Do Biblical women deserve greater recognition?

Local playwright shines light on female heroes

Beyond a small handful of popular Biblical female figures such as the Virgin Mary and Jezebel, women mentioned in the scriptures are not often known to the wider public.

According to Yvonne Strachan, the associate minister of New Generation Baptist Church, people are less familiar with the stories of Miriam, the sister of Moses, or Deborah, a female judge who led the Israelites to victory in battle. Ultimately, the minister believes that such lack of awareness affects all women.

“There were so many things that [women] did in the Bible and we need to understand that we have a part of history as well; it’s not just the bad but the good women have done as well,” Strachan said. “Women need to be informed so they can see that we are important in the gospel.”

So, Strachan, who has created plays since the 1970s, began writing and performing one-woman shows based upon female figures in the gospels with her ministry, Ministry in Motion.

For the Christian playwright, religious-themed plays — which she prefers to call “prophetic dramatizations”— are a natural form of outreach ministry.

“I find that there are a lot of people that are unchurched or a lot of people that won’t just pick up their Bibles and read it,” she said. “But they are willing to see [a religious play] and to hear the message, so that brings God to them and it makes it more real to them.”

For every dramatic work she creates, Strachan relies solely on the Bible for inspiration.

“My point is to stay in line with the Scripture but to go deeper and to give the characters a voice,” she said.

Her next play will be “Sarah: Silent Frustration in the Tent” — about the wife of Abraham, who requested that her husband sleep with a servant so that the couple could claim a son and heir.

Strachan says the play can be likened to some of today’s contemporary examples of “baby mama drama.” However, there are deeper lessons that audiences can carry home.

“The focus is to recognize that we have to wait for the promise and we can’t put a timeline on God because whenever we step in and we try to help God it’s always going to boomerang back on us.”

“Sarah: Silent Frustration in the Tent” will be shown at the African Heritage Cultural Arts Center, 6161 NW 21st Avenue on April 13th at 7:30 p.m. Call 786-443-7406 for more information.

By Kaila Heard
kheard@miamitimesonline.com