Judy Nelson Interviews Carolyn Custis James on Lost Women of the Bible

[Editor’s Note: In the following interview, Judy Nelson, a CGO Contributor, talks with Carolyn Custis James, who is another CGO Contributor. Carolyn’s new book, Lost Women of the Bible, goes on sale today at bookstores nationwide. Her previous book, When Life and Beliefs Collide, enjoys a wide and growing audience and has resulted in a robust speaking schedule for Carolyn.]

Judy Nelson is at left, and Carolyn Custis James is at right.
 

 

 

                                                 

Judy: Congratulations on your new book LOST WOMEN OF THE BIBLE, Carolyn. Why did you write it?

 Carolyn: I think women are looking for deeper books. Women tell me they avoid the women’s section in the Christian bookstores because they don’t find those kinds of books there. We buy and read theologically deep books, but most of them are written by men for a general audience. They don’t show us how theology relates specifically to a woman’s life. That’s what I’m doing in my books.

Judy: So, you wrote a book you wish you had as a companion in your own journey of faith?

 

Carolyn: Yes, because my study of women in the Bible not only deepened my understanding of God, it changed how I saw myself. Like the LOST WOMEN, I have had deep struggles with feeling lost in my own life. First, as a single, later as a wife in trying to have a family and in remaining in the working world, instead of being a stay-at-home mom. In Christian circles, the message we hear is that God highest purposes for a woman is to be a wife and mother. We grow up expecting our lives to follow that path. But the truth is not all of us marry or become moms. Does that mean we’ve missed God’s best?

For me, the question became, Did God design a blueprint for women that some of us can’t follow? Or is something wrong with our understanding? Does His blueprint only work for some women or only for part of a woman’s life? What about little girls? Are we saying God doesn’t have a purpose for them until they marry?

Through the lives of women in the Bible, I’m discovering the Bible has a strong, affirming message for women that we aren’t communicating to women.  The story of Eve’s creation reveals a blueprint for women that is large enough to encompass every woman’s life, from the moment she is born until the day she dies. My book explores that blueprint in real women’s lives.

Judy: You weave your own story with the stories of Eve, Sarah, Mrs. Noah and the other women. Was that intentional?

Carolyn: Yes, I think it’s important for readers to know that I struggle too. It was risky at points, because I tend to be more private. For the first time publicly, I talk about my own struggle with infertility. But I find that when an author shares some of her own story, the ideas come to life in a new way.

Judy: How has the Church done a disservice to the body of Christ by defining women in the terms of a “helpmeet”?

Carolyn: It is an enormous disservice. The definition of ezer (the Hebrew word for a woman’s role) means not only “strong helper,” but is used most often as a military word, a “warrior.” In the Old Testament, sixteen times God is called Israel’s ezer. God calls every woman to be a warrior alongside her brothers in the faith, whether she is single or married, young or old.

Unfortunately, in Christian circles today, women expect men to fight the battles and often see themselves in a behind-the-scenes-only role. Sometimes, I think we even celebrate it. We take pride in being in the shadows. This thinking can even give us a small view of what it means to be a wife, when an ezer has enormous responsibility to fight life’s battles alongside her husband.  A wife can easily think she’s doing her part by handling meals and laundry and keeping a home running smoothly and back away from the real battles of life where she is needed most.

Judy: What are the real battles of life?

Carolyn: Walking with God is a real battle. It’s hard to trust Him when things go wrong or life doesn’t meet our expectations. It’s hard for even the strongest and most mature among us. That’s the point when we need each other. We need warriors beside us to help us believe. As Christians, our mission to spread and live the Gospel in this world is an overwhelming task, and we are telling women to hold back.

My book explores God’s heart for women and shows through the stories of women in the Bible that God intends and delights in our diversity and that He has always worked in powerful ways through women to advance His kingdom in individual lives and in the world. I think readers will be surprised and inspired by what they learn from these women.

© 2005, Judy Nelson.

To order your own copy of Lost Women of the Bible, click (here).