{"product_id":"the-girl-who-baptized-herself-how-a-lost-scripture-about-a-saint-named-thecla-reveals-the-power-of-knowing-our-worth-9780593595008","title":"The Girl Who Baptized Herself: How a Lost Scripture about a Saint Named Thecla Reveals the Power of Knowing Our Worth","description":"\u003cb\u003eThis riveting exploration of a nearly lost first-century scripture tells the story of a courageous saint named Thecla and offers us a road map to knowing our worth.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Meggan Watterson writes with a prophet's vision and a mystic's heart.\"--Arianna Huffington, founder and CEO, Thrive Global\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA teenage girl named Thecla is sitting at her bedroom window listening to a man share stories nearby. Her mother and fiancé order her to stop. But Thecla, trapped in a world that expects her to marry and have children, refuses. This man, Paul, is talking about a world she wants to believe in: an inner world of freedom to define her own life. And he's talking about a kind of love she hasn't known before--a love that asks her to be true to who she is within. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFor Meggan Watterson, a Harvard-trained feminist theologian, Thecla's story in \u003ci\u003eThe Acts of Paul and Thecla \u003c\/i\u003ehas everything to do with power. Thecla's refusal to be controlled, as well as the authority she reclaims by baptizing herself, reads like a lost gospel for finding our own source of power within--a power that allows us to know who we are and to make choices based on that knowing. This hidden scripture suggests that Christianity before the fourth century was about defying the patriarchy, not deifying it. But early church fathers excluded \u003ci\u003eThe Acts of Paul and Thecla, \u003c\/i\u003e along with other sacred texts such as \u003ci\u003eThe Gospel of Mary, \u003c\/i\u003e from the New Testament. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWatterson synthesizes scripture, memoir, and politics to illuminate a story that has been left out of the canon for far too long, one that follows a girl freeing herself from a life predicated on the expectations of others--a path that made her feel unworthy. Thecla's story offers us a path to take back the power we often give to others and live based on the truth of who we are.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Meggan Watterson\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Random House\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/22\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 288\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.80lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.42h x 5.86w x 1.02d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780593595008\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 05\/12\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 05\/15\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 06\/01\/2025 pg. 95\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e 06\/01\/2025 pg. 3\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMeggan Watterson\u003c\/b\u003e is a renowned feminist theologian and the\u003ci\u003e Wall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eMary Magdalene Revealed\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eShe has a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School and a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary at Columbia University. She created The House of Mary Magdalene--a spiritual community that studies sacred texts left out of the traditional canon. Her work has appeared in media outlets such as \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times, The Huffington Post, \u003c\/i\u003e TEDxWomen, and \u003ci\u003eMarie Claire\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"Meggan Watterson \/ Hardcover \/ English","offer_id":47279561179293,"sku":"9780593595008","price":48.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_63f26e59-ede1-4b5d-94c1-c1cba0f44dae.jpg?v=1759873259","url":"https:\/\/booksdeli.com\/products\/the-girl-who-baptized-herself-how-a-lost-scripture-about-a-saint-named-thecla-reveals-the-power-of-knowing-our-worth-9780593595008","provider":"booksdeli.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}