In fact, the marginalization of women in the early church was probably inevitable. The church emerged within the paternalistic culture of the Roman empire, and so the organizational forms it knew were those which gave little voice to women. But while history may explain how we came to this point, it by no means determines what is to come. Magdalene Moments are those often tiny instants which grace our lives with signs of a Magdalene femininity working upon the as-yet unformed future. It is in these moments that we find hope.

I find one fault with this book: on occasion, Joanna Manning strays from her greatest gift - her ability to produce startling images that remain present to us long after the book is finished. One such image comes from the account of a "Mary with brass knuckles." You can read an earlier version of this story in the Lilith Gallery. These images belong to the story-telling which so powerfully conveys the woman's perspective. However impassioned Ms. Manning becomes in detailing the evils which have arisen from the traditional hierarchical forms of church and in calling people to rework the way their believing plays itself out in their living, nevertheless her language sometimes assumes a rational tone that sounds altogether "manly," running at times between polemics and persuasion. She might do better to teach by the example of her feminist approach than to trouble herself with laying down the facts.

Writing as a man, I believe persuasion is a waste of time. Those men who can't already see for themselves the harm that their world-view inflicts are a lost cause. And those who can are already alive to the value of narrative. Let us remember that one of the best story-tellers, and a first-rate feminist as well, was the man who started all this trouble two thousand years ago.

The curious may enjoy a video clip of a talk that Joanna Manning gave on July 02, 2006 in Toronto, which introduces the notion of the Magdalene Moment.