Rena Pederson: Searching for the Truth About a Female Apostle

by Donna Freitas, Religion BookLine -- Publishers Weekly, 10/4/2006

"It's not a Da Vinci clone," said Rena Pederson of The Lost Apostle (Jossey-Bass, September), her book about restoring Junia—a woman called an apostle by Paul in his letter to the Romans—to her rightful place in the Christian Church."I would have done this book had there never been The Da Vinci Code, although that has inspired people to go back and read more about women in the church."

Junia was a biblical figure Pederson knew nothing about until she began questioning scholars all over the world."When I first heard about Junia 'the woman apostle' I was so surprised!" Pederson said."I thought I'd paid attention in church all those years. When I found out she really did exist, I felt it was such an injustice that her name was changed to a man's—Junias in most translations—and that her rightful place ought to be restored."

A career journalist (with a 31-year stint at the Dallas Morning News) and author of What's Missing: Inspiration for Women Seeking Faith and Joy in Their Lives (Perigee, 2004), Pederson has always been fascinated with women overlooked by history."I was often in the position of being the first woman to do something—I was the first woman editorial page editor of a major paper in Texas," Pederson said. "Being at the forefront of my profession made me conscious of path-breakers in women's history."

In taking up Junia's cause Pederson encountered mixed reactions."Most women are intrigued and say, 'Oh! Tell me more,'" she explained."But men are more skeptical, though we are not talking about one of the first twelve apostles—[questioning that] is so alarming to believers. Junia is simply a leading figure of faith in the early Church—someone who could renew the debate about the role of women in the church."

In further proof of Pederson's commitment to women, after our interview she was on her way to the United Nations. Pederson was the last person to interview Aung San Suu Kyi, jailed since winning the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize for her work toward democracy in Burma. First Lady Laura Bush has taken up Aung San Suu Kyi's cause, and asked Pederson to advise.

More politics are on her agenda—Pederson is trading her Dallas home of 30 years for Washington D.C. and a communications job at the State Department with Under Secretary of State Karen Hughes. "Karen Hughes and Condoleezza Rice would like to reach out to women in other parts of the world," said Pederson. "Who could say no to that?"