First Reading Takes On the Bechdel Test

Lectionary Date: November 7, 2021 [24th Sunday after Pentecost, Year B]

It's a big week for First Reading! As we dive into the resolution to the Book of Ruth, we have invited a guest to help us unpack the context of this story—special for its unusual focus on female protagonists.

Ashley M. Wilcox is a Quaker minister and the author of The Women’s Lectionary: Preaching the Women of the Bible throughout the Year, a handbook for feminist preachers. You (yes, you!) can hire Ashley as a preaching coach through her online resource, Preaching with Confidence. Ashley has been traveling around the country to speak, preach, and lead workshops on women and spirituality for more than a decade. For the past four years, she has been teaching preaching to students at the Candler School of Theology. You can connect with Ashley and learn more about her work at her website.

This week also marks the debut of our newest cohost, Rosy Kandathil! Rosy is a PhD candidate in Hebrew Bible at Emory University, and a former guest expert on First Reading. As she joins our team, we suppose that makes her an "expert in residence" with us. From here forward, each week the podcast will feature two of our hosts in various combinations, and we'll all three get together now and then for a "party episode." We'll also continue our pattern of bringing in a guest colleague for a deeper dive every month or so. Welcome, Rosy!