“The title is drawn from Luke 8:2,” says Jocelyn Bell, Broadview’s editor/publisher. “This passage reminds readers that while they may think Jesus and his disciples were just 13 men walking from village to village, there were also some women in the group and they were pretty important.”

The idea began with a generous donation from Toronto United Church ministers, Revs. John and Lillian Perigoe. Upon meeting the couple, Bell was inspired by Lillian’s doctoral thesis on feminist theology, which eventually led to the creation of And Also Some Women.

The podcast comprises five episodes that run about 30 minutes each, and analyzes different biblical women like Eve, Esther and Mary Magdalene.

Podcast host Rev. Junia Joplin is an associate pastor at Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto. She was recognized as one of the Top 25 Women of Influence in 2021 for her activism of trans rights and visibility. Anne Thériault is the podcast’s researcher, writer and on-air reporter. She’s a longtime contributor to Broadview and wrote Unravelling the Myth of Mary Magdalene, Broadview’s most popular story of 2020.

The podcast features guest interviews with notable feminist theologians from across North America, including Diana
Butler Bass, Amy-Jill Levine, Dorothy Lee, Sister Barbara Reid, Reuven Kimmelman, River Cook Needham, Susan Ackerman and Amy Kalmanofsky.

“As our experts reveal, church leaders have a long history of making the Bible less women-centred than it is,” says Bell. “It’s exciting to revisit familiar stories and feel like you’re hearing them for the first time. There are a lot of twists and surprises in this podcast.”

Michael Brown of Messenger Bag Media is the sound producer; is the script Kristy Woudstra editor; Jocelyn Bell is the executive producer.

The first episode will air on Tuesday, May 16th; subsequent episodes will follow weekly. You can subscribe to And Also Some Women on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, and Pocket Casts.

More details at https://broadview.org/podcasts/

About Broadview: Broadview is the oldest continuously published magazine in North America and the second-oldest in the English-speaking world. Founded in 1829, it has always been committed to reporting stories on spirituality, justice and ethical living. Broadview is affiliated with The United Church of Canada but remains separately incorporated and editorially independent. For two years in a row, it has been named Best Special Interested Magazine in Canada by the National Magazine Awards.