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The Silent Queen
You have a story, a song, or a message that the world needs to hear. But if you are denied the opportunity to share your gift, your light will not shine as bright as God intended.
In The Silent Queen, Paul Ellis tackles the tough questions that keep women silent and sidelined.
- Should women stay silent in church?
- Can women teach, preach and pastor?
- What did Jesus think about women in leadership?
- Is infidelity the only excuse for divorce?
- Should women submit to male leaders?
- Are wives really helpmates?
- Are women more easily deceived?
- And much more!
“I was stunned by the things I discovered in this powerful book.” - Sandra McCollom, author of I Tried Until I Almost Died
“Brilliant! Amen! Yes!” ~ Jami Amerine, author of Well, Girl
“A critical and essential masterpiece.” ~ Nate Tanner, evangelist at L3 International Ministries
In The Silent Queen, Paul Ellis tackles the tough questions that keep women silent and sidelined.
- Should women stay silent in church?
- Can women teach, preach and pastor?
- What did Jesus think about women in leadership?
- Is infidelity the only excuse for divorce?
- Should women submit to male leaders?
- Are wives really helpmates?
- Are women more easily deceived?
- And much more!
“I was stunned by the things I discovered in this powerful book.” - Sandra McCollom, author of I Tried Until I Almost Died
“Brilliant! Amen! Yes!” ~ Jami Amerine, author of Well, Girl
“A critical and essential masterpiece.” ~ Nate Tanner, evangelist at L3 International Ministries
- GenresChristian
196 pages, Paperback
Published March 30, 2020
9 people are currently reading
83 people want to read
About the author
Paul Ellis
25 books87 followersA scientist, scholar, and Bible smuggler, Dr. Paul Ellis is the award-winning author of books such as Letters from Jesus and The Silent Queen.
Paul pastored a multicultural church in Hong Kong for ten years and was a professor at a leading business school. Ranked as one of the world’s most prolific scholars in the field of international business, Paul writes regularly at escapetoreality.org and his latest project is thegracecommentary.com.
Paul lives with his wife and their four children in Auckland, New Zealand.
Paul pastored a multicultural church in Hong Kong for ten years and was a professor at a leading business school. Ranked as one of the world’s most prolific scholars in the field of international business, Paul writes regularly at escapetoreality.org and his latest project is thegracecommentary.com.
Paul lives with his wife and their four children in Auckland, New Zealand.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 30, 2021
God so loved the world and doesn’t play favorites. Book club book that I read twice and may read again. As believers, we are in Union w Jesus. He is the head. All healthy relationships stem from him, along w mutual respect and submission. We need each other. Varied diverse opinions and perspectives make us all better. Fascinating to think of snake lying to Adam and Eve together. They ate from the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil together. They were each other’s helpmate. Praise God for Jesus, who brought made perfect Union w Him available.
May 8, 2021
So much encouragement! Women are not second-class. May others finally come to the realization that we are all equal in Christ Jesus!
January 2, 2025
I’ve long had the suspicion that something “just wasn’t right” about traditional conservative teachings on women in the church. “Wait,” I always thought. “You’re telling me that God saved me and gave me every spiritual blessing in Christ, but He won’t let me teach about it because I’m a woman? If God gave me this passion to share the good news of His love and grace, why would He then turn around and tell me to keep my mouth shut and leave it to the men? (Or to limit my teaching to women and children?)”
Thanks to Paul Ellis’s book The Silent Queen, I’ve learned that most of these things I grew up hearing are entirely a human construct. The book starts with the most important point in this conversation, from Genesis 1-3: God created men and women in His image, as equals. He commissioned us to rule over His creation together, in partnership. But as a result of sin, misogyny and patriarchy entered the world. The silencing and oppression of women was not how God created things to work, it is not how things will work in His coming Kingdom, and it is not how He wants His church to work today.
So what about all of the New Testament verses that supposedly say things like: women are weaker than men, women must be silent, or women are saved by having babies? In The Silent Queen, Paul Ellis addresses these controversial verses one by one. He explains that most of these teachings are based on misinterpretations, and even mis-translations of the original texts. He also highlights the important historical and cultural contexts of each verse, delving into the Jewish laws and ancient Greek philosophies that contributed to that time's misogynistic attitudes and oppressive treatment of women.
It turns out God isn’t sexist, and many of the conservative teachings on so-called “biblical womanhood” are rooted in pagan philosophy. By asserting that women are commanded by God to submit to male authority in both the home and the church, these teachings actually go against God’s design for equal partnership. This book has affirmed my growing suspicion that every Christian should be a feminist.
One of my favorite parts of this book was the discussion on how truly biblical partnership in marriage is neither complementarian nor egalitarian. God’s way is entirely different: a way of mutual love, service, and submission of each gender to the other.
My only complaint about this book? It’s too short! The Silent Queen is an overview, touching briefly on each of the most controversial Bible verses about women. As such, it doesn't go into excessive detail on any one point. It left me with unanswered questions. While Dr. Ellis does address common objections and misinterpretations of controversial verses, the explanations are brief and a bit simplistic. Considering that, this book can be treated as an introduction and a launching pad into the topic of Christian feminism. If you want to go deeper, there are dozens of books and articles referenced in the book's extensive footnotes.
My gratitude to Paul Ellis for using his voice to speak up for women. This book has encouraged me to use my voice and act upon my passion for teaching and preaching the gospel!
Thanks to Paul Ellis’s book The Silent Queen, I’ve learned that most of these things I grew up hearing are entirely a human construct. The book starts with the most important point in this conversation, from Genesis 1-3: God created men and women in His image, as equals. He commissioned us to rule over His creation together, in partnership. But as a result of sin, misogyny and patriarchy entered the world. The silencing and oppression of women was not how God created things to work, it is not how things will work in His coming Kingdom, and it is not how He wants His church to work today.
So what about all of the New Testament verses that supposedly say things like: women are weaker than men, women must be silent, or women are saved by having babies? In The Silent Queen, Paul Ellis addresses these controversial verses one by one. He explains that most of these teachings are based on misinterpretations, and even mis-translations of the original texts. He also highlights the important historical and cultural contexts of each verse, delving into the Jewish laws and ancient Greek philosophies that contributed to that time's misogynistic attitudes and oppressive treatment of women.
It turns out God isn’t sexist, and many of the conservative teachings on so-called “biblical womanhood” are rooted in pagan philosophy. By asserting that women are commanded by God to submit to male authority in both the home and the church, these teachings actually go against God’s design for equal partnership. This book has affirmed my growing suspicion that every Christian should be a feminist.
One of my favorite parts of this book was the discussion on how truly biblical partnership in marriage is neither complementarian nor egalitarian. God’s way is entirely different: a way of mutual love, service, and submission of each gender to the other.
My only complaint about this book? It’s too short! The Silent Queen is an overview, touching briefly on each of the most controversial Bible verses about women. As such, it doesn't go into excessive detail on any one point. It left me with unanswered questions. While Dr. Ellis does address common objections and misinterpretations of controversial verses, the explanations are brief and a bit simplistic. Considering that, this book can be treated as an introduction and a launching pad into the topic of Christian feminism. If you want to go deeper, there are dozens of books and articles referenced in the book's extensive footnotes.
My gratitude to Paul Ellis for using his voice to speak up for women. This book has encouraged me to use my voice and act upon my passion for teaching and preaching the gospel!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews