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Out of the Shadows: Preaching the Women of the Bible, Volume Two
By Kate Bruce and Liz Shercliff
SCM Press, 2024, £19.99
I wholeheartedly recommended the first volume of Out of the Shadows which was published in 2021. At that time, I wrote that it was a book ‘stuffed with scriptural sleuthery, homiletical skill, and pastoral sensitivity’. Based on the usefulness, accessibility, and wisdom of the first volume, it was no surprise to me that the authors were commissioned to write this second volume.
Out of the Shadows ‘2’ builds on the work of Volume One. It injects a new level of boldness. In the introduction, the authors acknowledge the shift in tone, describing it as an ‘angry book’ that seeks to offer ‘a just reading of scripture’ interpreted by ‘the grace of the gospel expressed in the life and teaching of Jesus’ (p. xi). This is not simply a matter of discovering the stories of women in the biblical text who have been overlooked. It is about actively seeking to reverse the inclination to gloss over that which is uncomfortable and troubling, recognising the injustice that is enabled by doing so.
It is telling that Bruce and Shercliff explore the stories of a number of (sometimes unnamed) women whose lives are not included in any of the texts of the Revised Common Lectionary. Among them are Zipporah, Dinah, Lot’s Wife and Daughters, Potiphar’s Wife, The Queen of Sheba, and many others.
This book is about so much more than highlighting stories of bad behaviour, airing inconvenient truths, and exposing skeletons in the closet. It resists, prophetically, any moves towards collusion with the inherently silencing effects of abuse and trauma. It is an excellent resource for preachers, considerate of their needs. It follows the pattern of the first volume in offering explorations of the women showcased, homiletic points, and newly written collects which reinforce the themes raised.
The underlying drumbeat of the book is a summons to those who preach to recognise the fullness and brokenness of humanity - both our own and that of others - and to grow in confidence that rightly handling the scriptures means proceeding with boldness, transparency, and, at times, just anger. This is offered as the best way to seek the light of God’s truth and justice, known most fully in Christ, to remove the shadows which obscure, deceive, and that marginalise human beings loved by God.
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Issue 196: Controversial Sermons
