Prophets today are prioritizing the importance and inclusion of women’s voices and their contributions in the kingdom of God. Courtesy of Intellectual Reserve, Inc.

Abstract: Prophets today are inviting women to use their voices and are prioritizing the importance and inclusion of women’s voices and their contributions in the kingdom of God—both those from scripture and history as well as those in our religious education classes. As religious educators we must be aware of this priority, and we have a responsibility to create environments that generate greater gender equality in religious education classrooms. This article will address three obstacles to embracing women’s voices and provide suggested solutions to that end.

Keywords: women, gender equality, teaching the gospel, education, scriptures

“Women are a vital voice,” declared President M. Russell Ballard, then acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.[1] The scriptures, the ongoing Restoration, and present settings across the world are replete with women who courageously let their vital voices be heard. Jesus Christ is the best example of valuing women’s voices and lived experiences.[2] He instructed women, let them serve him, healed them, included them, honored them, taught doctrine using them as examples, and respected their contributions. He emphasized that women are valued and hold an important part in his Father’s plan.

In the early days of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Emily Richards had an experience that impacted her. She recalled how Eliza R. Snow exhorted her to use her voice: “The first time [she] asked me to speak in a meeting, I could not, and she said, ‘Never mind, but when you are asked to speak again, try and have something to say,’ and I did.”[3] As Eliza R. Snow did with Emily Richards, prophets today are inviting women to use their voices. They are prioritizing the importance and inclusion of women’s voices and their contributions in the kingdom of God and emphasizing the need to encourage and elevate women.[4] To capture this prophetic priority, I have provided some abbreviated quotations that illustrate this emphasis on the vital voice of women. However, there are more than just these, many more.

To begin, President Russell M. Nelson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, clearly exhorts women by pleading, “We need your voices. The kingdom of God is not and cannot be complete without . . . women who can speak with the power and authority of God!”[5] President Henry B. Eyring, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, specified, “As the beloved daughters of Heavenly Father, and as the daughters of the Lord Jesus Christ in His kingdom, you will play a crucial part in the grand times ahead.”[6]

President Ballard placed importance on the influence of women’s voices when he stated, “We need more of the distinctive, influential voices and faith of women.”[7] In the Liahona magazine he exhorted, “The Church needs the voice and faith of women. . . . I invite particularly the sisters throughout the Church to seek the guidance of heaven in knowing what they can do to let their voice of faith and testimony be heard. . . . The power of the voice of a converted woman is immeasurable, and the Church needs your voices now more than ever.”[8] And to all he said, “[Sisters] want to be heard and valued and want to make meaningful contributions. . . . Brethren, please be sure you are seeking the vital input of the sisters.”[9] Besides the credibility and needed audibility of women’s voices, President Ballard emphasized the need for women’s influence: “Never doubt that your influence is absolutely vital. . . . This Church will not reach its foreordained destiny without you.”[10] Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles also implored women to raise their voices: “Sisters, . . . do not be afraid to apply [your] influence without fear or apology. ‘Be ready always to give an answer to every [man, woman, and child] that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you’ (1 Peter 3:15). ‘Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine’ (2 Timothy 4:2).”[11]

We must note that this counsel does not mean that people are intentionally seeking to overlook women. But with these instructions regarding hearing and elevating the voices of women, clearly the prophets of God are encouraging change and emphasizing the vibrant need for women’s voices to be woven with the voices of men into the work of the Lord more completely than ever before.

Our role as religious educators places us in a crucial position to address the pleas of the prophets. Highlighting female voices and giving greater attention to gender equality in religious education courses will greatly contribute to following the prophets’ direction. The doctrine of women and men working together must be uncovered in sacred texts, explained, modeled, and enhanced in the classroom.

This is just a brief overview of the many prophetic teachings about the importance of women’s voices and their crucial role. The invitation for women to use their voices has been there from the beginning of the Restoration and continues. And like Emily Richards experienced, the obstacles have also been there from the beginning and continue. The introduction to the book At The Pulpit: 185 Years of Discourses by Latter-day Saint Women explains it this way: “Notwithstanding the tradition of Mormon women’s discourses, many Latter-day Saint women have been reluctant to speak or preach publicly for a variety of reasons, both cultural and personal.”[12] As religious educators we must be aware of this priority the prophets have placed on valuing the voices of women, and we have a responsibility to create environments that generate greater gender equality in religious education classrooms.

Religious education instructors, courses, and classrooms all have a part to play in helping the female students in our seminary and institute classes to overcome obstacles and speak with authority. There are many ways we can address this call from the prophets for the benefit of the work of the Lord. This article will address three obstacles to embracing women’s voices and provide suggested solutions to that end. These suggested solutions follow the instructional design of Church education with attention to our teaching being scripture based, learner focused, and Christ centered. Consider the implications of these solutions for not only our female students but also our male students and how overcoming these challenges can contribute to the work of the Lord.

Obstacle: A Lack of Female Voices in the Scriptures and the Classroom

Growing up in a family with six sisters and one brother, I did not feel a lack of female voices or influence in my life. However, when I went on my mission, when I majored in biology at university, and when I became employed by Seminary and Institutes twenty-six years ago, I certainly did. I was outnumbered and underrepresented. That lack became an obstacle for me at times as I sought to accomplish what I had set out to do.

For some, this lack of female voices, presence, or influence may not be felt as dramatically as for others. But with the interconnected nature of God’s divine plan, the lack is not meant to be. As Genesis 2:18 says, “It is not good that the man should be alone.” Eva M. Witesman, professor in the Brigham Young University Marriott School of Business, explained, “Women’s stories are powerful, and they haven’t always been told. . . . Women’s voices are needed in all echelons of human activity. . . . Women frequently persevere in the face of insensitive comments on the part of those around them.”[13] Having studied and researched women in the scriptures and having taught the Women in the Scriptures course in institute multiple times, I have been able to detect about 120 women mentioned by name in the Old Testament. In the New Testament about thirty-six women are mentioned by name that are from that time period, with ten from the Old Testament also mentioned by name in the New Testament.[14] In the Book of Mormon there are only six.[15] Generally speaking, female titles and pronouns are not used nearly as often as those for males, and there are even fewer verses where women are speaking and their words are recorded.

The stories of women in the scriptures that do exist are often, and hopefully unintentionally, omitted in religious education courses. Instructors may leave these female figures out for a variety of reasons. One reason might be because there is a separate course for the study of them.[16] While some may argue that separate courses on topics of women’s studies promote empowering women or more liberal attitudes toward women, others argue that it carries an underlying message of social displacement.[17] Another reason why women might be omitted from course curriculums could be tied to limited time in a classroom. Also, scriptural authors are male, and scriptures are thus written from a male outlook. Regardless of purpose or intent in our omission, the paucity of women’s voices can suggest to some that they are less important and impactful.

The reasons listed previously are valid; however, learning experiences need women’s voices in the context they belong—within the scriptural text. A female institute student registered at the Logan Institute of Religion in 2021 expressed her feelings about the absences of scriptural female figures in this manner:

I don’t know why we don’t talk more about these women [referring to the women in scripture class]. I mean, like the women specifically, I don’t remember ever hearing about them in young women’s or seminary or anything which I don’t understand. I could name maybe Ruth and Naomi and Eve. Those are like maybe the only women I would have been able to tell you about. And also is the fact that I actually need to take a women in the scriptures course to learn about women in the scriptures is a little frustrating to me. Because I feel that should be just taught in every class. There should be just as much emphasis placed on these women. If you think about these scriptures, it’s not something they are just writing down or typing on a keyboard. Someone was sitting down and taking the time to write out all of this information in a task that was pretty laborious. And I think if there are women specifically mentioned in there, especially with the culture of women maybe not exactly having the same standing as men, if they are mentioned in these scriptures there is a reason. And so, I think we need to place more emphasis on that.[18]

Jennifer Reeder, historian at the Church History Department, said that when women are omitted from the mainstream scriptural courses, it signals to women and men alike about women’s place in God’s kingdom and his latter-day Church.[19] Those underlying messages, when left uncorrected, can impact our students. For example, one institute student said, “We learn a lot about all the men that are in the Bible and that’s great. I mean, they are fabulous, and I love what they did. But there are also women as well. And I think that is really important. It is super important because, you know, there are two genders, and we want to have equality. Kind of like validation. So, we can feel validated in the scriptures.”[20]

Another institute student explained it this way: “We hear about all the prophets, but I don’t feel like we hear about the prophetesses. I also feel like we don’t understand what that means. That also maybe why it’s not taught as much because it raises a lot of questions like, why don’t we have prophetesses now? I think that could also contribute to why we we’re kind of like shy about it. But I don’t feel like we should be. Like, I feel we deserve to hear about them.”[21]

The different genders interface with scripture language in different and valuable ways. Lisa Olsen Tait, managing historian of the Church History Department, explained that scriptures contain an intertextuality where language from the different books intersect, and each reader has a different frame of reference they bring when interacting with that text.[22] Gathering that diversity in religious education classes can enrich and expand any learning experience, increase understanding, and deepen conversion.

The Lord wants women gathered into and unified in the work. Another institute student believes we can see the efforts the Church is making in this regard. She explains, “Maybe not everyone has paid attention to it, but the Church in recent years . . . has been trying to help women, it seems. That sounds patronizing—but, like, make women more visible, more heard, have more leadership roles, and more role models to look up to.”[23] With this principle of gathering in mind, consider what the Lord may be trying to restore regarding the voice and role of women. As all things are gathered in Christ, beautiful things happen.

Scripture-Based Solution: Gather, Amplify, and Use Women’s Voices from the Scriptures

In one of the first conversations recorded in scripture between Heavenly Father and his Son, this immensely powerful statement is given: “It is not good that the man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18). This is perhaps the sum of the plan of God. God’s plan is about unifying individuals with each other and with him. His plan is about covenant relationships. His plan is one of gender equality and inclusivity that illustrates synergy and cooperation, particularly with men and women operating together. This is also apparent in the first chapters of the Bible as Heavenly Father commands Eve and Adam to be one, to work together as equal partners, to have dominion, and to be helpmeets to each other (Genesis 1:26–28; 2:19, 24).

The Lord wants women gathered into and unified in the work. Courtesy of Intellectual Reserve, Inc.

This could also be the plan of religious educators as we seek ways to amplify and utilize the voices and experiences of women in combination with men in our classes. One way to do this is to develop places for discussion that encourage examination of female and male perspectives and why those perspectives are different. For example, Adam and Eve are one, yet they also have different perspectives and ways of thinking, both of which are valuable. It is interesting that they even speak of and think of their transgression in diverse ways. Adam praises God and says, “Because of my transgression . . . I shall have joy” (Moses 5:10). Eve is recorded as saying something similar but from a different viewpoint. She says, “Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known . . . the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient” (Moses 5:11). Adam’s perspective was that of “my” and “I.” Eve’s perspective was that of “our” and “we.”[24] Even though Eve and Adam thought differently, they were still one as God had asked them to be.

Another way to develop skills to look for and find women in the scriptures is to create an environment in the classroom that is “complementary rather than competitive” between genders. Former Relief Society General President Jean B. Bingham profoundly taught in general conference about the benefit of women and men being united in God’s work. She said, “One of the keys is to understand that when women and men work together, we accomplish a great deal more than we do working separately. Our roles are complementary rather than competitive.”[25]

This skill can be employed when teaching about unified couples found in the scriptural narrative. Eve and Adam are notable examples of this unity, this cooperation between female and male. Seeing they were as one and cleaved together as he had commanded, God “called their name Adam” (Genesis 5:2; Moses 6:9). President Henry B. Eyring said, “It was Eve who received the knowledge that Adam needed to partake of the fruit of the tree of knowledge for them to keep all of God’s commandments and to form a family. I do not know why it came to Eve first, but Adam and Eve were perfectly united when the knowledge was poured out on Adam.”[26] From this initial narrative, the scriptures illustrate how men and women should be unified. Using this family name sheds light upon the terminology used when speaking of the decision that caused them to be cast from the garden—Adam’s transgression. It was their family decision together and they were united. Purposeful work builds relationships and God is a God of relationships. Heavenly Father purposefully left things in this world incomplete so female and male, out of necessity, would need to work together.

In the same vein, the same doctrine may be true for the word Abraham as used in the title for the covenant. Like Eve and Adam, the unity between Sarah and Abraham is visible in the scriptures. The Abrahamic covenant cannot be given to Abraham, or any one individual, if the corresponding counterpart is missing. “I will make of thee a great nation, . . . and thou shalt be a blessing unto thy seed after thee, . . . and [they] shall rise up and bless thee, as their father” (Abraham 2:9–10). Obviously, seed and fatherhood and nations would be impossible from Abraham without Sarah, his wife counterpart. However, even though there are more scripture verses about Sarah than any other woman, often instructors teach this largely from Abraham’s assessment. What an opportunity to model constructive interaction, unity, and covenant relationships using these and many other scriptural accounts in which male and female were both vital for God’s eternal plan and the eternal destinies of all his children.

At Women’s Conference at Brigham Young University in 2015, President Ballard spoke on the essential role of women in the Church and in the days preparatory to the Savior’s Second Coming. He acknowledged the desire people have to see women in the scriptures and encouraged everyone to develop the skills to do this:

Some women wish they could find more stories of women in the scriptures and in Church history. We need to develop the skill to find their influence, as did one young sister. She said, “Mormon must have had an amazing wife to have raised a remarkable son like Moroni!” If you look carefully and with the right spirit, you can find similar manifestations of effective nurturing throughout the scriptures. For a number of years now, the Church has focused attention on the faithful sisters in the Church and their contributions. . . . As we look for and find women in our scriptures and in our history, we will see better the power and influence women have in our family, community, the Church, and the world.[27]

With the lack of women’s names and voices in the scriptures, it is important not to minimize or disregard women figures present in scriptural text but to balance methods to gather them into the instruction and discussion. No religious educator will ever have enough time to include everything from the scriptures into seminary or institute lessons. We all have to make selections on where to spend our time. Weighing and balancing topics about women to include in our lesson plans will pay great dividends.

For some time the Church Educational System has been striving to include and share stories of women in the scriptures through developed courses and enhanced curriculum. While women in the scriptures might be scarce or hard to find, women in our seminary and institute classrooms are not. Like Eliza R. Snow, we can help them have a voice and use that voice. This is not an article about helping them just speak in class. It is about helping them have a voice about what is going on with the women in scripture. Then we need to help them use their lived experiences to help the rest of the class understand and apply things from the women in the scriptures. Some hermeneutics, or methods of interpreting the scriptures, can help us accomplish this goal.

One of those is a gender-sensitive hermeneutic that aims to promote greater gender equality and facilitate inclusive application. It is a student-active type of hermeneutics where students seek to understand what is happening to women in any given passage of the scriptures. Questions like “What was/is happening to women? What were/are women doing and thinking? [and] What was/is the relative status of women and men?” encourage exploration and discovery as teacher expertise and student experience meld.[28] The purpose of this hermeneutic is to empower and encourage student participation considering what is plausible given the context of the scripture history. In the scriptures, meaning is discovered through the relationship between the reader and the text.[29]

This method has merit in facilitating application. One female student described it in this manner when she said,

There was a lot I learned about them [referring to women in the scriptures]. . . . But after taking the class it did help me see more of what was going on and how that was applicable to me. You know, I do not plan on being caught in adultery or having an issue of blood or anything like that, but I definitely feel like there is a lot we can learn from them. Because a lot of the feelings they were feeling is a lot like what women feel today. Like women today. They feel that hopelessness they were feeling. It definitely does change when you look more at the person instead of at the problem they were having.[30]

Another student expressed, “I really do think that focusing on women in the scriptures changes things than focusing just on the scriptures. Just because it makes it a little bit more relatable. . . . Like, build on women because that’s what I care about, you know?”[31] Female and male experiences of interacting with the scriptures are so different, and much can be learned as both perspectives are intentionally included.

There is no “neutral interpretation” of the scriptures, for all students bring forth meaning in correlation to lived experiences, personal needs, and interests.[32] Religious educators can also move their instruction to a “many-pointedness” model to help women’s voices be heard and resonate with female and male students.[33]

Therefore, we can also develop the skill of amplifying the voices of women and utilizing women’s lived experiences in the classroom to help people understand what women might be feeling or experiencing in the scriptures. Placing value on the women in the scriptures as human beings with lived experiences can empower women, deepen gospel understanding, and build unity. Also placing value on the women in religious education classrooms as human beings with lived experiences can empower all students and give them confidence to draw on those experiences and engage with the scriptures on a personal level.[34]

Many hermeneutical methods are designed to promote and include female voices. Some may argue that these hermeneutical devices are not realistic, but I would invite educators to reflect on the potential benefit of these devices when adopted and adapted to fit the class. We can approach the disconnect of male and female voices in the scriptures, acknowledging that some methodologies can hinder and others can help with women empowerment.[35] Some interpretive approaches are less effective at promoting women’s voices and worth, and therefore, as teachers we should take care to select those methodologies that not only are scripture based but will also promote gender equality in our classrooms.

Integrating women’s voices and lived experiences into the teaching of Church doctrine and history makes every voice important. In a study on pedagogic practice in religious education, Catherine Robinson and Denise Cush, reported that rethinking women in the scriptures is not important just for women but for both men and women. This rethinking advocates for a collaborative relationship between men and women and promotes a holistic view of the word of God.[36]

Dr. L. M. Mudimeli, head of the Department of Human Sciences at the University of Venda in South Africa, conducted research with Reverend J. D. N. van der Westhuizen on the empowerment of women. A device they found impactful encourages the study of scriptures using the unheard voices of scriptural women to empower women today. This hermeneutical device contests perceptions that are harmful to women and strives to provide an environment that promotes dignity to women’s lives through a critical analysis of the text, focusing on Jesus and his response to women.[37] Gathering in this way teaches that the sources of scriptural wisdom and religious authority are both women and men.[38]

Women relate scriptures to themselves that are written to men and by men all the time. Yet the reverse is not always true; male students are often less comfortable relating themselves to women in the scriptures. They perhaps see these women as good examples that can be likened to women in their lives but not always as easily to themselves. However, as President Nelson explains, “Important lessons . . . may be learned from women of the scriptures.”[39] A female institute student explained it this way when she said, “Very rarely do we have scriptures like D&C 25. Boys struggle so hard to try and relate this to them even though that is what we do all the time. And so, I think that’s hard. . . . I didn’t realize that in the back of my brain I am filtering through which things are for me and which things are for everybody, and which things are just for men.”[40]

Female and male points of view have value. Anneke Viljoen, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pretoria in the Department of Old Testament Studies, claimed that imaginational engagement with the scriptural text can bring male and female views into balance. One last suggestion is this hermeneutical device, which uses personal frames of reference and invites students to employ a biblically informed imagination as a vehicle in the interpretation process. This device allows imagination to help the inquiry method during the reading process and then produces a wondering that leads to exploration.[41] The readers start actively engaging in the text by imagining themselves there, whereby they then ask themselves what they are experiencing by imagining the senses that would be involved. The content and context of the scriptural text works in cooperation with what they process in that second step, and they follow up by determining what it all teaches them of God, themselves, or life and the world.[42] Everyone imagines things in diverse ways, which would allow personal frames of reference to add greater dimension to scriptural figures.

Individual religious educators who are striving to develop and use skills encouraged by President Ballard are making a difference. For example, look at what one student commented on about the experience she was having at institute:

I know my confidence to read the Bible kind of sparked when I realized how much women were talked about in the Bible. . . . Once I saw that there was so much more to learn out there than just like the ministry of Jesus Christ and what his Apostles did, then it became a lot more applicable and that is when my relationship with the Bible started, when I realized that even though it is about Jesus Christ and his apostles, there [are] also women in there that we can learn from and things from their lives that we can apply to ourselves even though we are not men in the Church.[43]

As there becomes a greater inclusion of female figures from the scriptures into religion classes, male students will find additional scripture friends and heroines in these female figures, which will only deepen their conversion. Additionally, by developing skills to look for women and find their influence in the scriptures and by employing a few different pedagogies, we can align with current prophetic charges to a greater degree.

Obstacle: Gender Differences in Learning

While there may be a lack of female voices in the scriptures, there is not a lack in our classes. Gender matters in so many things, including learning and teaching. To state it simply, men and women learn differently. Dr. Leonard Sax, a psychologist and physician, has concentrated his studies on the importance of gender. He reports that there are sex differences in noncognitive parameters that are relevant to how male and female students learn, and these sex differences in autonomic functions have significant impact on education.[44] Since there are physiological differences that play a role in learning, it makes sense that these differences should also play a part in the teaching and learning accomplished in religious education settings.

Female and male students hear and respond to different learning and teaching styles. One noncognitive parameter that effects learning is hearing. For this article there are two things to consider regarding how this parameter effects learning. First, the women’s sense of hearing is more sensitive than that of men. Men generally respond better to instructions that are short, direct, and loud, while women respond to less direct commands in a softer tone.[45] Male learners may disengage from a female teacher or speaker because the female tone of voice is too mild, and the reverse can also be true when the male tone of voice is too loud and a female student disengages. Thus, even the gender of the teacher can affect learning. While I found this to be compelling, this research focuses on younger students who are the same age as seminary youth and does not include the age group of young adults. This would be a wonderful point of research to see what implications this has for those of institute age.

Second, because of the difference in hearing, men engage differently than women in discussions. When men are involved in a discussion or dialogue, the rate of the verbal exchange is fast and loud, and the men will outnumber the women in comments and lead the discussion, even if the discussion was initiated by the women. Research shows that men tend to dominate discussions (either intentionally or unintentionally), while women often respond in fewer decibels, appearing meek or timid.[46] Because of the loudness of the voices in the discussion, women are more likely to be spoken over, misunderstood, or unheard. Even when classroom discussions are guided well by religious educators, there is a great likelihood that a woman will shut down, self-silence, and disengage from the learning environment when she feels spoken over. Belonging should always be a priority, and as we are aware of and sensitive to these learning differences, we can greatly improve a sense of belonging for all students in our classrooms.

The Journal of Psychology and Christianity published a study conducted in 2017 about gender and religion. In that study it was found that the more that assumed gender role ideologies are taught, the more likely some female students will self-silence, limiting their own voice in important matters.[47] While these assumed gender role ideologies are most likely not being taught consciously in our classrooms, some of our female students are hearing stereotypical messages about women from the scriptures. As with gender differences in hearing mentioned previously, women who self-silence are less engaged in the learning process because lack of confidence has shut them down, and they become more concerned about how they are feeling than about what they might be learning.

Another gender difference is illustrated in the following table from Dr. Carol Gilligan, a retired professor of education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. In her book In a Different Voice, Gilligan presents a theory of moral development, which claims that women tend to think and speak in a different way than men when they confront ethical dilemmas. Gilligan contrasts a feminine ethic of care with a masculine ethic of justice. She believes women speak with a different but not inferior voice.[48]

Table 1

This can be summarized by saying women think relationally and men think hierarchically. When women self-silence, they are thinking not only about their feelings but about how the experience affects their relationships with others in the classroom.

One other gender difference to be considered was shared in a study by Lee Ellis, Anthony W. Hoskin, and Malini Ratnasingam, which pointed out that men appear to welcome risk-taking while women are more hesitant to take risks.[49] This risk factor plays a role in learning, as there are potential risks in being incorrect in verbal or written responses. Religion and religious education are risky businesses considering that, according to Dr. Michele A. Connolly, an associate professor at the Catholic Institute of Sydney, a person may be risking their eternal salvation if incorrect.[50] Women sometimes feel less confident in studying, teaching, and expounding scriptures because they risk being wrong. Connolly explains that many fear if their scriptural interpretation is done incorrectly, they will fall out of their faith or cause others to do so.[51] With this knowledge and understanding, educators can be sensitive to these concerns and help female students become firmer in their gospel scholarship, testimony, and faith.

The differences in how risk is approached leads us to examine how women interact with sacred texts and religion differently than men. Women read the scriptures for many reasons. Amy Easton-Flake, associate professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University, explains that women read scripture differently in that many of them read to seek a source of comfort, a source of examples, and a source of liberation.[52] Women of faith read scriptures to engage with God and his word, to build their faith, and to gain spiritual sustenance, yet often these women seek others to expound the text for them.[53]

In 2017 the Baylor Religion Survey reported that 36 percent of Christian women interact weekly or daily with the scriptures but are more likely than men to use a commentary or study guide to engage with the word.[54] Women who study the scriptures often read a passage and ponder on what it means to them instead of interpreting what God’s teachings are in the context of the text because they frequently feel they lack the confidence to tackle that depth of study.[55] Women will rely on a study book, examining what has already been written, or attend a women’s study group where they pick topics that are comfortable for them to ensure they will be uplifted, instead of tackling challenging passages to seek a deeper connection with their scriptural study.[56]

Some scriptural texts present women in dangerous or abusive situations. While men are also found in the scriptures in similar situations, gendered perspectives could help deepen understanding. The Maxwell Institute Podcast interviewed Joseph M. Spencer about his theological introduction to 1 Nephi. Part of this podcast examined the question of “How on earth do we make sense of gender in the text of the Book of Mormon?” Spencer explains,

Readers find few women in the Book of Mormon and fewer with names. When women do appear, they’re generally nameless and faceless, grouped with the children in the background while men stand at center stage. An alarming number of the stories involving women feature violence, whether attempted or actually accomplished. . . . Despite the book’s inclusion of some stories of promise for its female characters—for example, Abish—some lament that they have to suppress or ignore an implicit message regarding gender to find value in scripture. And there’s reason to think that the problem begins already with 1 Nephi.[57]

Spencer explains a bit of this struggle for gender equality and how it can be difficult. There is a great need to reconcile it. For example, women’s voices can be hard to find in 1 Nephi. The commentator stated, “So, the Book of Mormon in that way can sort of give an example of, or . . . prompt readers to think about better ways that women’s voices can be included in the community.”

Spencer points out, “I think the overarching message of the Book of Mormon regarding gender, ironically—and it takes some time to spell it out in detail—is that one of the reasons the Nephites are destroyed is because of what’s happening with [the treatment of] women.” There are messages all throughout the scriptures that teach this same principle. Lehi was given commandments regarding women (1 Nephi 7:1–2; Jacob 2:34), and Jacob reminds his people of the importance of that doctrine (Jacob 3:7; see Alma 30:18; Moroni 9:7–10). Gender equality matters, and as Spencer puts it, “Hey, Israel in the last days—get gender equality right, or destruction looms!”[58] To be more learner focused, it is crucial to positively and effectively honor gender differences when teaching doctrines of the gospel as contained in the scriptures.

Learner-Focused Solution: Honor Gender Differences and Promote Gender Equality

Women do not want to be treated like men. They want to be treated as equal partners, unified in the work of God, yet with different ways of thinking, feeling, acting, and being. One way to promote gender equality and honor gender differences is to be observant of disengagement and potential reasons for it as listed in the previous section. Disengagement may look like a student who started to say something and got cut off, interrupted, spoken over, or shut down. Did they move from interested and participatory to removed and preoccupied, maybe even with their head down? Educators can tell a great deal about the learning environment through simple observations, and when we see disengagement, the cause may be that gender differences were not honored. Simple explanations to the students could be all it takes to navigate the ways that gender differences in hearing are affecting learning in the classroom. President Ballard clarified the ways of the Lord when he stated, “I encourage you brethren to listen carefully as well as the sisters because I believe there are some truths that both women and men need to understand about the essential role women have in strengthening and building up the kingdom of God on the earth.”[59]

Another way to honor gender differences is to be cautious about blurring how important those differences are in God’s plan. Sometimes we want to shy away from this topic, thinking that it will help alleviate some potentially difficult questions. Elder D. Todd Christofferson explained that an “area of concern comes from those who, in the name of equality, want to erase all differences between the masculine and the feminine.”[60] However, it is teaching these differences clearly and with grace and compassion that will have the greatest impact. President Dallin H. Oaks, First Counselor in the First Presidency, insisted it is important to oppose things that “homogenize the differences between men and women.”[61] One item for consideration is how often we address our classes with the term guys. That may spark ideas of how we can be more attentive to and honor gender differences rather than homogenizing them. The differences between women and men make a great combination when highlighted, synergized, and unified in the work of God.

Honoring gender differences also can be accomplished by showing how they are needed and important. In the world today, it can feel difficult to find true examples of unity between women and men. There are certainly glimpses of this in the temple and the ordinances performed there. Truly, it is modeled and more clearly taught there than any other place. “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” also promotes the synergy and unity of women and men working together to bring to pass the work of God. However, there are occasions where attempts to elevate women inadvertently demean or devalue men. This should not be the case.

Religious education is a wonderful place to provide examples of unity and synergy. Men and women’s voices and experiences are interwoven all throughout scripture. Elder Neal A. Maxwell spoke on this subject at the April general conference in 1978:

We know so little, brothers and sisters, about the reasons for the division of duties between womanhood and manhood. . . . These were divinely determined in another time and another place. We are accustomed to focusing on the men of God because theirs is the priesthood and leadership line. But paralleling that authority line is a stream of righteous influence reflecting the remarkable women of God who have existed in all ages and dispensations, including our own. Greatness is not measured by coverage in column inches, either in newspapers or in the scriptures. The story of the women of God, therefore, is, for now, an untold drama within a drama. . . . In the work of the Kingdom, men and women are not without each other, but do not envy each other, lest by reversals and renunciations of role we make a wasteland of both womanhood and manhood.[62]

Another technique to honor gender differences and promote gender equality is to seek both perspectives. This technique correlates to a skill mentioned previously with solutions for the first obstacle. We can employ another gender-sensitive hermeneutical device to examine how a scriptural writer’s “gender, ethnicity, class, et cetera” played a role in the structure and content of the scriptural text. This method then involves a student’s own “gender, race, class, religion, et cetera” to support thinking about how they intersect with those of the writer and can reveal voices that were otherwise unheard or principles that were otherwise unknown.[63] This methodology of acknowledging gendered perspectives helps bring to light the different interactions women and men have with scriptural texts. It can really make a difference, as observed by a female institute student when she explained, “But engaging with female instruction has been very mind opening because it has allowed me to pay attention to those different parts of the gender roles we have. Like, I never felt like my instruction of the Bible was tailored to me. As a female I’d never considered how my role as a female worked in the work of salvation as much as when I have engaged with the Bible with a female perspective versus a male perspective.”[64]

As religious educators use this hermeneutic and acknowledge different students’ insights, it is important to acknowledge the gendered perspectives. This can be done by a simple, “Thank you, Jim. Jane, what insight would you add?” It can be followed up by asking how these two perspectives or insights are different and how they can be unified. Regarding this type of instruction, an institute student shared, “I’ve just engaged with scriptures in terms of these are scriptures. But I think now it [referring to gender] plays a bigger role in helping me. Like, looking through the lens of gender and the importance and differences between genders, it helps me solidify my understanding of women’s versus men’s roles.”[65] This result could be something that more of our female students realize and enjoy if we as religious educators take time to learn and practice honoring gender differences. However, there is a caution. When identifying the gendered perspectives, it is important to place the gendered adjective in front of both nouns and not just one. Placing an adjective in front of a noun when normally just a noun is used demonstrates hierarchy in a system that nullifies any unity previously intact. For instance, frequently we hear about what the missionaries are doing in our ward and then in the same council meeting they ask what the sister missionaries are doing. Missionaries are just missionaries. To add the word sister in front of missionaries implies they are not the missionaries but a subset of the real thing. Do we need the word sister in front? Or does it nullify the unity they previously had with the other missionaries by speaking of them in this way? Also, in this day where gender is and can be a difficult subject for some, it is important to approach these things sensitively.

Obstacle: Lack of Prototypes

From the beginning God placed prototypes on the earth for his children—not perfect archetypes that cannot be duplicated but models that can be patterned after. Adam and Eve were the first of such imperfect prototypes. As husband and wife, father and mother, priest and priestess, king and queen, they had all the designed features and functions as the original models God created and only lacked final elements. All of God’s children could look to them as examples.

Women are searching for a prototype to follow that would show them their identity and potential. The 2017 Baylor Religion Survey also reported that women yearn for the viewpoint and voice of female leaders and teachers but are feeling the lack thereof.[66] They search the scriptures as men have done and are left wanting.[67] But as was mentioned previously, there are female figures in the scriptures. They are simply not presented in equal balance with the male figures in scripture. Because of this, women and men today are unable to see strong female role models from the scriptures and Church history even though they are there. Regardless of the intent of this imbalance, one of the obstacles is the implication that women are less favored or subordinate in some way. This is an unfortunate predicament, for prototypes promote success. Here is one way an institute student expressed this search for a female prototype:

I feel like the New Testament to me has really come to life because I’ve been watching The Chosen. And I feel like the women there are so prominent. And I feel like, I mean, I haven’t realized how important representation is until recently. I know there’s always been a push for that. But I realized I didn’t think I could go to law school until I watched Legally Blonde. I had a lot of men in my family who were lawyers, and I knew women could be lawyers, but I didn’t know any that actually were. And then I watched Legally Blonde, and I went oh! OK, I could do that. And not that politics matter, but when Hillary Clinton ran for president, I thought oh! I could. I could run for president and be in politics. And so, I feel like the more women that are in scripture and the more women are talked about in scripture, the more women will be interested.[68]

It is important to acknowledge that this desire for a prototype develops for many reasons, not all known or explored. Perhaps that is why women look to other women so often, sometimes even critically. They might be looking to these other women less for comparison and more for the prototype that was lost long ago. This lack of a prototype could be why leaders, like President Nelson in his talk “A Plea to My Sisters,” exhort us to be the prototype others seek today.

One important thing women are craving is the ability to visualize their end goal. There is much talk these days about our heavenly parents, particularly about Heavenly Mother. Why is that? Why, even from the very beginnings of the Restoration, has this been a gospel topic that many have sought to uncover? Perhaps women just want to see an end goal, a vision of who and what they should become like. Generally, the female students we work with don’t find that vision in the female figures in the world. Presenting them with a vision of the type of woman God has divinely designed them to be can elevate their sights. In addition to the inspiration they draw from scriptural figures, this vision is also found in Jesus Christ.

Christ-Centered Solution: Enhance and Elevate Female Prototypes

We can find female prototypes in the female figures in the scriptures and most importantly in our Deliverer, Jesus Christ. First and foremost, Christ himself is the best prototype for all genders, even likening himself to women. He honored the role of women by likening spiritual birth, which he provides, to physical birth provided by a mother (Moses 6:59). He also likens himself to a mother hen (3 Nephi 10:4–6). This imagery of him as a mother is found in many other places as well (Doctrine and Covenants 10:64–65; 29:2; and 1 Nephi 21:15, to name a few). There are also female animals used in the sacrifices required by the law of Moses, which sacrifices are types and shadows of him and his sacrificial offering (Leviticus 3:1, 6; 4:28, 32; 5:6).

One skill we can develop is helping students understand how these symbols of Christ as a mother deepen our understanding of the importance of women in God’s plan and of the love and sacrifice of our Savior. For example, when first reading Leviticus 12, women can get the impression that women are not favored of the Lord for having a child because they are unclean and cast out of the camp for a significant period. If left to informal and uneducated interpretations, the chapter may give this unintended message. When considered with a gospel lens and within a biblical context, it is more readily apparent that this law of purification shows a God who is merciful to his daughters, giving them time to rest with their baby away from the rigors of life in the camp. This example points to the great reverence that should be paid to women who give their lives, bodies, and blood to bring forth life, just as Christ does for all who choose to be born again. Centering on Jesus Christ is always the goal, and to help us to see that more clearly, female figures and exemplars in the scriptures can be highlighted to help our students better understand him and the important role women have in the plan.

While Jesus Christ is perfect, female scriptural prototypes are not, and they do not have to be. One challenge is that often when we do study female scriptural figures and their stories, there is a tendency to be harsh in our judgment of them. Sarah and Hagar are splendid examples of this. While Sarah and Hagar are wonderful female scriptural prototypes in the book of Genesis, there is a conflict between these two women concerning their children. Typically, people feel that if a scripture figure is an exemplar, they cannot have conflict or make any incorrect decisions. We make things too binary. They need to be seemingly perfect or they cannot be a good example. In Genesis 16 when Hagar flees from Sarah, she is judged as a sinful woman and Sarah is seen as the heroine.[69] The fact is that people can learn from both women, even though neither are perfect in the handling of this situation. But both are worthy of our study and consideration. It is in viewing the conflicts, faults, mistakes, and even sins of scriptural figures and how they ultimately turn to God that people relate best to them and have a hope of becoming like them, and in turn, more like Christ.

Prototypes must also be relatable. Social psychology has shown that women’s development advances when they see other women in successful and powerful positions.[70] Women should play a leading role in other women’s development of faith.[71] Dr. Sarit Kattan Gribetz, an associate professor in the Theology Department at Fordham University, reports that women’s self-perception increases as they encounter powerful voices of other successful women.[72] In like manner, elevating female students and female figures in our curriculum as center figures of scripture study empowers and promotes the status and success of female students.[73] These women help other women to gain confidence and make a dynamic difference in their behavior because women are drawn to these types of figures, especially when they bolster their own idea of self or their goals.[74] These exemplars will also help our male students to better understand Jesus Christ and his atoning sacrifice. It should not be assumed that successful and powerful positions extend only to women with academic or career achievements, for exemplars of power and success extend to women of faith in every walk of life.

These words from an institute student summarize how effective this is. She stated, “I did not know there were so many women in the [scriptures]. . . . I bet a lot of my LDS friends would have the same experience. Like, oh, there [are] a lot more women in here than I thought. Like, that can be more relatable. So, it’s not just, like, all old men or whatever. It’s just nice to know and it makes me stop because I didn’t even realize how many were in there, and it gives me more variety of role models . . . and I think that is valuable.”[75] Prototypes have been available for years in the scriptures, in the temple, in the leadership of the Church, and in the kingdom of God as mothers, teachers, leaders, and theologians, and their examples can be elevated and highlighted.

Conclusion

This prophetic emphasis is important—women’s voices are vital. President Nelson highlighted this vital voice when he said, “We . . . need your strength, your conversion, your conviction, your ability to lead, your wisdom, and your voices. The kingdom of God is not and cannot be complete without . . . women who can speak with the power and authority of God! . . . I plead with my sisters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to step forward! Take your rightful and needful place in your home, in your community, and in the kingdom of God—more than you ever have before. . . . As you do so, the Holy Ghost will magnify your influence in an unprecedented way!”[76] This rightful place is not in front of or behind their male counterparts, it is beside them. Therefore, women’s experiences and voices need to be utilized in religious education courses and classroom settings.

Chad H Webb, administrator of Seminaries and Institutes of Religion, addressed religious educators and said, “Whatever may change or might be emphasized in our efforts to effectively teach the gospel, what will never change is that we will be Christ-centered, learner-focused, and scripture-based. And we will always try to infuse our teaching and learning experiences with the inspiration and witness of the Holy Ghost. All we do should deepen our conversion to Jesus Christ and His restored gospel because He is the answer to their challenges and questions. He is the God of their deliverance and redemption.”[77]

We can be scripture based in our teaching as we seek to elevate the voices and lived experiences of women in the scriptures. The doctrine of women and men working in synergy needs to be highlighted and elevated more than ever before in religious education courses and classrooms. Gathering in one all things in Christ means being wary of how the gendered voices and experiences in the scriptures are used. Also, instead of isolating male and female figures in the scriptures, they should be spoken of in complementary and synergistic ways.

We can be more learner focused as we are attentive to gender differences in learning. People must be willing to put away segregation and disharmony or there will never be unity. Gathering women’s voices—voices from the scriptures and voices from the classroom—need to come together and be joined with the men’s voices to elevate all God’s children.

We can also be even more Christ centered as religious education makes female prototypes strong and visible, highlighting them as they point to Christ. There is something of divinity in people that emerges when they seek to unify one with another. Gathering all things of the gospel, integrating the voices of men and women in our classes to demonstrate synergy and unity, developing skills to honor gender differences, and highlighting female prototypes will help women and men come unto Christ and be converted to him.

Notes

[1] M. Russell Ballard, “The Voice of Women,” video, Church News, November 3, 2022.

[2] James E. Talmage’s commentary on Jesus’s treatment of women is probably the most well-known statement and perhaps the most cited. See Jesus the Christ, 3rd ed. (Deseret News, 1916), 475; see also Robert Lund and Marie Lund, “The Savior’s Respect for Women,” Liahona, March 2015, 50–57.

[3] Emily S. Richards, “General Conference Relief Society,” Woman’s Exponent 30, no. 7 (December 1901): 54.

[4] Marianne Holman Prescott, “Women’s Voices Past and Present Impact General Conference and the Church for Good,” Church News, October 5, 2018.

[5] Russell M. Nelson, “A Plea to My Sisters,” general conference talk, October 2015, www.churchofjesuschrist.org.

[6] Henry B. Eyring, “Sisters in Zion,” general conference talk, October 2020, www.churchofjesuschrist.org.

[7] M. Russell Ballard, “Let Us Think Straight,” Brigham Young University devotional, August 20, 2013, https://speeches.byu.edu.

[8] M. Russell Ballard, “Men and Women and Priesthood Power,” Liahona, September 2014, 32–33.

[9] M. Russell Ballard, “Strength in Counsel,” general conference talk, October 1993, www.churchofjesuschrist.org.

[10] M. Russell Ballard, “‘Here Am I, Send Me,’” Brigham Young University devotional, March 13, 2001, https://speeches.byu.edu.

[11] D. Todd Christofferson, “The Moral Force of Women,” general conference talk, October 2013, www.churchofjesuschrist.org.

[12] Jennifer Reeder and Kate Holbrook, eds., introduction to At the Pulpit: 185 Years of Discourses by Latter-day Saint Women (Church Historian’s Press, 2017), xxii.

[13] Eva Witesman, “Women and Education: ‘A Future Only God Could See for You,’” Brigham Young University devotional, June 27, 2017, https://speeches.byu.edu.

[14] This information is not meant to be a factual number since I have not conducted a complete search of all the women listed by name in the scriptures. There are lists I have personally created, lists online by authors and scholars such as Camille Fronk Olson, and lists in the curriculum for the institute course. The numbers here were approximations from my personal study.

[15] Cassidy Nichole Pyper, “‘I Say unto You, My Brethren’: Helping Female Students See Themselves in the Book of Mormon,” Religious Educator 24, no. 3 (2023): 98–99.

[16] Just as a side note, it has been my personal experience that when I join an institute faculty, it is assumed I am going to be teaching the Women in the Scriptures course. While I love that course and have taught it many times, it is interesting that this is the role I am placed in.

[17] Heather E. Macalister, “Women’s Studies Classes and Their Influence on Student Development,” Adolescence 34, no. 134 (Summer 1999): 283–92.

[18] All student statements made throughout this article come from interviews and interactions with students at the Logan Institute of Religion. This interview was with a female institute student attending the Logan Institute of Religion on September 28, 2021, as part of a study conducted there regarding female student experiences. Fifty-two female students participated in this study. The study was endorsed by the institute director to understand the needs of the female students being taught there. This student is between the ages of eighteen and twenty. She had enrolled in three to four institute classes and is not a returned missionary.

[19] Jennifer Reeder, “Using Women’s Voices in Teaching History and Doctrine,” Religious Educator 19, no. 1 (2018): 11, 18.

[20] Interview with a female institute student attending the Logan Institute of Religion on September 15, 2021. This student is between the ages of eighteen and twenty. She had enrolled in two institute classes and is a returned missionary.

[21] Interview with a female institute student attending the Logan Institute of Religion on September 19, 2021. This student is between the ages of eighteen and twenty. She had enrolled in two institute classes and is not a returned missionary.

[22] Lisa Olsen Tait, “Gathering the Lord’s Words into One: Biblical Intertextuality in the Doctrine and Covenants,” in You Shall Have My Word: Exploring the Text of the Doctrine and Covenants, ed. Scott C. Esplin, Richard O. Cowan, and Rachel Cope (Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Deseret Book, 2012), 95. See 2 Nephi 3:12.

[23] Interview with a female institute student attending the Logan Institute of Religion on September 21, 2021. This student is between the ages of eighteen and twenty. She had enrolled in two institute classes and is not a returned missionary.

[24] During a conversation with Anna Dunavin about this article, the different approaches Adam and Eve take about their transgression were pointed out. This adds relevance to the idea of how important it is to have conversations with others to better recognize the different approaches of men and women.

[25] Jean B. Bingham, “United in Accomplishing God’s Work,” general conference talk, April 2020, www.churchofjesuschrist.org.

[26] Henry B. Erying, “Women and Gospel Learning in the Home,” general conference talk, October 2018, www.churchofjesuschrist.org.

[27] M. Russell Ballard, “The Essential Role of Women,” Liahona, March 2021, 9.

[28] Catherine Robinson and Denise Cush, “Learning and Unlearning: Some Reflections on Feminist Praxis and Pedagogic Practice in Religious Studies and Religious Education,” Religions 9, no. 4 (2018): 106.

[29] Eric Rackley, “Scripture Reading Practices of Methodist Youth,” Religious Education 112, no. 2 (2017): 137.

[30] Interview with a female institute student attending the Logan Institute of Religion on September 16, 2021. This student is between the ages of eighteen and twenty. She had enrolled in five to six institute classes and is not a returned missionary.

[31] Interview with a female institute student attending the Logan Institute of Religion on September 19, 2021. This student is between the ages of eighteen and twenty. She had enrolled in one to two institute classes and is not a returned missionary. The integrity of her spoken word was kept.

[32] Amy Easton-Flake, “Merging Mormon Women and Women of Genesis: Hannah Tapfield King’s Women of the Scriptures,” Women’s History Review 27, no. 7 (2018): 1116.

[33] Robinson and Cush, “Learning and Unlearning,”110.

[34] Robinson and Cush, “Learning and Unlearning,” 109–10.

[35] Michele A. Connolly, “Women Reading the Bible: An Emerging Diversity in Service of Liberation,” Australasian Catholic Record 97, no. 4 (2020): 443.

[36] Robinson and Cush, “Learning and Unlearning,” 111.

[37] L. M. Mudimeli and J. D. N. van der Westhuizen, “Unheard Voices of Women in the Bible, with Implications of Empowerment in the Context of Today’s Church,” Acta Theologica 39 (2019): 120.

[38] Robinson and Cush, “Learning and Unlearning,” 109.

[39] Russell M. Nelson, “Woman—Of Infinite Worth,” general conference talk, October 1989, 20.

[40] Interview with a female institute student attending the Logan Institute of Religion on September 19, 2021. This student is between the ages of eighteen and twenty. She had enrolled in two institute classes and is not a returned missionary.

[41] Anneke Viljoen, “Theological Imagination as Hermeneutical Device: Exploring the Hermeneutical Contribution of an Imaginal Engagement with the Text,” Hervormde Teologiese Studies 72, no. 4 (2016): 2.

[42] Viljoen, “Theological Imagination,” 4.

[43] Interview with a female institute student attending the Logan Institute of Religion on September 16, 2021. This student is between the ages of eighteen and twenty. She had enrolled in five to six institute classes and is not a returned missionary.

[44] Leonard Sax, “Six Degrees of Separation: What Teachers Need to Know about the Emerging Science of Sex Differences,” Educational Horizons 83, no. 3 (Spring 2006): 190.

[45] Sax, “Six Degrees of Separation,” 195.

[46] Brittany Karford Rogers, “When Women Don’t Speak,” Y Magazine (Spring 2020).

[47] Kristen Davis Eliason et al., “Where Gender and Religion Meet: Differentiating Gender Role Ideology and Religious Beliefs about Gender,” Journal of Psychology and Christianity 36, no. 1 (Spring 2017): 12.

[48] Carol Gilligan, In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women’s Development (Harvard University Press, 1982).

[49] Lee Ellis, Anthony W. Hoskin, and Malini Ratnasingam, “Testosterone, Risk Taking, and Religiosity: Evidence from Two Cultures,” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 55, no. 1 (2016): 154.

[50] Connolly, “Women Reading the Bible,” 441.

[51] Connolly, “Women Reading the Bible,” 441.

[52] Anthony Sweat and Amy Easton-Flake, “Women Expounding Scripture,” April 2020, in Y Religion, produced by Brigham Young University Religious Education, podcast, https://rsc.byu.edu/media/y-religion/5.

[53] Connolly, “Women Reading the Bible,” 441.

[54] Halee Gray Scott, “Women Read the Bible More than Men. Why?,” Christianity Today (blog), August 31, 2020, https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2020/why-women-love-bible/why-women-read-bible-more.html.

[55] Lori Alexander, “Why Don’t Women’s Bible Studies Study the Bible?,” The Transformed Wife (blog), June 28, 2018, https://thetransformedwife.com/why-dont-womens-bible-studies-study-the-bible.

[56] Alexander, “Why Don’t Women’s Bible Studies Study the Bible?”

[57] Joseph M. Spencer, “Briefly First Nephi, with Joseph M. Spencer [MIPodcast #98],” in Women in First Nephi, produced by the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, https://mi.byu.edu/podcasts/briefly-first-nephi-with-joseph-m-spencer-mipodcast-98.

[58] Spencer, “Women in First Nephi.”

[59] Ballard, “Let Us Think Straight.”

[60] Christofferson, “Moral Force of Women,” 31.

[61] Dallin H. Oaks, “Truth and the Plan,” general conference talk, October 2018, www.churchofjesuschrist.org.

[62] Neal A. Maxwell, “The Women of God,” general conference talk, April 1978, www.churchofjesuschrist.org.

[63] Gale A. Yee, “Thinking Intersectionally: Gender, Race, Class, and the Etceteras of Our Discipline,” Journal of Biblical Literature 139, no. 1 (2020): 26.

[64] Interview with a female institute student attending the Logan Institute of Religion on September 22, 2021. This student is between the ages of twenty-one and twenty-two. She had enrolled in more than eight institute classes and is a returned missionary.

[65] Interview with a female institute student attending the Logan Institute of Religion on September 22, 2021. This student is between the ages of twenty-one and twenty-two. She had enrolled in more than eight institute classes and is a returned missionary.

[66] Scott, “Women Read the Bible More than Men.”

[67] Easton-Flake, “Merging Mormon Women and Women of Genesis,” 1103.

[68] Interview with a female institute student attending the Logan Institute of Religion on September 14, 2021. This student is between the ages of eighteen and twenty. She had enrolled in three to four institute classes and is not a returned missionary.

[69] Karlie Guymon and Camille Fronk Olson, “Learning from Women in the Old Testament,” March 1, 2022, in Latter-day Saint Women, produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/latter-day-saint-women-podcast/id1491361653.

[70] Sarit Kattan Gribetz, “Women as Readers of the Nag Hammadi Codices,” Journal of Early Christian Studies 26, no. 3 (2018): 463–94.

[71] Easton-Flake, “Merging Mormon Women and Women of Genesis,” 1103.

[72] Gribetz, “Women as Readers of the Nag Hammadi Codices,” 463.

[73] Easton-Flake, “Merging Mormon Women and Women of Genesis,” 1103.

[74] Gribetz, “Women as Readers of the Nag Hammadi Codices,” 463.

[75] Interview with a female institute student attending the Logan Institute of Religion on September 21, 2021. This student is between the ages of eighteen and twenty. She had enrolled in three to four institute classes and is not a returned missionary.

[76] Nelson, “Plea to My Sisters.”

[77] Chad H Webb, “Messengers of the Good News,” Seminaries and Institutes annual broadcast, January 27, 2023.