I am excited to see, and I dream of seeing it more and more, of women confidently stepping in to what God has called them to do, not needing to explain.

And it's not like they all need to teach or they all need to evangelize. I don't have a template.

Whatever good work God has for you,

that's what I want you to be able to do.

You're listening to God hears her, a podcast for women where we explore the stunning truth

that God hears you, he sees you,

and he loves you because you are his. Find out how these realities free you today on God

Hears Her. Welcome to God Hears Her. I'm Elisa Morgan. And I'm Aaron Atkins. Have you ever felt

discouraged while reading the Bible? Maybe because you felt like women

weren't as prominent in the stories as the men. Well, today we're talking with my friend,

Dr. Lynn Coak, a distinguished professor of the New Testament. Dr. Lynn once felt discouraged

while reading her Bible as a grad student. And since then, she has been passionately teaching the importance of

women in the New Testament, as well as how God has a purpose for each of us. Let's learn more about

Dr. Lynn by first asking how she became professor of Bible teaching during this conversation

on God hears her. I was raised by parents who probably would now identify as nominal Methodists.

You know, we went to church.

They kind of thought they were Christians, but it wasn't until I was in junior high,

and my parents were part of a United Methodist Church where the pastor

really preached the gospel. And the youth pastor also really presented the richness that I began to

understand who this Jesus is. And both my mom and I were saved. That would been the language then. And my family

had seen and had been taught in the United Methodist Church that women could serve in leadership.

So that was sort of assumed. And then my mom and I, we came to Christ. So unfortunately, that

...