Interview with Paul Ellis, the award-winning author of The Silent Queen: Why the Church Needs Women to Find their Voice
Note: You are welcome to reproduce all or part of this interview in your blog or media outlet. An author bio and pic can be found in the accompanying media kit.
Who are you and what have you written?
I am Paul Ellis. I come from a family of pastors and I pastored a church in Hong Kong for about ten years. I have written a number of books on the gospel such as The Gospel in Ten Words, The Hyper-Grace Gospel, and Letters from Jesus. I write regularly about the grace of God at escapetoreality.org. My latest project is the Grace Commentary.
Why did you go to Hong Kong?
I first went to Hong Kong in the late 1980s to smuggle Bibles into China. I returned in the mid-1990s because I had been offered a job at a business school. It was never my intention to lead a church, but God had other ideas.
Can you share a little about your recent book?
The Silent Queen captures my passion for people to discover the gifts and talents God has hidden within them. Historically, society has determined that men and women should act a certain way, but look at what God said to us in the beginning and you will see that we are called to rule and reign in partnership. Women have been told they are subordinate and men have been told they must bear the burden of ruling alone, but that’s not what our heavenly Father said.
Jesus is the proof. In a world that treated women like property, he valued them. He listened to them, encouraged them, and befriended them. He gave them revelation no man had heard. Before Jesus, women hardly figured in historical accounts. Even in the Old Testament, women hardly speak and many who do go unnamed. But after Jesus, women began to speak and men began to listen. The women in the New Testament were extraordinary. But fast forward a few hundred years, and patriarchy had put women back in their place.
It wasn't until the mid-20th century that women began to step up again. We’ve come a long way, but there is still a long way to go.
Who did you write this book for?
In November 2020, the National Congregations Study revealed it’s finding that only eight percent of churches are led by women. This is just one example of gender discrimination in the church. I regularly hear from women who have been told they can’t speak or lead or teach or otherwise do what God has called them to do. Some women have been badly treated by the church. A recent study done in the UK revealed that one in three women are resigned to having low expectations with church, and sexual discrimination is a big reason why.
I wrote The Silent Queen for my three young daughters. My wife and I are often reminding them that there is nothing they can’t do, but that’s not yet true in the church. I write so that it might become true – so that women everywhere will come to enjoy the same opportunities as men.
You could say I wrote this book for women, but I also wrote it for pastors who want healthy churches, and for husbands who want radiant wives. I wrote it for parents who want happy families. I wrote it so that we might enjoy the abundant life that has been offered to all of us.
In the words of Jesus, I wrote it that we might be one.
Why do you write? Do you have a theme, message, or goal for your books?
I write so that people will know there’s no bad news in the good news. Your heavenly Father loves you as you are and he wants nothing more than for you to enjoy his love.
Which of your books is your favorite?
It’s a cliché, but my favorite book is always the next one.
How long does it take you to write a book?
It varies. I wrote the meat of The Hyper-Grace Gospel in about two weeks, but I also have a a number of unfinished books that have been simmering for years. On average, a book takes about eighteen months of intermittent activity. I’ll knock out a complete draft in four to five weeks, put it aside for a couple of months, then repeat four or five times until it’s done.
Hypergrace - isn’t that heresy?
There are two versions of hypergrace: There is the Biblical kind that Jesus preached and Paul wrote about, and there’s the counterfeit version that is mocked in certain circles. When the New Testament writers described the grace of God, they used extreme language. They literally called it hyper. I love that. God's grace is far greater than we know. It's not something to mock or belittle.
What’s your writing schedule like?
I tend to be most creative in the latter part of the day, and most ruthless with rewriting in the early part of the day.
Do you have a writing quirk?
My handwriting is so bad it’s illegible even to me. I’ll scribble down notes in the middle of the night, then in the morning I'll have no idea what I wrote.
What has been your greatest joy in your writing career?
When my daughter was eight years old, her school had a Book Parade where every student came dressed as their favorite fictional character. My daughter went as one of the children from my children’s book The Big House. Of course, nobody had a clue who she was, but I was pretty chuffed.
Could you tell us about a dark moment in your writing career?
Halfway through the writing of The Silent Queen, I experienced every authors’ worst nightmare. I discovered that my book, or one very much like it, had been published several years ago by another author. I was basically reinventing the wheel. Dismayed, I was ready to can the whole project.
However, my wife convinced me that the topic was sufficiently important and my audience sufficiently distinct, that there was room for both books. I left my book to simmer for a few weeks then came back with a fresh approach. The final version was completely different and much better than the earlier draft.
Where do you get your ideas?
I get a lot of ideas while I'm out walking. I use the recorder app on my phone constantly. I’m also blessed to be in a position where I hear a lot of stories from readers.
Who is your favorite author?
That is a tough question. No one has shaped my understanding of God like the Apostle Paul, and few people have fired my imagination like C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.
What advice can you give aspiring writers?
The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt. Give yourself permission to write a stinky first draft. Learning to silence the inner critic is an essential skill for every creative.
What is your vision and hope for churches around the world?
Jesus said his yoke was light and easy, yet many Christians are worn out from running on the hamster wheel of DIY churchianity. They are working so hard to earn what God has freely given them. They've got enough grace to get in the door, but not enough to drop their offerings. As a result, much of the church has become captive to performance-based anxiety and condemnation.
I want to see what Barnabas saw when he went to Antioch. The Bible says, “He witnessed what grace had done.” He saw evidence of grace. I am looking forward to when the church becomes known as a place where God’s grace is seen like it was in the New Testament. Such a church would change the world.
What do you do to relax?
I would love to say something impressive like "I put on magic shows for orphans", but the truth is more prosaic. Few things give me more pleasure than walking in the hills or kayaking in the harbor where we live. That and playing laser tag with my kids.
Who are you and what have you written?
I am Paul Ellis. I come from a family of pastors and I pastored a church in Hong Kong for about ten years. I have written a number of books on the gospel such as The Gospel in Ten Words, The Hyper-Grace Gospel, and Letters from Jesus. I write regularly about the grace of God at escapetoreality.org. My latest project is the Grace Commentary.
Why did you go to Hong Kong?
I first went to Hong Kong in the late 1980s to smuggle Bibles into China. I returned in the mid-1990s because I had been offered a job at a business school. It was never my intention to lead a church, but God had other ideas.
Can you share a little about your recent book?
The Silent Queen captures my passion for people to discover the gifts and talents God has hidden within them. Historically, society has determined that men and women should act a certain way, but look at what God said to us in the beginning and you will see that we are called to rule and reign in partnership. Women have been told they are subordinate and men have been told they must bear the burden of ruling alone, but that’s not what our heavenly Father said.
Jesus is the proof. In a world that treated women like property, he valued them. He listened to them, encouraged them, and befriended them. He gave them revelation no man had heard. Before Jesus, women hardly figured in historical accounts. Even in the Old Testament, women hardly speak and many who do go unnamed. But after Jesus, women began to speak and men began to listen. The women in the New Testament were extraordinary. But fast forward a few hundred years, and patriarchy had put women back in their place.
It wasn't until the mid-20th century that women began to step up again. We’ve come a long way, but there is still a long way to go.
Who did you write this book for?
In November 2020, the National Congregations Study revealed it’s finding that only eight percent of churches are led by women. This is just one example of gender discrimination in the church. I regularly hear from women who have been told they can’t speak or lead or teach or otherwise do what God has called them to do. Some women have been badly treated by the church. A recent study done in the UK revealed that one in three women are resigned to having low expectations with church, and sexual discrimination is a big reason why.
I wrote The Silent Queen for my three young daughters. My wife and I are often reminding them that there is nothing they can’t do, but that’s not yet true in the church. I write so that it might become true – so that women everywhere will come to enjoy the same opportunities as men.
You could say I wrote this book for women, but I also wrote it for pastors who want healthy churches, and for husbands who want radiant wives. I wrote it for parents who want happy families. I wrote it so that we might enjoy the abundant life that has been offered to all of us.
In the words of Jesus, I wrote it that we might be one.
Why do you write? Do you have a theme, message, or goal for your books?
I write so that people will know there’s no bad news in the good news. Your heavenly Father loves you as you are and he wants nothing more than for you to enjoy his love.
Which of your books is your favorite?
It’s a cliché, but my favorite book is always the next one.
How long does it take you to write a book?
It varies. I wrote the meat of The Hyper-Grace Gospel in about two weeks, but I also have a a number of unfinished books that have been simmering for years. On average, a book takes about eighteen months of intermittent activity. I’ll knock out a complete draft in four to five weeks, put it aside for a couple of months, then repeat four or five times until it’s done.
Hypergrace - isn’t that heresy?
There are two versions of hypergrace: There is the Biblical kind that Jesus preached and Paul wrote about, and there’s the counterfeit version that is mocked in certain circles. When the New Testament writers described the grace of God, they used extreme language. They literally called it hyper. I love that. God's grace is far greater than we know. It's not something to mock or belittle.
What’s your writing schedule like?
I tend to be most creative in the latter part of the day, and most ruthless with rewriting in the early part of the day.
Do you have a writing quirk?
My handwriting is so bad it’s illegible even to me. I’ll scribble down notes in the middle of the night, then in the morning I'll have no idea what I wrote.
What has been your greatest joy in your writing career?
When my daughter was eight years old, her school had a Book Parade where every student came dressed as their favorite fictional character. My daughter went as one of the children from my children’s book The Big House. Of course, nobody had a clue who she was, but I was pretty chuffed.
Could you tell us about a dark moment in your writing career?
Halfway through the writing of The Silent Queen, I experienced every authors’ worst nightmare. I discovered that my book, or one very much like it, had been published several years ago by another author. I was basically reinventing the wheel. Dismayed, I was ready to can the whole project.
However, my wife convinced me that the topic was sufficiently important and my audience sufficiently distinct, that there was room for both books. I left my book to simmer for a few weeks then came back with a fresh approach. The final version was completely different and much better than the earlier draft.
Where do you get your ideas?
I get a lot of ideas while I'm out walking. I use the recorder app on my phone constantly. I’m also blessed to be in a position where I hear a lot of stories from readers.
Who is your favorite author?
That is a tough question. No one has shaped my understanding of God like the Apostle Paul, and few people have fired my imagination like C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.
What advice can you give aspiring writers?
The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt. Give yourself permission to write a stinky first draft. Learning to silence the inner critic is an essential skill for every creative.
What is your vision and hope for churches around the world?
Jesus said his yoke was light and easy, yet many Christians are worn out from running on the hamster wheel of DIY churchianity. They are working so hard to earn what God has freely given them. They've got enough grace to get in the door, but not enough to drop their offerings. As a result, much of the church has become captive to performance-based anxiety and condemnation.
I want to see what Barnabas saw when he went to Antioch. The Bible says, “He witnessed what grace had done.” He saw evidence of grace. I am looking forward to when the church becomes known as a place where God’s grace is seen like it was in the New Testament. Such a church would change the world.
What do you do to relax?
I would love to say something impressive like "I put on magic shows for orphans", but the truth is more prosaic. Few things give me more pleasure than walking in the hills or kayaking in the harbor where we live. That and playing laser tag with my kids.
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Where can readers learn more about your book?
Check out the book website: www.thesilentqueen.com Thank you. My pleasure. |
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