Why Did I Write 'The Sword'?
- Elaine R Kelly
- Feb 15, 2023
- 7 min read
Updated: Jan 18
The Sword is a fun way to engage in healthy debate on what the Bible says about a woman's role. It is a new nonfiction book released in paperback and ebook forms on Amazon. How did a historical Christian fiction writer end up writing a non-fiction book? Why did I write The Sword?
In my first historical fiction, Forgotten Followers from Broken to Bold, I show how Jesus lifted up women as equals, equipped them as disciples and teachers, and empowered them as apostles and evangelists. It was easy to see biblical equality in the Gospels.
It is not as easy to see biblical equality in Acts and the letters of Paul. My next fiction takes place in the time of the Acts of the Apostles, featuring Joanna and Susannah of Luke 8, as they become evangelists, teachers, apostles and prophets after the resurrection. Paul credits many women in the Bible who model speaking and leading: Phoebe, the deacon of Cenchrae; Priscilla, a teacher in Corinth, Ephesus, and Rome; Lois and Eunice, who teach Timothy; Euodia and Syntyche, who serve the church as Timothy serves; Nympha, Apphia, Lydia, and Chloe, who are church leaders. Paul writes that in Christ, it makes no difference whether you're male or female. But on the other hand, there are passages that seem to say women are to be silent or not have authority.
Did Paul Commend Women Speakers and, at the same time, Silence Women?
As I prepare to write a novel that is set in the timeline of Acts, how can I portray Paul? If Paul was sexist, why were women in the first century so eager to join the Christian movement? Did they enjoy working alongside Paul? Did being a Christian give them new freedom? Did Paul treat them as equal co-workers? Did the women named in Acts and Paul's letters have roles as evangelists, elders, deacons, ministers, and church leaders? In some of Paul's letters, he lifts up women as equal to men, honours them and credits them as co-workers for the Gospel. These ideas seem to conflict with the passages where Paul seems to accept or even promote a gender hierarchy with women on a lower rung.
I wrote this handbook to show opposing views side by side. Each Egalitarian view is matched by a Complementarian defence, and each Complementarian thrust is deflected by an Egalitarian explanation.
Understanding Paul's Letters
Thus began my long journey into understanding various interpretations of Paul's letters. I will speak more about the differences between Jesus Christ and Pauline Christianity in a separate blog. For many of my years as a Christian, I put Paul's problematic passages on the back burner. I did not believe them or find them helpful; I did not like them, and I did not like Paul. I grew up in a more progressive church, and they believed the Bible promoted equality. We had female clergy in the 1970s, and I used a gender-neutral hymnbook and the gender-neutral New Revised Standard Version of the Bible in the 1990s. I could relate to the words of the songs and verses. The inclusive approach made sense to me and what I knew of the world, so I did not investigate their biblical rationale.
I knew there were some Christians who limited women to support roles, but I thought (wrongly) that this group was small and shrinking. As I studied, I learned much about Paul, his letters, and his relationships with women. I learned about the term 'Complementarian,' which was coined in the 1980s and has been used to strengthen the idea that God designed gender roles and a male power hierarchy. Complementarian teachers said their ideas were the only true interpretation of the Bible. I learned that Egalitarian biblical scholarship was discouraged and not taken seriously by the traditional establishment for many years. Mainly, male theologians and writers were featured in theological schools. Divinity schools did not feature many female theologians or writers, did not include female biblical interpretations, and discounted Egalitarian biblical scholarship as unbiblical.
Why do Gender Roles matter?
I learned that women and girls were suffering from being in secondary roles, losing their opportunity to get an education, their right to earn a living outside the home, particularly in higher-paid roles where they may manage, advise, direct or supervise both men and women. Women and girls were losing their ability to give or withhold sexual consent, their ability to have a say in their own marriage, and most of all, women in hierarchical marriages were more vulnerable to abuse. Likewise, men were suffering from being told they were secondary if they acted emotionally, gently, supportive or submissive. Men are mocked as being 'whipped' if they are considerate of their wives. They may even experience gender dysphoria. None of these consequences of gender roles is a peripheral issue. They affect the very core of how we love one another. They matter.
New Biblical Scholarship
Nevertheless, God has been at work. I also found many Christian historians, theologians, academics and writers who have discussed and developed fuller understandings of the problematic passages. Egalitarians do not all think the same, and there is still plenty of discussion on how to understand God's word. But by looking at the language and context of the texts, and keeping in mind the overarching message of the Bible and Christ's purpose, these thinkers have shown how Paul promotes equality and interdependence. In short, Egalitarian biblical scholarship has come a long way.
In The Sword, I wanted to provide a brief introduction to the biblical source of some of the Complementarian thinking, as well as the biblical source of Egalitarian perspectives.
I came across many who became Christians through an evangelical Christian outreach, were taught that only Complementarians were true, Bible-believing Christians, and experienced discontent with gender hierarchies. Many went on a journey to find an Egalitarian biblical analysis. This book could even be nicknamed: What I learned on my journey about Complementarian and Egalitarian views of problematic Bible passages.
Whether you start as Complementarian and want to know more about how Egalitarians look at the Bible, or you start as Egalitarian and want to know more about what the Bible says, The Sword will help you work out your stance on the Bible and gender and your rationale for it. The Sword is a great starting point for your journey.
Here are my top 6 reasons for writing The Sword:
1. See contrasting views in one place so that it is effortless to objectively compare Complementarian and Egalitarian views.
2. Stimulate healthy debate on gender and religion and what the Bible says about a woman's role
3. The element of flashcards is a fun, visual, and memorable way to learn new ideas
4. This book of flashcards provides a hands-on resource for adult or youth education or small groups to interact with the ideas, or for use in pre-marriage or marriage counselling.
5. Broaden understanding of equality, gender, and the Bible so that Christians can gain mutual respect for other viewpoints.
6. Introduce Egalitarian biblical scholarship and show how Bible-believing Christians support equal freedoms and responsibilities for all Christians, regardless of gender.
Do you ever wonder:
Why do Christians have diverse and opposing views on a woman's role?
What is meant by biblical womanhood or biblical manhood?
Why do some Christians limit the roles women may perform? Or insist men fit a certain stereotype?
How can a Bible-believing Christian support equal opportunities and responsibilities for women?
How can I have a taste of the interpretations of both Egalitarian and Complementarian reasoning?
How can we understand passages that support men in a variety of nurturing and non-traditional roles?
How can we understand passages that seem to limit women because of their gender?
How can I more easily reference or recall soundbites or cue cards of biblical interpretations?
"The Sword" is a book of 104 flashcards introducing the biblical case for both Complementarian and Egalitarian perspectives. The goal is not that we all end up thinking the same thing, but that we gain mutual understanding and respect. Seeing a passage from several angles should bring an appreciation for diverse perspectives and respect for one another.
If the flashcards make you want to go deeper, refer to the 180 End Notes for further study.
We are all called to work out our salvation with reverence, and I believe each person needs to work out where they stand on the issue of gender equality. Doing so will allow you to align your marriage, church community, and spending patterns to support your views.
The Sword will help you on your journey to a better understanding of the Bible. My journey has brought me around to see Paul as a person who wrote and acted in ways that put all people on the same level. Paul lowered those in positions of power and lifted up groups who had been put down. With my new understanding, I can appreciate what Paul has written and have come to the point where I can see Paul as fair-minded and likable. With that new appreciation, maybe you will also get a breath of fresh affirmation.
Find it on Amazon.
Click here to see me explain how to use The Sword in this brief video.
Elaine Ricker Kelly Author is empowering women with historical fiction about women in the Bible and early church, and Christian articles about women in leadership, church history and doctrine. Her books include:
Forgotten Followers from Broken to Bold, Book 1, A Novel (2022)
The Sword: A Fun Way to Engage in Healthy Debate on What the Bible Says About a Woman's Role (2023)
Because She Was Called from Broken to Bold, Book 2, A Novel of the Early Church (2024)
Walk with Mara on Her Healing Journey: 21 Steps to Emotional Resilience (2024)
Finding Her Voice from Broken to Bold, Book 3, Acts of Early Female Apostles: A Novel (2025)
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