Journalist Sarah Stankorb presents a full, layered portrait of where Christian extremism stands in the twenty-first century, and how women from within are challenging that standing.
A generation of women were told never question the men in their families or their pastors. They were also told to remain sexually pure and if a man was tempted, it was their fault. Some of these girls were abused and assaulted. Some made to shrink down so small they became a fraction of themselves. To question their leaders was to question God himself. All the while, their male leaders built fiefdoms from megachurches and sprawling ministries and influenced political leaders and policy.
In her new book, DISOBEDIENT WOMEN (Worthy Publishing, August 8, 2023, ISBN: 9781546003809), Sarah Stankorb gives long-overdue recognition for these everyday women as leaders, voices for a different sort of faith by bringing abuse stories to national attention. She weaves together names readers know now—Rachel Held Evans, Josh Duggar, Billy Graham, Joshua Harris, even Amy Coney Barrett and People of Praise—with new names readers will never forget.
DISOBEDIENT WOMEN is not just a look at the women who have used the power of the internet to bring down the religious power structures that were meant to keep them quiet, it’s also a picture of the large-scale changes that are happening within evangelical culture regarding women’s roles, ultimately underscoring the ways technology has created a place for women to challenge the traditional power structures from within.
SARAH STANKORB has written hundreds of reported articles and essays, which have appeared in publications, including: The Washington Post, The New York Times, Vogue, Marie Claire, Glamour, and VICE. She was born near Youngstown, Ohio, and as a kid, often found escape in books. She studied religion and philosophy at Westminster College, and ethics and South Asian religion and history at the University of Chicago’s Divinity School. Her beat spans religion, politics, gender, and power, but is informed by questions of basic morality. This means investigating wrongdoing; it can mean reporting on how people find the strength to prevail. Sarah lives in Ohio with her husband and two children.
