Kristen Stieffel

“sometimes paraphrase our own Scriptures. For example, the verse above is modeled on Galatians 3:28, which says, “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus” (NRSV). This wisdom is almost two thousand years old, yet we still struggle to achieve racial and gender equality. One of the things I wanted to explore in this storyworld is what life would look like if people lived as if they really believed this verse is true. One fact the church has historically used to rationalize the sidelining of women is that Jesus, the Twelve, and the apostle Paul were all men. Meanwhile the first evangelist, Mary Magdalene, is unjustly slandered as a prostitute, and Junia, whom Paul called “prominent among the apostles” (Romans 16:7), is all but forgotten. Many have even tried to recast her as a man.”
― Kristen Stieffel, Alara's Call

“My decision to use a feminine Redeemer anyway was not made merely to provoke. It’s an attempt to inspire introspection. If people are bothered by the idea of a feminine Creator or Redeemer, they should consider why they’re bothered. My faith tradition teaches that God is beyond gender, because God is not human. God is Other, but since both male and female are made in God’s image, we can conclude that God’s nature encompasses”
― Kristen Stieffel, Alara's Call