In this engaging conversation, Dr. Sandy Richter and I explore themes of motherhood, faith, and the complexities of Scripture. We discuss the challenges faced by women in biblical times and the cyclical nature of disobedience in the Book of Judges. We discuss the sacrifices made by early generations of believers, the generational drift in faith, and the struggles of parenting in a faith context. Richter shares insights on the life cycle of the church, the need for revival, and how mothers can disrupt negative cycles in their families and communities.

We Discuss:

• What is on Dr Richter’s To-Don’t List
• A funny story about Prince Harry
• How Sandy (Cooper, not Richter) decided she would never again purposely read the book of Judges. And how God (sort of) duped Sandy and lured her back in. 
• The dark life cycle of disobedience in the Book of Judges
• How that cycle overlaps with the Life Cycle of The Church 
• How to recognize these cycles to embrace our generation’s version of revival
• The Third Generation Phenomenon: The third generation of believers has been sheltered, leading to a drift in faith, and how we as moms can disrupt this cycle by balancing protecting our children with allowing them to take risks in faith.

More about Dr. Sandy Richter:

The Gundry Chair of Biblical Studies at Westmont College and a graduate of Harvard University, Dr. Richter has dedicated her career to making Scripture accessible and relevant to contemporary audiences. She has applied her many years in the classroom, her technical research, and her years of archaeological experience to writing books and Bible studies and creating videos that bring the Bible to life for the current generation.

Sandy is a mom to two perfect daughters: Noel and Elise. Raising them, discipling them, and loving them has meant that this working mom has been deeply involved in what it looks like to balance professional and family responsibilities. She has taught every age of Sunday School, launched a “Toddler Church” at St. Pat’s Anglican in Lexington, KY, and continues to invest deeply in the spiritual journeys of her children. She is currently working with IVP to launch a line of children’s books on environmental theology and if life lasts long enough, hopes to create a Bible-wide curriculum for toddler and young elementary-aged children as well.

Sandy is an undergraduate professor in southern California. That means that all of the cultural trends that are coming down the pike appear in her classroom first! What does this highly individualistic, social media-saturated, ecclesiological disillusioned, and morally confused generation
need to encourage them forward in their spiritual journeys? That is a question she engages in and attempts to answer every day.

Sandy stepped into pastoral leadership in a generation when women were not welcome. Her calling (and right to serve) has been questioned by nearly every authority figure under whom she has served. Like so many of her generation, dismissive and biased attitudes and institutional
policies were normative throughout her professional career. Yet God has been faithful and she has been steadfast. As a result, Sandy is sensitive to issues of women in leadership while remaining wholeheartedly committed to the authority of Scripture, and therefore communicates an exceptionally well-thought-through theology of women in service in the Bible. Her expertise in Deuteronomic law has expanded that conversation into issues of women’s culture in the ancient Near East and Deuteronomic law regarding sexual ethics. She is viewed by many women a generation behind her as a role model and an inspiration–her current position as the Gundry Chair of Biblical Studies at Westmont College and her many publications speak to that reality.

LINKS (some may be affiliates)

From This Episode:

Deborah: Unlikely Heros and The Book of Judges

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