Holy Women Icons wouldn't be a book without first being a series of paintings. So, I am grateful for those galleries that have hosted them: Shell Ridge, Karma, Blue Lotus/Woven Soul, and Barnhills. I'm also tremendously grateful for all the people who have supported my art by purchasing or commissioning an original icon or buying a print. It means a great deal for someone to find enough value in my paintings to actually hang them in their home. The fact that these Holy Women are scattered all over the world, providing inspiration for friends, family, colleagues, and strangers is a gift. And these paintings would have never been written about had Xochitl Alvizo not invited me to become a regular writer on Feminism and Religion, featuring one icon each month and expounding upon her story. Xochitl would not have discovered these paintings if Kittredge Cherry had not interviewed me about my beloved queer saints on Jesus in Love. So, I am grateful to these two women who have helped my icons find voices in the wider public. And I am grateful to the Feminism in Religion community for offering encouragement, constructive feedback, and inspiration along the way.

Dance in Scripture: How Biblical Dancers Can Revolutionize Worship Today examines the dances of seven biblical figures: Miriam, Jephthah's daughter, David, the Shulamite, Judith, Salome, and Jesus. Each figure offers a virtue that has the potential to revolutionize worship today. Yarber combines feminist and queer hermeneutics with dance history to highlight the nuances of the texts that often go unnoticed in biblical scholarship, while also celebrating the myriad ways the body can be affirmed in worship in creative, empowering, and subversive ways. Liberation, lamentation, abandon, passion, subversion, innocence, and community each contribute to the exciting ways embodied worship can be revolutionized. This is a book for those interested in biblical scholarship, dance, the arts, feminist and queer theory, or revolutionizing worship. "Angela Yarber has, for over a decade, studied the intersection of dance and worship by women in the Hebrew Bible. She thoughtfully and insightfully searches out the meanings and nuances of the Hebrew words used to narrate acts of worshipful dance and demonstrates that worship in the Hebrew Bible was active and embodied." --Nancy L. deClaisse-Walford, Carolyn Ward Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Languages, McAfee School of Theology, Mercer University "In this ground-breaking text, Angela Yarber connects seven of the central but oft-overlooked biblical narratives about dance with both the questions of gender and gender identity with dance history. The human body is ever forefront in her work as the site of gender, personhood, and presence yet always as revelatory of the meaning of the incarnation. Intermingling her scholarly studies with her pastoral acumen, she offers more than a 'feminist theories twist' to these biblical narratives by offering a practical and pragmatic guide for contemporary liturgy and for engaging her congregations in the depths of meaning in the Bible." --Diane Apostolos-Cappadona, Catholic Studies Program, Georgetown University Rev. Dr. Angela Yarber is also author of The Gendered Pulpit: Sex, Body, and Desire in Preaching and Worship and Embodying the Feminine in the Dances of the World's Religions. She has a Ph.D. in Art and Religion from the Graduate Theological Union and she has been a clergywoman, professional artist, and dancer since 1999. For more, please visit www.angelayarber.com.

Holy Women Icons wouldn't be a book without first being a series of paintings. So, I am grateful for those galleries that have hosted them: Shell Ridge, Karma, Blue Lotus/Woven Soul, and Barnhills. I'm also tremendously grateful for all the people who have supported my art by purchasing or commissioning an original icon or buying a print. It means a great deal for someone to find enough value in my paintings to actually hang them in their home. The fact that these Holy Women are scattered all over the world, providing inspiration for friends, family, colleagues, and strangers is a gift. And these paintings would have never been written about had Xochitl Alvizo not invited me to become a regular writer on Feminism and Religion, featuring one icon each month and expounding upon her story. Xochitl would not have discovered these paintings if Kittredge Cherry had not interviewed me about my beloved queer saints on Jesus in Love. So, I am grateful to these two women who have helped my icons find voices in the wider public. And I am grateful to the Feminism in Religion community for offering encouragement, constructive feedback, and inspiration along the way.

Carlosa third-generation U.S. citizen from New Jersey whose family emigrated from Colombia many years before Carlos was bornis often complimented on how articulate he is and asked how long he has been in the United States. Deborah, a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) who is up for election as church treasurer, has her qualifications questioned, debated, and scrutinized by the congregation far more than any of her male predecessors who were elected with a simple vote. Lisa, a male-to-female transgender person, attends a Sunday school where her classmates continue to refer to her with masculine pronouns (he, him, his). The three examples above portray microaggressions: subtle slights, insults, and indignities expressed to persons of varied minority statuses. Although microaggressions are usually unintentional, they occur on a regular basis in education, the workplace, and daily life. This is the first book that addresses the concept of microaggressions in ministry and church life. Drawing from their background as ordained clergy, Sanders and Yarber introduce ministry leaders to the concept of microaggressions and look specifically at microaggressions directed at race, gender, and sexuality in the church. Sanders and Yarber help readers become more aware of these subtle and often unconscious communications, offering realistic examples and guidance for grappling with this issue in preaching, religious education, worship, spirituality, and pastoral care and counseling. Microaggressions in Ministry equips congregations with methods for assessment and tools for action that will ultimately help create stronger, more welcoming faith communities.