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Editorial Introduction
by Major JoAnn Shade
USA East, Ashland, Ohio Corps Officer
In the
February/March 2006 edition of the Journal of Aggressive
Christianity, Captain Danielle Strickland fired the first
volley of 2006 in the discussion/debate regarding the place of
women on the Salvation Army’s battlefield, when she wrote of
the frustrations a married woman officer encounters because of
her marital status and gender. Married Woman’s Ghetto Rant
spoke stridently at times, but captured the essence of the
leadership struggles faced by married women officers. This
feature issue expands Strickland’s rant into a conversation on
the general topic of women in the war, and offers an eclectic
mix of voices and genres that survey the combat zone. They are
voices that speak from experience, for they have known both
the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.
Women in the war. Who are they? Do they belong? What are the
battles they face? How can they be effective combatants?
Sixteen voices have wrestled with this topic for this issue of
JAC. They’ve revisited the Old Testament narratives of Deborah
and Rahab (Langford and Bussey), and drawn upon the historical
voices of Tertullian and Hildegard of Bingen (Reardon and
Ivarsson). They’ve also reported from the streets of New York
City and Wellington, New Zealand, giving us snapshots of
contemporary warriors (Johnson and Hay).
Others have chosen to focus on issues that women face when
they find themselves in the war, beginning with my own
overview of the roles, tactics, and survival skills women
warriors need. Baillie has provocatively asked, “who’s in
charge here?,” while Irwin calls for a renewed focus on
integrity. Howard reflects on the topic of turf wars as seen
in some backyard foxes, and Hostetler provides a glimpse of
the submission and suppression discussion.
The final section of this edition moves to a more personal
focus, as these writers expose their own stories in passionate
and powerful accounts. They tell of the loss of naiveté (Petzing),
an encounter between feminism and holiness (Shepherd), the
angst of the female preacher (Sandercock-Brown), and the deep
pain of church battles (Hoyt-Oliver). The journal concludes
with a brief but intriguing book review by Larrick, and a
closing poem from my pen, woman, marked. For the woman warrior
is a marked woman, who can claim the witness and the
benediction of Paul: “From now on, don’t let anyone trouble me
with these things. For I bear on my body the scars that show I
belong to Jesus. My dear brothers and sisters, may the grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen”(Gal 6:17-18,
NLT).
Major (Dr.) JoAnn Shade
Ashland, Ohio
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