The stories of more than 50 Christian women throughout history who provided soul care and spiritual direction are detailed in a new book just released by BMH Books, Winona Lake, Ind. Written by Dr. Robert W. Kellemen and Susan M. Ellis, Sacred Friendships: Celebrating the Legacy of Women Heroes of the Faith, tells the stories of great female forbears of the faith and empowers and equips both male and female Christians to practice soul care and spiritual direction in today’s environment.
Kellemen, former chair of the master of arts in the Christian counseling and discipleship program at Capital Bible Seminary in Lanham, Md., is the founder of RPM ministries (rpmministries.org). He also serves as the director of the Biblical Counseling and Spiritual Formation Network and has authored several other works, including Soul Physicians and Spiritual Friends, both published by BMH Books.
Ellis is an adjunct professor and women’s mentor for the M.A. in Christian counseling program at Capital Bible Seminary and is also active as a mentor, researcher, and developer of women’s soul care and spiritual direction.
“Sacred Friendships is not just an anthology of these women’s voices, but a thoughtful reflection on what they uniquely add to the stream of Christian counsel flowing through the waves of human history,” says Dr. Christy Hill, associate professor of spiritual formation and women’s ministry at Grace Theological Seminary.
“Sacred Friendships must be counted a special treasure . . . this book does more than fill a void,” adds Eric Johnson, professor of Christian psychology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and founder and director of the Society of Christian Psychologists. “It allows the lives of these women to educate us today and, by their example, to draw us into the holy love of God,” he says.
Sacred Friendships is arranged in 15 chronological chapters. The 308-page paperback retails for $19.99 and is available wherever Christian books are sold, online at bmhbooks.com, or by calling BMH Books at 1-800-348-2756. The ISBN number is 978-0-88469-264-5.