Bonnie Miller-McLemore
This remarkable, erudite book weaves a fascinating narrative of diverse maternal voices across Christian history. Close examination of a range of historical documents puts motherhood studies into an entirely new framework, uncovering the imaginative ways that specific mothers have navigated their calling amid oppressive social structures. A remarkable contribution that is also instructive to anyone who wants to grasp the dynamics of families and children today.
Natalie Carnes
Although mothers have literally born Christianity forward through the centuries, scant theological consideration has been given to the maternal body. Amy Marga steps into this lacuna to give sustained attention to the ecclesial practices, artistic representations, theological references, scientific understandings, and hagiographic stories that suggest the shifting roles of mothers, motherhood, and the maternal body in Christian history. Written in accessible and lively prose, In the Image of Her is an enjoyable read that also gives readers a glimpse into one of the most understudied subjects of Christian theology.
Kimberly Vrudny
Amy Marga’s careful analysis is a brilliantly constructed tribute to motherhood in the Christian tradition, long deserving of this kind of clearsighted yet hopeful treatment. She fearlessly confronts the undeniable misogyny in the Christian tradition, tracing it from its emergence in the early church through the Middle Ages and beyond, while also examining intersectional dynamics between race and gender once Protestants arrived to colonize America’s shores. Both lamentation and celebration, the story Marga weaves will benefit pastors and their faithful, alike. She produces a tapestry where the tradition’s cruelty is balanced by the spiritual resilience and theological creativity of mothers who, despite it all, instilled in their sons and daughters a love for God.
