Had Eve Come First and Jonah Been a Woman - Paperback

by Nancy Werking Poling (Author)

In Hebrew scripture men always get the exiting roles: leader, prophet, war hero. Convinced that women, too, need powerful stories that can inform them about who they are in relation to God, Nancy Werking Poling has imagined biblical men as women. A female Samson tells of the elders trying to take away her power; Nochat (Noah), who is trying to raise God-honoring children in violent times, rebukes God for destroying creation; Mosiah leads abused sisters to freedom; a female Jacob struggles with her capacity for deceit and destruction. Readers are sure to find inspiration in a creative approach to scripture that incorporates women's wisdom, suffering, and courage.

Author Biography

Nancy Werking Poling is a Presbyterian laywoman who's been imagining biblical narratives ever since her parents took her to Sunday school and church as a child. She has worked as an educator, consultant, and writer/editor. Among her works are an edited volume, Victim to Survivor: Women Recovering from Clergy Sexual Abuse and a novel, Out of the Pumpkin Shell. She and her husband, James Poling, live in western North Carolina.