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Considers feminist studies of religion as existing on the borderlands of debates over the appropriate methods & objects of scholarly religious investigations. Since the 1980s, there has been a dramatic increase in feminist writings on questions of gender & the variety of world religions. These writings have challenged Christian orthodoxy, called attention to issues of global & cultural diversity, & constructed a notion of women's centered spirituality. Much of this work has interrogated the mythic structures of the Judeo-Christian tradition & has sought to retrieve women's role in the history of the church. Part of this effort has been dedicated to exposing the misogyny endemic to traditional religious practices, but another part of it has been to innovate new spiritual & mystical discourses. It is suggested that, for feminist religious thought to achieve its goals, it must become more scholarly, rigorous, & committed to translate its theories into social practice. 42 References. D. M. Ryfe

"One of the most significant phenomena within the Western church in the second half of the twentieth century has been the emergence of feminist theology. This both reflects and promotes pastoral and policy concerns about the proper roles and relationships of women and men within the Christian church, such as the validity of women's priestly ministry, the use of inclusive language in liturgy and the metaphorical naming of God. At the heart of the debate is the question of the meaning and significance of gender in theology and Christian practice. Within the human and social sciences, the analysis of gender is treated as an essential aspect of human behaviour. By contrast, within the church there has been little sustained or disciplined attention to the nature and underlying significance of gender. Theological discourse and church policy have too often displayed ignorance and unexamined assumptions about the crucial issues involved. Graham attempts a more detailed and critical inquiry into how an analysis of gender can affect policy, practice and discourse within the church. Focusing on three major disciplines - anthropology, biology and psychoanalysis - she demonstrates how these offer profound implications for our understanding of the foundations of human culture and identity, for theological studies and for Christian practice."--Bloomsbury Publishing

Cover -- Half-title -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- Introduction -- Interrogation of Theories of Gender -- Part I: Gender Issues -- 1. What is Gender? -- Origins of Gender Dualism in the West -- Critical Studies of Gender -- Sex and Gender -- Androgyny -- From 'Sex' and 'Gender' to 'Power' and 'Difference' -- Contemporary Theories of Gender -- The Interdisciplinary Nature of Theories of Gender -- The Influence of Feminist Theory and Practice -- Critical Studies of Men and Masculinity -- The Influence of Postmodernism -- Notes -- 2. Gender and the Churches -- Priesthood as 'Male*

6. Bodies: History, Epistemology and PracticeHistory of the Body: Changing Practices and Definitions; From 'The Body' to 'Our Bodies'; Foucault and the Discipline of Bodies; Feminism and the Feminine Body; Writing the Body; Bodies as Sites of Resistance; The Male Body; Bodies and Practice; Notes; 7. Ideas of Nature; 'Nature' in Historical Context; Gender Relations and 'The Death of Nature'; The Social Construction of the Natural; The 'Eternal Feminine'; Feminism and the Problem of Nature; 8. The Challenge of Difference; Differences and Diversity; Speaking of Difference.

This article asks what happens when theology 'goes public': what some of the key issues are in relation to the changing profile and role of religion in society – global, local and national – and how theologians have approached the issue of how the voices of faith might speak into the public domain. Where are the critical points in society, economics, politics, health and welfare where we feel the voices and influence of people of faith are most effective; and where are they absent; or most needed? What moves us to hope and action in relation to our 'Common Life'?

Accounts of secularization, decline and marginalization in relation to the public position of religion in Western society have failed to account for the continued vitality and relevance of religion in the global public square. It is important, however, to challenge simplistic accounts and think of the new visibility of religion (not least in Europe) in terms of complexity and multi-dimensionality. This article will ask how public theology might contribute constructively to repairing our fractured body politic and promoting new models of citizenship and civic engagement around visions of the common good.