It is also useful for preaching, as it enlarges the church's concept of women in the scripture.

An NPR Best Book of 2017 “Shirk is a generous writer whose penchant for detail and poetic observation will surprise even the staunchest skeptic.” —Juan Vidal, NPR’s “Best Books of 2017” "Shirk writes with sincerity. In these stirring vignettes, she mixes historical accounts, interpretations, and fictionalized encounters to provide insight into her personal journey tracing the steps of American women who have sought out an alternative spirituality."" —Publishers Weekly “Shirk’s first book examines and exalts the often overlooked histories of religious movers and shakers . . . and offers as a timely antidote to our culture’s current schism between fundamentalist conservatism and radical progress . . . Divine.” —Bitch And Your Daughters Shall Prophesy is a powerful, personal exploration of American women and their theologies, weaving connections between Adrian Shirk's own varied spiritual experiences and the prophetesses, feminists, and spiritual icons who have shaped this country. Each woman presents a pathway for Shirk’s own spiritual inquiries: the New Orleans high priestess Marie Laveau, the pop New Age pioneer Linda Goodman, the prophetic vision of intersectionality as preached by Sojourner Truth, “saint” Flannery O’Connor, and so many more. Through her journey, Shirk comes to believe that, as the culture wars flatten religious discourse and shred institutional trust, we should look to the spiritual visions and innovations of women, who, having spent so much time at the margins of religious discourse, illuminate its darkened corners.

In First Corinthians, Paul makes two conflicting statements about women's speech: He crafts a difficult argument about whether men and women should cover their heads while praying or prophesying (11:2-16) and instructs women to be silent in the assembly (14:34-35). These two statements bracket an extended discussion about inspired modes of speech - prophecy and prayer in tongues. From these exegetical observations, Jill E. Marshall argues that gender is a central issue throughout 1 Corinthians 11-14 and the religious speaking practices that prompted Paul's response. She situates Paul's arguments about prayer and prophecy within their ancient Mediterranean cultural context, using literary and archaeological evidence, and examines the differences in how ancient writers described prophetic speech when voiced by a man or a woman.