Women & Work

Work Done Well: Natalie Brand

Dr. Natalie Brand

Author, Speaker, Theologian

Follow Natalie on Instagram

Dr. Natalie Brand is a theologian, author, and speaker. She lives in the U.K. with her husband and three daughters. For many years she taught Historical and Systematic Theology at Union School of Theology, and served as Tutor for Women. She now writes full-time, seeking to spur women to treasure doctrine as they love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength.

Today we are honored to feature author and theologian Natalie Brand on our Work Done Well blog. We pray this interview encourages you and that you look into reading some of her books we will have linked below. 

Natalie, welcome! Please share with our readers a little bit about yourself.

If England is a dartboard I live right in the bullseye with my husband (who is in ministry), our three beautiful daughters, and a Beagle of questionable sanity.

I am a theologian. Not because I have degrees in theology but because I am a Christian – a follower of Christ. Much of my work revolves around demonstrating that the natural appetite of every Christian – child, woman and man – is to pursue knowledge of God.

I started studying theology pretty soon after I became a Christian, and got so addicted I stayed at Union School of Theology (South Wales) for nearly a decade. Then, after finishing my doctorate, I had the privilege of serving as a lecturer to pastors-in-training and ministry workers, supervising theological research, and tutoring Union’s many female students. However, last year as a family we decided to cut back due to this demanding season of pre-teen parenting (and perhaps post-Covid life on Planet Earth in general). We wanted to slow down and simplify ‘to the glory of God’. So now I am based at home full-time: working on writing projects and supporting our girls more fully.

 How did you come to recognize the gifts God had given you and learn to leverage those gifts for the kingdom of God and for his glory?

I was never academic. The only thing I gained at school were two reasonable English grades and entry into a cycle of failed resits. But when I became a Christian my brain turned on like a lightbulb! I suddenly had questions that needed answering and kept finding myself lost in the meandering aisles of the Christian bookshop, near where I grew up. Using any gifting in this area for God’s glory has been natural because as I studied theology God gave me a new and surprising ability. I guess, like Joseph in Egypt and Daniel in Babylon, God graciously enabled me to thrive and succeed in alien territory – for the sake of His glory and kingdom. 

When it comes to writing specifically, it is about desire turned into practise. Just as with a musician committing hours to practicing their instrument. No one is ever born a great writer. Writing academic essays and dissertations certainly honed and toned ‘my pen’ and thinking muscles. I would say writing is less of a ‘gift’ and more of a burning need only sated when words are placed on a page. I am so grateful God has used me to serve his church in this way.

 

When you decide to embark on the challenge of writing a new book, where do you begin and how do you decide what to write about? What advice would you give to others who have a passion for writing and want to maybe pursue that dream as a career?

C. S. Lewis once said, “I was with book, as a women is with child.” I have found this to be true. Book projects generally start as rumblings . . . ideas that nag and gnaw away at you until you start writing, or unguardedly share it with an editor. The result of the later being either – happily – a contract, or –  embarrassingly – another Christian editor who thinks you’re a nut.

If you have a book idea, read about the subject. Write notes on scrap paper, your kid’s school reports, napkins – whatever! Write notes as messily as you like, but keep them! Also share your ideas with others. Practice your material out in women’s Bible studies, Sunday School, on a blog, or even on your Instagram account. Ask yourself, am I hitting a nerve? I mean in a good way. And practice your craft. Write just 100 words a day – but write! Write! WRITE! Then you can get down to writing a proposal and getting some feedback from people in the know. And can prayerfully send it out to Christian publishers. (Then the easy bit is done.)

My advice to those who are passionate about writing is to grab the proverbial bull by its horns. The bull being the unassuming Christian editor! And remember all the best authors have been rejected. Don’t let it discourage you.

Why is it important for women to know the truths of scripture and to have a theological framework for themselves even if they work a secular job and aren’t pursuing a career in ministry?

This is such a great question. As Christians we can be tempted to love the Lord but fail to pursue hard into the mysteries of His person, His triune nature, and His salvation in Christ. We rob ourselves of knowledge of God when we leave biblical doctrine to the pastors and academics. We hamper our joy in the Lord, our worship and wonder of him, when we do not strike out into new territory. Many Christians stunt their spirituality by reading the same parts of Scripture over and over again, and the same old books. We fail to grow in knowledge of God or realise that biblical truth is our fight against sin, our appropriation of God-truth in a world gone mad. It is essential to our self-understanding and needed grace in relationships. Every Christian needs a theological framework. It is God-truth that demonstrates to us “not to be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (2 Kings 6:15-17). Glorious doctrine is the army and chariots of fire beyond the physical ones that Elisha’s servant could only see. It is the Christian’s reality.

The Puritan theologian John Owen believed faith is what makes a theologian. The act of theology, studying the things of God, is a grace that belongs to all Christians. It is not a vocational thing but a knowing-God thing. All of the Bible and all its doctrinal truths are for everyone. As we read in Joshua, it is for the whole assembly, not just the leaders and priests but also “the women, and little ones, and the sojourners” (Josh. 8:35).

How do you keep yourself encouraged that the work you’re doing is valuable and worthwhile when the world tempts you to believe otherwise? Are there any Scriptures God has given you to keep you present in the work to which He has called you?

There is so much emphasis on profile, popularity, and ‘following’ in the world of writing and speaking.  The celebrity culture, even within the church, is hard to navigate. I have to remind myself to be faithful in the small things. It is true in Christian writing I plod away in obscurity most of the time. But don’t we all? In the office, on the ward, in the nursery, at the kitchen sink, we work away unseen and sometimes unappreciated. My value is not in my sales ranks but in my God who sees. I constantly come back to Paul’s command to work faithfully, not as a people-pleaser ‘but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men’ (Col. 3:22-23). This verse reminds me that I glorify God in my work when I write for His glory, not my own. Giving every project my best.

 

Lastly, where can our readers find out more about your books and connect with you via social media and beyond.

Natalie’s books are available wherever books are sold. Do keep a look out for her forthcoming work with Union Publishing, Priscilla, Where Are You? A Call to Joyful Theology (due early 2023). The Good Portion Books website, an important series on doctrine written by women for women, also has more information about my work.

You can also follow Natalie on Instagram at @nataliebrandauthor.

 

Have someone in mind you’d like to nominate to be featured on Work Done Well?

NOMINATION FORM