Author Archives

Michele Stopera Freyhauf is a Doctoral Student in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies and a Member of the Centre for Catholic Studies at Durham University as well as an Instructor at John Carroll University’s Department of Theology and Religious Studies. Michele has an M. A. in Theology and Religious Studies from John Carroll University, and did post-graduate work at the University of Akron in the area of History of Religion, Women, and Sexuality. She is also a Member-at-Large on the Student Advisory Board for the Society of Biblical Literature and the student representative on the Board for Eastern Great Lakes Biblical Society (EGLBS). Michele is a feminist scholar, activist, and author of several articles including “Hagia Sophia: Political and Religious Symbolism in Stones and Spolia” and lectured during the Commission for the Status of Women at the United Nations (2013). Michele can be followed on Twitter @msfreyhauf and @biblicalfem. Her website can be accessed here and is visible on other social media sites like LinkedIn and Google+.

• #MeToo by Michele Stopera Freyhauf

  By Michele Stopera Freyhauf on November 19, 2017 • ( 2 )

  

  Once again it is time for another blog post, and once again I find it difficult to write.  The news embroils you in a landslide of negativity and you feel like all common sense and rationality has dissipated – I… Read More ›

• In the Words of the First Poet and Historian: “I am” by Michele Stopera Freyhauf

  By Michele Stopera Freyhauf on August 20, 2017 • ( 4 )

  

  These days I find it hard to write – I feel plagued with negativity, and the news and violence and overall hateful actions of others have weighed deeply on my soul.  While I personally am ready to celebrate a milestone… Read More ›

• Is Evil Winning? by Michele Stopera Freyhauf

  By Michele Stopera Freyhauf on February 19, 2017 • ( 8 )

  

  If you are like me, today (and most days lately) it is difficult to be positive in a world that seems so full of hate.  In fact, I struggled with a topic to write about because, in all honesty, it… Read More ›

• The Divided States of America – Will We, as a Nation, Continue to Stand? by Michele Stopera Freyhauf

  By Michele Stopera Freyhauf on November 20, 2016 • ( 7 )

  

  If you are like me, you are still reeling from the election results in the United States – trying to make sense of it, while at the same time going through the steps of mourning.  As I write this, it… Read More ›

• Moving Away from Normative Maternal Roles in the Catholic Church by Michele Stopera Freyhauf

  By Michele Stopera Freyhauf on May 15, 2016 • ( 11 )

  

  Earlier this week, social media was all abuzz about the Pope’s investigation into restoring women to the diaconate. In the complete transcript of the Pope’s comments,  the traditional notion of women’s maternal role in the church is mentioned in relation… Read More ›

• What Happens when Wonder Woman “Leans In” and Winds up in Traction? by Michele Stopera Freyhauf

  By Michele Stopera Freyhauf on February 21, 2016 • ( 7 )

  

  They always say in writing – use a title and the first few sentences to grab attention and the reader will want to see what you have to say. By my title, you have probably ascertained that I have made… Read More ›

• Let My People Go! Modern Day Oppression and Exile by Michele Stopera Freyhauf

  By Michele Stopera Freyhauf on October 2, 2015 • ( 7 )

  Let my people go! Where is the humanity? Why are my sisters and brothers continuously subjected to persecution? Who will help and stop this madness? I am a member of the human race. Collectively I identify with those who need… Read More ›

• Is There a Such Thing as a Code of Ethics in Academia?  by Michele Stopera Freyhauf

  By Michele Stopera Freyhauf on August 27, 2015 • ( 7 )

  

  One of things that has dismayed me since I began graduate school and started focusing my study on the Bible, is how much sensationalism exists. We are told in the academy not to use Wikipedia or watch the History Channel…. Read More ›

• Passover and the Exodus: A Feminist Reflection on Action, Hope, and Legacy by Michele Stopera Freyhauf

  By Michele Stopera Freyhauf on March 26, 2015 • ( 9 )

  

  Last week, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was in the news again, but not for reasons you would expect.  She, along with Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt, penned a feminist essay about the Exodus title “The Heroic and Visionary Women of… Read More ›

• Abuse Does Not Have “Fifty Shades of Grey” by Michele Stopera Freyhauf

  By Michele Stopera Freyhauf on February 26, 2015 • ( 12 )

  

  WARNING: This article or pages it links to contain information about domestic abuse and sexual violence which may be triggering to survivors.   No matter what you call it abuse is abuse. This is highlighted in the popular book and now movie Fifty… Read More ›

• Research and the Dissertation: Getting Back to Basics by Michele Stopera Freyhauf

  By Michele Stopera Freyhauf on January 22, 2015 • ( 5 )

  

  History is written by the victors – this is something that we all know, or at least should know. I apologize in advance for being elementary in my discussion, but I think one thing that scholars tend to do too… Read More ›

• Reclaiming the Feminist Beginnings of America’s Thanksgiving by Michele Stopera Freyhauf

  By Michele Stopera Freyhauf on November 27, 2014 • ( 9 )

  

  For those who are unaware of my research focus and methodology, I try to use history to reconstruct or reclaim the feminine voice through more of an exegetical lens rather than an eisegetical or ideological lens. When it comes to… Read More ›

• Reviewing Gender and Career Progression in Theology and Religious Studies by Michele Stopera Freyhauf

  By Michele Stopera Freyhauf on September 25, 2014 • ( 5 )

  

  Abstract from the Study:  The low proportion of women within the subject areas of Theology and Religious Studies has long been observed, and is increasingly recognised as a serious problem for staff and students. In this new study, Mathew Guest, Sonya… Read More ›

• #IceBucketChallenge – Raising Awareness While Being Good Stewards by Michele Stopera Freyhauf

  By Michele Stopera Freyhauf on August 28, 2014 • ( 3 )

  

  In a space that has been flooded with negativity and scenes of war and violence, I find my Facebook newsfeed lit up with people from all walks of life engaging in this challenge. For those that may not be aware… Read More ›

• Movement Within the Catholic Church – Time for Receptive Ecumenism? by Michele Stopera Freyhauf

  By Michele Stopera Freyhauf on July 24, 2014 • ( 4 )

  

  When I originally learned about the concept of receptive ecumenism and the movement to more fully reach across lines of faith traditions as a means of ecclesiastical growth, my first reaction was to ask the question – what about women… Read More ›

• The Feminization of Poverty: The Impact on Migrant Mothers in the U.S. by Michele Stopera Freyhauf

  By Michele Stopera Freyhauf on April 24, 2014 • ( 7 )

  

  I had the honor of speaking at the United Nations during the Commission for the Status of Women this past March about the Feminization of Poverty and the Impact on Migrant Mothers.  Below is the text of my speech delivered.  By posting… Read More ›

• Encountering “the Change” as a Personal Exodus and Liberation by Michele Stopera Freyhauf

  By Michele Stopera Freyhauf on February 27, 2014 • ( 7 )

  

  The story of Exodus, through a liberation lens, has different meanings depending on the person’s experience in life.  I recently experienced my own kind of liberation, a freedom from decades old enslavement.  Through this realization, I celebrated with many other… Read More ›

• Seriously?! Let’s Blame Feminism for the Creation of a “Wimpy” Nation by Michele Stopera Freyhauf

  By Michele Stopera Freyhauf on January 23, 2014 • ( 12 )

  

  It is so easy to blame feminism for the ills of the world – mainly because of continued misconceptions and misunderstandings about the definition or meaning of feminism. Feminism is responsible for poverty, bad leadership, wars, the polar vortex, the… Read More ›

• Three Wishes for the New Year: Peace, Kindness, and Dialogue in the Catholic Church by Michele Stopera Freyhauf

  By Michele Stopera Freyhauf on December 27, 2013 • ( 11 )

  

   While I sit and write this post, Christmas celebrations are concluded and I prepare, with the rest of the world, to embark on a new year; a year with my idealistic hopes and want for a better future for humanity. … Read More ›

• “Enlightened Sexism” and The Media: The Cultural Attack on Feminism by Michele Stopera Freyhauf

  By Michele Stopera Freyhauf on October 24, 2013 • ( 10 )

  

  What is a feminist mother of four daughters to do these days?  Look at our media and how girls and women are portrayed to our daughters, teens, and young adults. Then take a look at how media portrays the face… Read More ›

• Enduring the Trials of Graduate School: From Conception to Labor Pains and Birth (Revisited) By Michele Stopera Freyhauf

  By Michele Stopera Freyhauf on September 26, 2013 • ( 2 )

  With the new school year in full swing, I thought this post from almost two years ago would be an appropriate reflection, encouragement, and outward support to those returning to school or nearing the completion of their degree.  Remember –… Read More ›

• Genetic Testing: The Ethical Implications of Expanded Newborn Testing – Who Benefits? (Part Two) by Michele Stopera Freyhauf

  By Michele Stopera Freyhauf on June 20, 2013 • ( 2 )

  

  With Angelina Jolie’s decision to have a double mastectomy due to a genetic test that revealed she carried the BRCa gene, the issue of genetic testing is in the forefront once again.  This is the second part of a three-part… Read More ›

• Genetic Testing: The Ethical Implications of Expanded Newborn Testing – Who Benefits? (Part One) by Michele Stopera Freyhauf

  By Michele Stopera Freyhauf on June 6, 2013 • ( 1 )

  

  With Angelina Jolie’s electing to have a double mastectomy because she carried the BRCa Gene, and her mother and aunt died at a very early age of the disease, the issue of genetic testing is in the forefront again.  This… Read More ›

• Appreciating the Sacrament of the Present Moment by Michele Stopera Freyhauf

  By Michele Stopera Freyhauf on May 16, 2013 • ( 9 )

  In order to be at peace, it is necessary to find a sense of history – that you are both part of what has come before and part of what is yet to come. Being thus surrounded, you are not… Read More ›

• Protecting our Families: How the U.S. Falls Short in Protecting New Mothers (and Fathers) by Michele Stopera Freyhauf

  By Michele Stopera Freyhauf on May 2, 2013 • ( 13 )

  

  Last weekend, I had the privilege of speaking at the National Convention for American Mothers, Inc. about motherhood in the 21st Century.  Because this is such a vital issue for mothers that live in the U.S. (since a large majority… Read More ›

• Why are We Troubled by a Homeless Jesus? by Michele Stopera Freyhauf

  By Michele Stopera Freyhauf on April 25, 2013 • ( 10 )

  

  There are standard depictions of Jesus that show a Caucasian male with blue eyes (some pictures have the occasional brown eyes), shoulder length brown hair, and usually wearing a tunic with sandals. Jesus’ demeanor is usually victorious, prayerful, inviting, and… Read More ›

• Standing in Cautious Optimism with the Election of the First Jesuit Pope by Michele Stopera Freyhauf

  By Michele Stopera Freyhauf on March 21, 2013 • ( 11 )

  

  From the time Benedict’s successor was revealed, I believed that we were witnessing something different – hopefully change.  Pope Francis I embraces many “firsts” – which is probably why the Cardinals chose him.  Change and reconciliation seem to be at… Read More ›

• Marriage as a Commodity (Satisfaction Guaranteed) by Michele Stopera Freyhauf

  By Michele Stopera Freyhauf on March 7, 2013 • ( 7 )

  

  This Saturday I will be presenting a paper about Cyberbrides at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.  While my focus for that paper is the impact on mothers and families, my research also revealed how some Cyberbrides… Read More ›

• St. Thecla: Transvestite Saint and Woman Apostle by Michele Stopera Freyhauf

  By Michele Stopera Freyhauf on February 21, 2013 • ( 21 )

  

  The story of Thecla is an intriguing one – it is above all a story that demonstrates a woman in active ministry – a story that shows a woman as an Apostle.  The story found is found in the apocryphal literature called… Read More ›

• Imagine a Catholic Church that Loved as only a “Woman” Loves by Michele Stopera Freyhauf

  By Michele Stopera Freyhauf on February 7, 2013 • ( 25 )

   I came across an abhorrent display of ignorance Saturday when reading an article quoting the Pope’s theologian, Dominican priest Wojciech Giertych, on why women cannot be ordained.  This man is in charge of reviewing speeches and texts submitted to the Pope… Read More ›