Introducing Redemption In Christian Feminism

Christianity begins with what appears to be an inclusive promise of redemption in Christ without regard to gender. Paul proclaimed that 'In Christ there is no more male and female.' Yet Christianity soon developed a patriarchal social structure, excluding women from public ministry, with the argument that women were created subordinate in nature and were more culpable for sin. Here, distinguished feminist theologian, Rosemary Ruether, traces the tension between patriarchal and egalitarian patterns in Christian theology historically. She then examines key theological themes--Christology, the self, the cross and future hope--in the light of her critique.

Annotation. Introductions in Feminist Theology (IFT) explores various theological topics that challenge patriarchal theology and suggest liberating alternatives. The authors and editors seek to expand theological discourse by providing reliable guides to the history of thinking, current issues and debates, and possible future developments in feminist theology.

"Rosemary Radford Ruether's authoritative, award-winning critique of women's unequal standing in the church, which explored the complex history of redemption in evaluating conflict over the fundamental meaning of the Christian gospel for gender relations, is now in an updated and expanded edition. Ruether highlights women theologians' work to challenge the patriarchal paradigm of historical theology and to present redemption linked to the liberation of women. Ruether turns her attention to the situation of women globally and how the growing plurality of women's voices from multicultural and multireligious contexts articulates feminist liberation theology today." --Publisher description.

Introductions in Feminist Theology (IFT) explores various theological topics that challenge patriarchal theology and suggest liberating alternatives. The authors and editors seek to expand theological discourse by providing reliable guides to the history of thinking, current issues and debates, and possible future developments in feminist theology.

The second edition of this highly popular introduction includes a new preface and each chapter has been revised to keep it as up-to-date as possible. 'Introducing Feminist Theology remains a lively and stimulating 'first read' for anyone embarking on feminist theology, as well as a first rate resource for those wishing to refresh their acquiantaince with it. Despite claims in some quarters that 'feminism' has been surpassed by 'gender' this book explains how vital a feminist agenda remains, and how much is still to be done, both at the theological and the practical level, to transform Christianity from two centuries of male-gendered discourse and ecclesiastical structure into a religion that adequately reflects the life of modern women.

The church has always been a place of profound ambivalence for women. While the majority of those who attend church are women, women experience hierarchical exclusion and invisibility within its institutional structures. Throughout most of its history, women have not participated in the church's reflections on its own nature. And yet, feminist theologians claim that women are church and always have been church. This book explores women's experiences of being church and reclaiming the church in order to rebuild it as meaningful, open, sacramental space where everybody's presence is celebrated. Natalie Watson proposes a creative and constructive dialogue with existing theological approaches to the church, from different Christian traditions as well as more recent feminist theologians, and suggests the development of criteria which hear women's experiences of being church and reclaiming church into speech. The church is the embodied reality of all women, children and men whose stories tell the story of the Triune God. This book explores the ambivalence of women's experiences of being part of the church, yet often on men's terms, and seeks to establish a constructive and creative re-reading of ecclesiology from a feminist perspective.

"A balanced introduction to feminist theological questions ... Carr builds bridges not only between different feminist directions within Christianity, but also within Christian and post-Christian feminists."--Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza