Salty Wives, Spirited Mothers, and Savvy Widows: Capable Women of Purpose and Persistence in Luke's Gospel
Frances Taylor Gench-- Union Presbyterian Seminary"Scott Spencer is one of the most engaging, uncannily perceptive biblical interpreters I know! In this insightful volume he enters the fray of feminist debate over Luke's decidedly 'mixed messages' regarding women, masterfully negotiating the tension between liberating and limiting elements of Luke's presentation. . . . He shows Luke's women to be remarkably capable -- even if not as liberated as we might hope! Without whitewashing the difficulties, Spencer thereby reclaims Luke's narrative for liberating, life-enhancing ends."Warren Carter-- Brite Divinity School"Is Luke's Gospel the most dangerous book in the Bible for women and men? Is it a mixed bag? Is it to be read against the grain in order to find good news? In this thoughtful, insightful, and engaging study, Scott Spencer investigates the women who inhabit Luke's narrative. Recognizing mixed messages and avoiding anachronism, Spencer offers a nuanced presentation of capable women of purpose and persistence."Jennifer Glancy-- Le Moyne College"Spencer's study of women in the Gospel of Luke is spirited enough to engage students and savvy enough to cause scholars to rethink, once again, the representation of gender in the Third Gospel."Mary Ann Beavis-- University of Saskatchewan"Insightfully challenges and complements feminist scholarship on a Gospel that is notoriously equivocal for women. . . . A welcome contribution to feminist discourse on the Gospel of Luke."Mikeal C. Parsons-- Baylor University"For more than two decades, Scott Spencer has engaged with feminist interpretation of the New Testament. With this provocative, stimulating, and lively treatment of women in the Lukan writings, Spencer offers mature but -- in the best sense -- entirely unpredictable readings resulting in fresh, at times stunning, analyses of these old, old stories. . . . A must-read for anyone -- male or female -- interested in gender issues, then and now."