Books

10 Dead Gals You Should Know

By: Rachel Ciano
Format: Soft cover

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Description:

10 Dead Gals You Should Know: Leaving an Enduring Legacy

Spanning two millennia and multiple continents, these stories will introduce you to great women in the history of the Christian faith: from Mary in first-century Judea, to Catherine Booth in nineteenth-century Britain, to Gladys Aylward in twentieth-century China. Perpetua and Jane Grey lived brief lives cut short by their conspicuous and brave fidelity to Jesus, while Corrie ten Boom, although no less courageous, lived a long life that testified to God's compassion and forgiveness. For all their differences, each one of these women has left an enduring legacy. Each are worth knowing. To know someone's story is a privilege.

We hope you're encouraged in your Christian walk as you read of theirs.

Contributors:
Rachel Ciano, Rev Dr Ian Maddock

Table of Contents:

Introduction: A Room (or Ten!) of Their Own

Chapter 1 - Mary: My Spirit Rejoices in God my Saviour

Chapter 2 - Perpetua: Christians to the Lion!

Chapter 3 - Catherine of Siena: Bride of Christ

Chapter 4 - Jane Grey: After Darkness, I Hope for Light

Chapter 5 - Anne Hutchinson: A Woman Unfit for Our Society

Chapter 6 - Anne Dutton: Calvinistic Controversialist

Chapter 7 - Selina, Countess of Huntingdon: Queen of the Methodists

Chapter 8 - Catherine Booth: Perfect Equality

Chapter 9 - Gladys Aylward: Ai-weh-de - The Virtuous One

Chapter 10 - Corrie ten Boom: A Time for War and a Time for Peace

Reviews:

"Several years ago, we were treated to the fine book '10 Dead Guys You Should Know'. Its release beckoned for a companion volume, the equally fine book you now have in your hands. 10 Dead Gals You Should Know features the most famous woman who ever lived -Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ-and the most famous woman martyr of all time-Perpetua. The book also opens up vistas into the lives and ministries of lesser-known women: for example, two Catherines-she of Siena, and Catherine Booth-and two Annes -Hutchinson and Dutton. Like the ten guys in the first book, these women were stellar examples of faithfulness, fearlessness, steadfastness, and fruitfulness. May you be challenged by their lives as their stories come alive for us today!" – Gregg R. Allison, Professor of Christian Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

"Christians have needed this book for so long: a book that tells the stories of some of the remarkable women in history that every Christian should know. Ciano and Maddock have done a brilliant job uncovering the stories of these women through the centuries: from the Bible and the ancient world, the Middle Ages and early modern periods, all the way up to the twentieth century. These women served God in a variety of extraordinary and costly ways. Among them were martyrs, missionaries, leaders of campaigns to end child prostitution, and then there was Corrie Ten Boom who hid Jews from the Nazis and then ran a rehabilitation centre for concentration camp survivors. Each chapter is both a compelling and moving story as well as a meticulously historically researched biography. This book is essential reading for Christians of all ages and backgrounds: women and men, girls and boys. You will be humbled, encouraged, and awe-struck by the courage and witness of these ten incredible women in Christian history." – Sarah Irving-Stonebraker, Associate Professor of History, Western Civilisation Program, Australian Catholic University

"Having read '10 Dead Guys You Should Know' and highly appreciating it, I had certain expectations about the companion book on the gals. I was not disappointed. As with the first book, this second one is well-researched and engagingly written. It is a gallery of ten women whose stories deserve to be widely known. Some of them I had no clue of. I benefited from the book not only because of its historical insights, but also for the many challenges that I received from encountering these women. Rachel Ciano and lan Maddock have done a great job of combining fresh scholarship and spiritual wisdom." – Leonardo De Chirico, Pastor of Breccia di Roma church, Rome, Italy; Lecturer in Historical Theology at Istituto di Formazione Evangelica e Documentazione, Padova, Italy; Director of the Reformanda Initiative

"'10 Dead Gals You Should Know is an innovative take on Christian history, one that focuses deliberately on unusual and challenging figures. These are women who were prominent and influential Christians in their religious communities from the ancient world to the twentieth century. Rachel Ciano and lan Maddock have selected a brilliant and contrasting gallery of subjects, from Mary the mother of Jesus through Catherine of Siena, to Anne Hutchinson, and Gladys Aylward; every chapter reveals an individual powered by faith and determined to act upon it. The vivid and arresting language in which these women are described, and the solid scholarship of the authors, will guarantee a wide readership for the book." – Carole Cusack, Professor of Religious Studies, The University of Sydney

"Rachel Ciano and lan Maddock have produced an excellent book which supplies us with short biographies of important Christian women and which ought to inspire and encourage all of us to learn from the past in order to live in the present. 10 Dead Gals You Should Know is the perfect complement to their previous 10 Dead Guys You Shoud Know, because it is important for us to appreciate the wonderful significance of female agency in the building of the body of Christ. In recent decades, church historians have recognised the importance of the women in Church history, and it is a real blessing to see some of the harvest of this work made accessible through publications such as this. The Christian historian Jaroslav Pelikan once wrote that "y including the dead in the circle of discourse, we enrich the quality of the conversation." Well, with the historical, theological, and geographical terrain covered in Ten Dead Gals, Ciano and Maddock have certainly enriched our conversation about the blessing of women in God's church! "– Mark Earngey, Head of Church History and Lecturer in Christian Thought Moore Theological College

"I thoroughly enjoyed reading 10 Dead Gals You Should Know: Leaving An Enduring Legacy. This book is a well. researched, engagingly written, and insightful read that is sure to captivate readers and encourage them personally. As the subtitle suggests, the carefully curated stories of these ten women (who range from Mary the mother of Jesus, to twentieth-century missionary Gladys Aylward) mesh together to tell a bigger story. All ten have made a significant impact in the history of the church, and side by side, they illuminate some key moments in the unfolding story of Christian history. Maddock and Ciano pinpoint these moments and show readers how evangelical Christians have been unknowingly shaped by their contributions. I look forward to sharing this with my students and anyone who is interested in learning more about the history of Christianity." – Nicole Starling, Lecturer in Church History, Morling College

"Fresh. Fascinating. Faith-building. From the first to the twentieth century, the women whose stories are recounted in this book - some famous, some less so - teach us about the cost of discipleship and the faithfulness of the Lord. But it is not just a chronicle of their lives: we learn about the theological debates that they engaged in, the social pressures they faced, and the ways their ministries have been interpreted. I was left hungry to hear more. May they serve as mentors to many!" – Rhys Bezzant, Senior Lecturer, Ridley College; Director of Johnathan Edwards Center, Australia

"The authors are right: you should really know about these 10 Dead Gals and what God has done in their extraordinary lives. Here is an impressive cloud of witnesses, from every era of church history, testifying to the power of the gospel to transform human beings. Ciano and Maddock retell these stories by combining good research with engaging writing." – Michael P Jensen, Rector, St Mark's Anglican Church Darling Point; Honorary Research Associate, Sydney College of Divinity

"I loved this book. I was inspired in my Christian walk and at times brought to tears. The authors have beautifully recounted the stories of women who in the Protestant tradition have often been neglected, to our loss. These women were exemplary disciples, courageous women who believed the gospel. They defied social conventions, some were abandoned, defamed, and persecuted but remained faithful. These women were writers, preachers, philanthropists, entrepreneurs, social activists, and evangelists. But most importantly, they were disciples of Jesus." – Ruth Lukabyo, Church History Lecturer at Youthworks College, Sydney.

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