Let Their Voices Speak
This is a space where you can hear the voices of women. Women who believe or have believed. Women from all walks of life. Women still living out their stories.
The Women Experiencing Faith project shares the stories of women telling you how being a woman interacts with, intersects with, and informs their faith practice, experience, or journey. This project is full of a variety of experiences including successes, wounds, growth, hardship, rejection, and embrace.
Welcome to Women Experiencing Faith.
Themes in the Book
As the book came together, several themes emerged that helped organize the structure.
These are some of themes you will encounter in the book.
Women in Ministry, Bodies, Reflection, Being Female, Biography,
Equality, Faith Transition
About Us
Janel Apps Ramsey
Janel Apps Ramsey is the Co-Director of Brew Theology, an organization that helps create communities of conversation. She holds an MA in Theological Studies from Nazarene Theological Seminary. She has served in ministry for over 20 years in every capacity from teaching and preaching, to music ministry and youth. She has hosted a house church for the last 3 years and enjoys working with people in their faith transitions. She lives in Denver, CO with her husband, Baird. You can find her on most social channels @jlaramsey and at her website www.womenandchurch.com.
Thomas Jay Oord
Thomas Jay Oord is a theologian, philosopher, and scholar of multi-disciplinary studies. Oord was awarded a PhD and MA from Claremont Graduate University and MDiv from Nazarene Theological Seminary. He is the author or editor of 25 books and a multi-award-winning speaker and lecturer. He is married to his wife Cheryl, and they have three daughters, a son-in-law, and granddaughter. For more on Oord, see his website (thomasjayoord.com) or interact with him on most social channels @thomasjayoord
Logo
You may be wondering what the logo for Women Experiencing Faith means. What you are seeing is a dove sitting on a pomegranate. This image came from an item Janel saw at the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit while it was in Denver. The women contributors proposed a fruit theme for the website, so it seemed like a great way to combine the two as a reflection of the fruit of our labors.
LOGO
The dove and the pomegranate are both ancient symbols from the Middle East. They represent women generally and often fertility, more specifically.
This logo was designed by Kyle Ramsey-Sumner of RS Design Co. Kyle is a dear friend and you can read his wife’s essay in the book.
ARTIFACT
This is the artifact that inspired our logo. A unique piece of artwork found with the Dead Sea Scrolls. This hand carved, wooden artifact is one of a kind. It was found in the Jerusalem and dates to the Bronze Age II (late 9th - early 8th century BCE).
Publishing House
Women Experiencing Faith is published on SacraSage Press.
SacraSage Press publishes high quality books with high quality content that explore themes of spiritual importance in the service of wisdom.
Reviews
“It’s time to listen to women’s voices in faith communities. These stories of women and faith arrive in an era when religious institutions are being forced to deal with the changing roles and influence of women. These narratives are deeply personal, sometimes painful, but ultimately uplifting. Reading them gives insight not only into the past, but to future paths that spiritual communities can take to ensure better, more egalitarian treatment for everyone.”
–Elizabeth Humphrey
“These are real stories that don’t sugarcoat one’s life experience. They need to be told, and they need to be heard. You will find yourself crying and standing up cheering throughout these essays & poems. It’s about time the church world allows women across the faith spectrum speak out about their faith experiences: the good, bad and the ugly. And we should all listen ... well!”
—Ryan Miller
”The important experiences shared in this book are both gut-wrenching and inspiring. More than anything, it highlights courageous and eloquent women whose stories inspired and challenged me to be better in institutions of faith and as an individual in all of my communities (my family, work, neighborhood, and faith communities). Reading these experiences left me grateful to the women who took the time to share their most authentic and personal stories. The authors arranged narratives into seven broad categories and the stories are balanced in such a way that provokes the reader to stay engaged with low experiences, high ones, and everything in between.”
— Rob Carroll
