Feminism and Christianity

The purpose of this volume is to introduce college and seminary students to the basic questions and issues in a feminist interpretation of Christianity. It explores the central issues of Christian feminism, including its critique of patriarchy in Christianity and its recovery of the presence, actions, and ideas of women. The intention of this volume is not so much to offer new ideas about feminism as to interpret the existing feminist proposals for people who are beginning their study of feminism or theology or for those readers who want to understand what a feminist approach to Christianity is really all about. Beginning with an examination of women and the Bible, Japinga explores biblical texts which define women negatively as well as those which emphasize women's strengths and abilities, and then outlines the various feminist approaches to the interpretation of Scripture. She then offers an overview of the role of women in the history of Christianity and in American religion. She then turns to theology and asks what main questions are brought to the study of theology by a feminist method.