Thy Queendom Come: Breaking Free from the Patriarchy to Save Your Soul

by Kyndall Rae Rothaus

We are all born inside a fence. Not the same fence, but we all have our own variation of restrictions-passed-down-to-us. The narrative passed down to Christian women by patriarchal religion tells us not only that we are bad, but that we need someone outside ourselves to save us. We need a revolutionary new spirituality, and a revolutionary term to describe the queendom of God . Telling the stories of some of the strongest women in all of Scripture--like Delilah, Deborah, and Jael--as well as some of the most brutalized--like the daughter of Jephthah-- Thy Queendom Come offers a new path forward. In the queendom of God, we are no longer waiting on a rescuer. We realize we are ready to conceive and give birth to new life--a creative act between God and us, no masculine authority necessary. We can, as women, say yes to the divine annunciation, quite apart from any sinner's prayer, the blessing of priests, or an ordination by men. We can leave the narrow kingdom behind and embrace a more vibrant, just, and inspiring spiritual life in God's queendom.

Genres: Nonfiction, Theology

180 pages, Paperback

Published August 17, 2021

Reviews

[Ida Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. As a young Catholic Theologian there wasn't a whole lotta new stuff for me in here, but I have been waiting for a book like this for sooo many years. Finally kick ass biblical women are thematised and given a stage in a book that is not super intellectual and for theologians only.
This book tackles stories of heroic women in a simple and easily accessible way. It helps to shed light on female figures that were almost covered up by the dominant male gaze that has shaped Christianity, but really every religion, for thousands of years.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, wasn't a timid and shy homemmaker, always dependent on men and hiding behind them. NO! This girl was brave enough to keep a child she could have been stoned to death for. She defied patriarchal social doctrine and norms and curb stomped Satan ALL THE TIME. There is even one illustration showing her like that and not docile and meek like we so often see her depicted. Mary saw her son tortured and murdered and stayed with him. The strength of this woman is incredible and there are so many more biblical women who resemble us females today that are now finally accessible to a broader audience thanks to this book.

There's also a lot of personal info the author gives us and while I myself don't agree with her views on everything 100% she asks the right questions in my opinion that stem from her experience as being a woman (in church). If Christ had simply shown up with breasts (ChristA), would that have been enough to scanadlise the patriarchy into retreat?

I am in love. Not because I didn't know about this already, but because I can finally hand people a book and not just tell them myself that "the bible isn't actually as anti-feminist as you think". The bible is full of very very counter-cultural stories of strong women which is even more respectable and awesome when you think about how extremely patriarchal and misogynist society was back then.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This was a super-accessible text that encourages the reader to think about God and the Bible through a feminist lens. Rothaus makes it clear that when she talks about a "queendom," she's not talking about replacing a patriarchal male leader with a matriarchal female leader, but about completely re-envisioning "God's kingdom" by using a different word — which should be equally accurate if God is truly beyond gender — to shake up our preconceived notions.

This is the first Christian feminist text I've read in a while that isn't dense with theory and Hebrew translation; at first it actually reminded me quite a bit of the kinds of popular Christian books I used to read in high school with the conversational, inspirational tone, though this one obviously has a much more progressive bent. Rothaus uses a mix of personal stories, metaphor, and retellings of Biblical stories in her own voice to show how it's possible to go back to Scripture to find a way out of the patriarchal structures that dominate many churches today. She focuses a lot on the book of Judges and the story of Mary (sometimes to the exclusion of other stories that might be more applicable) and uses these stories to illustrate what "queendom" could look like.

There are times where I think Rothaus leans a little too heavily on metaphor without providing enough examples of what "exploring beyond the fences" might look like in real life. For those who have relied heavily on authoritarian structures, even with Rothaus' caveats it may seem like she's advocating a radical switch to total self-reliance, which I don't think is what she's saying. But more examples from a wider range of people might have been helpful there. Also, although she talks about having a transgender partner and often references gender beyond the binary, near the end there is a lot of talk about women having the unique ability to grow a child and give birth, people being born having obviously come from a woman, and so on. I was a little surprised that, with so much inclusive language in the first half of the book, she provides no caveats for the woman-birth link discussed in the latter half.

Whether you're already steeped in Christian feminism and looking for more inspiration or you're just starting to look for permission to ask questions about the patriarchal structures around you, this is a quick and valuable read to check out.

[Marta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is the deal! I know Kyndall. She is an amazing person. Who doesn't want to read the work of an adoptive mama, pastor/preachers? Kyndall's theological perspective and biblical interpretation with a feminist lens is poignantly clear. She asks questions which in turn inspire the reader to ask questions like why not use Queendom rather than Kingdom? Why not shift gender pronouns for the Holy? Why has it been predominantly the same for centuries?

[Jenna Carey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ahh I’m super conflicted here. Rathaus has some FANTASTIC insight and commentary on God’s character and the women of the Bible, and for that I give her 3 stars. However, she does go a bit too far in my opinion - she concludes her book by basically saying that women can find their own truth inside of themselves bc we’re women and capable of finding truth without a “dominant, monolithic deity,” and I just can’t agree that human beings can find truth without God. I really really learned so much about the feminine aspects of God’s character and how the patriarchy has embedded male pronouns in our translations even though some Hebrew and Greek pronouns for God are indeed feminine and not masculine. I also enjoyed her scriptural analysis of several female characters; Rathaus does an amazing job at turning the narratives upside down and combatting predominately patriarchal interpretations of the Bible that western Christianity has imposed. I would isolate probably 3 chapters from her book and give them 5 stars, but the other chapters just take her points too far. I also am not sold on the divinity of Mary, and I truly do not honk scripture backs up her divinity, and this was a point Rathaus really focused on in one of the final chapters - I would need scriptural backing to accept that premise, along with a few others. But although her conclusions seem to step out of orthodoxy, her analysis and theories on the way to those conclusions are superbly insightful and magnificently unique. Excellent book overall.

[Melinda Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A refreshing read on patriarchy and Christianity and returning to our roots of God as creator of all. The first half of the book is excellent--I could not stop highlighting passages. I'd read a paragraph and pause to digest. Ever since reading Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza in seminary, I wondered why we never heard the word queendom (ESF would always leave it untranslated as -basileia tou theou- in Greek). The author defines queendom as God's reign free from patriarchy and free from worldly kingdoms. The author also notes how dismantling patriarchy just also involve antiracism and that white feminism must be cautious of its role in upholding racism and other oppression.

I was less satisfied with the second half and the biblical choices. It's an author's preference and it was clear this author had done much work and reflecting in Judges, and while I appreciate that, I was deeply disturbed with Jephthah's daughter as an entire chapter. And there were many other Biblical stories passed over--and no mention of Proverbs 8 and Wisdom, which I would think would be foundational to the text. I came away a bit disappointed with the second half and that there is so much more that could have been included in this understanding of what the queendom might be and who God is as She. Overall, I still recommend this book (I read it alongside Hood Feminism which really breaks down white feminism's oppression) and think it's a good start, but there's so much more that can be done.

[Kali Cawthon-Freels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Through a thoughtful combination of biblical analysis and personal reflection, Rothaus provides a compelling case for why we should seek to create the queendom of God on earth as it is in heaven. In her vision, the queendom is not a place where the hierarchy is flipped (as an opposite to the patriarchy, with men being subjugated to the rule of women), but rather a place where there is no gendered hierarchy and we are all encouraged to find our connection with the Divine as the Holy Spirit leads.

I particularly found her commentary on certain biblical stories (Jael, Deborah, Bathsheba, and the Levite's concubine) to provide a powerful lens through which to deconstruct our patriarchal understanding of scripture.

I would definitely recommend this book for personal reflection or for a book club to discuss.

[Ashley Dargai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was continually surprised by this book. It was empowering and beautiful, obsessed with the book of Judges (just trust me!) and tender toward the Divine Feminine. Highly recommend for anyone who appreciates considering the Divine Feminine or loves a good exegetical treatment of an OT text.

Also the author weaves her own story into the beginning of the book, and it resonated with me a lot.

Content warning: she deals with texts of terror (like I said, Judges), but she gives adequate warning and tender treatment.

[Jana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book as I'm very intested in differentiating between human bias in the interpretation/translation of scripture vs intended meaning (which is impossible to fully interpret without some human bias, in my opinion, but worth the attempt). However, this book couldn't decide between theological treatise and memoir, and I wish it had been a bit less memoir.

Some solid ideas that were interesting to explore, but I wish there had been some more editing.

[Aurelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource for people of faith! The author's reimagining of the Queendom is thoughtful and creative, while also being exegetically and theologically rich. Whether pastors, leaders, or everyday people of faith, this is an accessible and enjoyable read.

[Lydia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the deep dives in some of the women in the Bible, a couple who I didn’t know about or hadn’t thought about much before. My only complaint is that I wanted more and I wanted the book to be longer!

[Jherica Zink · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gifted by a friend and fellow theologian, this progressive and feminine forward retelling of the Lord’s Prayer was a helpful guide to my Lenten journey this year. It provided insight and context without being hard to comprehend.

[Lisa Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic lens into the feminine spirit and presence within the Bible and how that translates to our lives today.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much food for thought. Interesting (and inspiring) combination of christian feminism and roadmap for all women to rise above the constraints of a patriarchal society and become their best selves.