Bette J. Boersma

The early seeds of my identity as a Christian and as a writer took root in the 4th grade. That’s the year my teacher told my mother, “Bette is a really good writer,” and my mother told her, “She gets it from her dad.” It’s also the year I attended vacation Bible School at my Grandmother’s church, and by week’s end I had prayed the prayer to ask Jesus into my heart.

All I ever knew about my dad’s writing history came from the cute little ditties he used to write in my birthday cards. That and my 4th grade teacher’s praise motivated me to develop my writing ability. My innocent faith grew slowly, as I did, fed by summer camp experiences, Youth for Christ clubs, and one year of Bible College before I married my high school sweetheart.

There were three sons and a daughter in our home before I decided to go back to school, a thing Hank made possible with his assistance at home. The first thing I learned was how much I didn’t know. In my third year I encountered the English professor who really encouraged me. On more than one occasion she selected my essays to be read aloud. I started hanging around after class to chat with her. On her recommendation I was hired as a writing tutor in the student center.

I remember walking through campus on my 40th birthday, wearing a pink t-shirt that announced “I’m 18 with 22 years experience!” I hadn’t had time to contemplate life after graduation. I had added the extra requirements to earn a secondary teaching certificate, even though several advisors warned of a shortage of teaching jobs. After graduation I learned they had been right. I finally landed a job as staff writer for a local mega church.

It was there, in fact, where the seeds for my first book, The Second Eve, began to germinate. Let’s just say I got a close-up look at the different expectations for male and female employees in a church setting. I began to quietly look for information and wisdom to understand what God really intended for men and women in the church, exploring the language that identified us as “the body of Christ” and His bride.

By the time the job came to an end a few years later I was deeply immersed in the topic of equality between men and women. I filled journal after journal with my thoughts and feelings about my experiences as a female worker in the male dominant culture of the church. I renewed my academic life, reading all I could find on the issue of men and women in Christianity. As you might guess, my interest was not yet shared by either my husband or our group of Christian friends. It began for me as an isolated and private project.

I learned fairly quickly to keep quiet around the friends, but I couldn’t resist discussing it with Hank. We fought. Sometimes fiercely. I prayed fervently that God would change his heart the way He had changed mine. It’s a long story, but in 2006 I published the first edition of The Second Eve, Understanding Biblical Equality. And Hank wrote a portion of the introduction, detailing his own “conversion” to our now shared belief in the equality of men and women.

Author’s note: On October 4, 2018, Hank and I will celebrate 50 years of marriage. I think we both agree, the last dozen or so years have been among our happiest.

Book information: The 2006 paperback edition is no longer in print. The newly released Kindle edition of The Second Eve is the third edition of the work. The second is the Finnish language edition also recently launched in Finland.