BOOKS
Elaine R Kelly Author brings healing and hope to those who are sidelined or silenced by the church by writing historical fiction and blogs about women in the Bible and church history, gender and religion, and biblical studies.
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📖Forgotten Follower from Broken to Bold, a historical fiction empowering women in showing women in the Bible overcoming trauma, abuse, and racism
📖Because She Was Called (from Broken to Bold book 2) A novel of the early church shows how early Christians overcame divisions, incorporated women in ministry, mutuality in marriage, and affirming LGBTQ+, adopting all believers into the family of faith.
📖The Sword: A Fun Way to Engage in Healthy Debate on What the Bible says about a Woman’s Role contains 104 flashcards and 180 end notes showing an objective rationale for diverse views on gender roles.
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While this novel continues character development from Forgotten Followers From Broken to Bold, Book 1, each can be read as a stand-alone novel. Forgotten Followers is set in the Gospels; Because She Was Called is set in Acts 2-11. If you are a spiritual wanderer or ex-vangelical, take a sip of fresh, living water with this story of how the early church overcame divisions and changed the world.
This is a Christian egalitarian
and affirming fiction.
Coming April 16, 2024
Because She Was Called
from Broken to Bold book 2
A novel of the early church
After legalists kill Stephen, followers of The Way scatter. Susannah takes off to Caesarea and lands in the arms of a deacon. But will he limit her freedoms? Will romance pull her away from obeying God's call? Torn by grief and anger, where will Joanna turn for shelter? Will she testify before powerful men? Will loyalty to Jesus cost her the loss of her son?
“A remarkable tale affirming Christian egalitarianism that will captivate, provoke, and inspire readers on an unforgettable journey through the origins of Christianity.” -Prairies Book Review
Forgotten Followers: from Broken to Bold
A Novel
Released September 2022.
You may buy directly from the publisher, FriesenPress, simply
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After years of submission, Mara is afraid and unsure about everything—especially her nephew, Jesus. Then he is chased off a cliff, and Mara is forced into the unknown. At the same time, Joanna grapples with hiding her mixed-race heritage or losing her family and community. Despite trauma, abuse, racism, and inequality, they join other women following Jesus. Will Jesus’s opposition to the establishment endanger their lives?
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Book 1 of the from Broken to Bold series, Forgotten Followers brings love and encouragement to anyone who has felt alone, rejected, or simply out of place. Instead of dismissing women of the Gospels as unimportant, author Elaine Ricker Kelly lifts them up as empowered and vibrant characters. Whether evangelical or exvangelical, confident or questioning, readers can find healing and hope in this CIPA EVVY award-winning religious fiction.
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Be sure to check out the FAQ and Freebees page!
Details of the twelve women disciples of the novel are here.
What Readers Say About
FORGOTTEN FOLLOWERS
The Sword
A Fun Way to Engage in Healthy Debate on
What the Bible Says About a Woman's Role
Imagine the Bible as the Spirit's powerful Sword. What if the Sword could only be drawn by those with good intentions, ears to hear, and a heart to love?
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What if people learned to handle this Sword to cut away barriers between us instead of cutting out people?
This book provides 104 flashcards with various understandings of biblical passages. Sword cards thrust a case for one stance, while shield cards deflect with an alternate perspective. There are an equal number of flashcards introducing Egalitarian and Complementarian views. These flashcards support healthy debate on conflicting biblical interpretations of gender roles at home, church, and society. Contemplate, converse, or cut out the flashcards to use with adults or youth.
Let's increase our mutual understanding and respect.
Explore, reflect, and have fun!
Released February 2023
Check out these brief videos:
What to Do When You Feel Forgotten
Harmony of the Gospels Interactive Devotional
Coming Soon
A Harmony of the Gospels and companion to Forgotten Followers from Broken to Bold.
If you sometimes feels forgotten, demeaned, or doubt your place in God’s family, this interactive devotional will bring you back to the Jesus of the Gospels. Over forty Days, see the story of Jesus as one continuous narrative, exploring the themes of healing from trauma, affirmation, inclusion, equality, and hope. See how Jesus encourages, equips, and empowers women as patrons, disciples, and apostles.Â
Sessions contain:
Gospel readingÂ
Context: the timeline, location, and people of the passage, historical notes and illustrations
Contemplation Prompt: put yourself in the story with a fiction piece to engage the mind and heart
Quotes and Questions
Interactive enrichment activities: character descriptions, plot lines, matching games, quizzes, worksheets, word puzzles, recipes, and songs.
Prayer Focus
References to biblical passages related to the theme
Further study resources