Paula Gooder: 'The Church needs academic women'

Thousands will attend Dr Paula Gooder’s New Testament teaching at Spring Harvest 2015. She tells Justin Brierley why being a theologian, author, speaker, mother and wife doesn’t mean she’s Superwoman.

When people ask me about Paula Gooder, I sometimes describe her as ‘the female NT Wright’. I know that defining a female Bible scholar by a male counterpart runs the risk of sounding patronising, but it is meant as a compliment. Indeed, the similarities are marked, and why shouldn’t they be, since she was taught theology by the pre-eminent evangelical Bible scholar himself?

Like her mentor, she has developed a gift for turning top-level New Testament scholarship into accessible and helpful theology for normal Christians. Her gifts of communication, both in print and in person, have seen her grow in demand as an author and speaker. Her books such as Heaven (SPCK) and Journey to the Empty Tomb (Canterbury Press) have been praised for shedding fresh, first-century light on familiar topics. In 2014, she was invited to lead the Bible teaching sessions at Spring Harvest, and she will do so again this year.