You Tube Theology

On this episode of Mutuality Matters: Women and Words, Host Dr. Mimi Haddad interviewed Rev. Dr. Ingrid Faro. Ingrid described her challenging childhood and early married life as one of abuse, both psychologically and physically. Her early church experience was equally difficult, as women were to be seen but not heard. In her family of origin, she felt invisible and unimportant. She was terrified of her mother and had no real relationship with her dad. Ingrid struggled to figure out who she was and even wondered if it was safe to think her thoughts. She wanted God to be fair, but life didn’t seem fair.

Ingrid shared how her first husband (a preacher and NT scholar) was unfaithful to her. These experiences led to her struggle with the question of “theodicy,” whether God is just and good. Ingrid wondered if she could ever really trust God. This led to deeper theological exploration and a passion for the Old Testament, influenced by scholars like Dr. Abraham Joshua Heschel.

Her second husband nurtured honest communication—what Brené Brown calls “clarity is kindness.” As Ingrid studied Scripture, she encountered many bold women who became role models. In them she found release: “I didn’t know the weight that was on my shoulders until it was lifted.” She began to see God’s clear anointing on women, including in the writings of the Apostle Paul. Though she sensed a calling to academic study, she wrestled with fear and ultimately had to distinguish between fear of people and fear of God.

The biblical “texts of terror” that appear to silence women are few compared to the many texts that welcome their wisdom and leadership. Consider 1 Cor. 14:34–36, 1 Tim. 2:11–15, and Eph. 5:22ff alongside the many women Paul celebrates as co-laborers in Romans 16. Ingrid also addresses abuse in the church as one of the most pressing challenges Christians must confront.

She highlights the translation of Genesis 2:18, noting that the Hebrew word ezer, often translated “helper,” more accurately means “strong rescue.” Ingrid also draws from Katharine Bushnell, who redeems Eve as the first to have faith and hope in God’s promises, along with scholars such as Karen Swallow Prior, Carol Meyers, Sandra Richter, and Cynthia Long Westfall.

For many years, Ingrid taught Old Testament and recently published "Redeeming Eden: How Women in the Bible Advance the Story of Salvation." This summer, she will be a keynote speaker at CBE’s conference in Chicago and receive CBE’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Guest Bio:
Bio: Revd. Dr. Ingrid Faro is an ordained minister and currently serves as interim president and professor of Old Testament at Northern Seminary in Chicago. She previously served as dean of academic affairs, dean of theology at the Scandinavian School of Theology, and director of master’s programs at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, where she also taught Hebrew and Old Testament. She is an international speaker and the author of "Redeeming Eden: How Women in the Bible Advance the Story of Salvation" with Joyce Koo Dalrymple, "Demystifying Evil," co-author of "Honest Answers, Evil in Genesis," co-author of forthcoming "As We Forgive: A Biblical Theology of Forgiveness," as well as articles, chapters, and reviews. Ingrid has two children and four grandchildren.

Related Resources:

Healing from Hierarchy: https://www.cbeinternational.org/resource/mutuality-healing-from-hierarchy/

Silent No More: Exposing Abuse Among Evangelicals: https://www.cbeinternational.org/resource/silent-no-more-exposing-abuse-among-evangelicals/

Her Silence Screams: https://www.cbeinternational.org/resource/her-silence-screams/

When Religion Hurts: How Complementarian Churches Harm Women: https://www.cbeinternational.org/resource/when-religion-hurts-how-complementarian-churches-hurt/

0:00 Called to Seminary
01:25 Meet Ingrid Faro
03:37 From Trauma to Theology
06:25 Studying Evil in Genesis
08:36 Why Theodicy Matters
10:31 Patriarchy and Abuse
16:56 Finding Freedom and Voice
23:17 What Did I Tell You?
26:29 Women in Theology Today
29:23 Reading the Clobber Passages
31:16 Scholars Correcting Exegesis
34:04 Trauma Abuse and the Church
35:37 Genesis Reframing Creation
40:03 Women as Full Image Bearers
42:47 Old Testament Women with Voice
46:29 Key Stories Sarah Hannah Ruth
51:20 Future of Women in Ministry