Cynthia Hester, DMin

Catalyzing Conversations on Women & the Church

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Historic Women of Faith: Three Female Martyrs in Ravenna’s Ancient Mosaics

In June 2019, I enjoyed the amazing opportunity to travel to northern Italy for an immersive study of medieval women’s spirituality and theology. Led by Sandra Glahn, Professor of Media Arts and Worship, my fellow students and I stayed in monasteries and visited art and history museums, cathedrals, and catacombs.

One of my favorite excursions was to Ravenna, the Western Roman Empire’s capital in the fifth century and later (6th–8th century) of Ostrogothic and Byzantine Italy. Best known for its early Christian mosaic art, it has eight UNESCO world heritage sites. The great Italian poet Dante Alighieri described Ravenna’s Byzantine mosaics as "the sweet color of Oriental sapphires." In this second of my “Historic Women of Faith” series, I will introduce you to three female martyrs in Ravenna’s ancient mosaics.

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Historic Women of Faith: The Twin “Lady Bible Hunters”

In the first of my series on Historic Women of Faith, I’d like to introduce you to the twin “Lady Bible Hunters.” Scottish twins, Agnes Smith Lewis and Margaret Dunlop Gibson were born in Irvine, Scotland in 1843. They were raised by their father after their mother died tragically when they were only two weeks old.

Agnes and Margaret lived extraordinary lives—like Indiana-Jones-in-a-Raiders-of-the-Lost-Ark kind of lives. They were called “Lady Bible Hunters” because they spent considerable effort, expense, and time to travel to hunt for ancient manuscripts. And, their incredible accomplishments have been acclaimed across the world. Curious?

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Did You Know We\’ve Neglected to Highlight & Reflect on Half of Church History?

“Hmmm, no, I’ve never heard of Huldah,” he replied. I was talking with my attorney friend and gifted teacher, who has taught the Bible at church for three decades. Another avid Bible-reading friend recently said she’d never heard of Huldah either. Do you know that we’ve neglected to highlight and reflect on half of church history?

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Did God Choose Only “Exceptional” Women as Leaders of Men?

Did God choose only a few “exceptional” women as leaders over men? In the evangelical church, some complementarians believe that the accounts of women leaders in the Bible were a “special case” to the “general rule.” That God only chose a few \"exceptional\" women but predominately favored male leaders. Those who hold this view prescribe male leadership as a “general rule.” They believe the Bible teaches a hierarchical leadership system both in the church and in the home. The Collins Dictionary defines “hierarchical” as a “system or organization in which people have different ranks or positions.” Under this system, men\'s rank is leadership, and the position of women is support to male leadership. Let\'s look at the three arguments supporting the premise, \"God chose women leaders because they were \"exceptional.\"

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What Do Women’s Stories in the Bible Teach about Women Exhorting Men?

White lights twinkled along the wrought iron railing, as the stainless-steel patio heater adjacent to our table released invisible waves of warmth. My two new friends and I enjoyed a leisurely meal, thankful for the opportunity to talk in-person. We are new course creators—each preparing to launch a 2021 online course into cyberspace. After discussing the merits of Flodesk, Kajabi, Canva, and Momentum, Julie sought my advice on her Bible literacy course. She asked, “What do I do if men sign up for my course?”

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