My second book, Under Her Wings: Mothers and Motherhood in the New Testament, is releasing on September 9 with Eerdmans Publishing Co.! This was a labor of love for me a decade in the making, and I am so excited that it is about to release.

Here is the book’s description:

Mothers and motherhood-related themes are present throughout the New Testament, yet they have not received sufficient attention from biblical scholars. Under Her Wings fills this gap by exploring the literary, historical, feminist, and theological significance of mothers and motherhood in the New Testament.
 
Balancing critical scholarship with sensitivity to the importance of the Bible, author Jennifer Houston McNeel analyzes the stories of mothers in the Gospels and Acts, mothers referred to in New Testament letters and Revelation, and metaphorical uses of motherhood throughout the New Testament. Following this comprehensive survey, she draws together the motherhood-related themes that have been explored throughout the book—new life, suffering, identity, caregiving, and influence—and offers reflections on why the study of mothers in the New Testament matters.

And here are excerpts from the book’s endorsements:

Bringing all the relevant texts together in one volume, Under Her Wings is a unique and valuable resource that no serious student of the New Testament can afford to be without. No matter how long you have been studying the New Testament, you will come away from reading Jennifer Houston McNeel’s book with a greater understanding of both the New Testament itself and its cultural background.―James F. McGrath

This eye-opening volume will be an invaluable resource for the enterprise of theological education and for the life and ministry of the church.―Frances Taylor Gench

Carefully researched, full of insight, and designed for group study and reflection, this is a great book to better understand the families in the New Testament, and our own families too.―Nijay Gupta

In this accessible, elegantly written study of an important but neglected topic, Jennifer Houston McNeel uncovers aspects of motherhood (literal and figurative, human and divine) in the New Testament that will inform―and perhaps also inspire―readers. Laypeople, students, pastors, and scholars alike will benefit from this enlightening and occasionally provocative volume.―Michael J. Gorman

The book is currently available for pre-order, and copies should be shipping soon!