Customer Reviews

Sexism and God Talk: Toward a Feminist Theology

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I think that this book is a very helpful introduction to feminist theology for someone who is already somewhat familiar with historical-critical analysis in religion and somewhat familiar with feminism. This book brings together the two traditions and presents a great framework from which to begin to explore feminist theology. This is probably not a good introduction for someone starting completely from scratch. There are less academic books, such as Introducing Feminist Theology by Anne M. Clifford which are easier to understand and navigate for the true beginner.
My favorite part of the book was the opening narrative written by Ruether (in the tradition of midrash) that imagines scenes from the Bible in a fresh and exciting light. It was inspiring, gave me goose bumps and helped me remember why I think that Christianity can be such an exciting and liberating spiritual path to follow.
The rest of the book systematically deals with topics that arise in "re-understanding" the Bible and Christianity in a way that honors and listens to women's voices which have, generally, been systematically excluded from the Christian tradition.
I didn't give it five stars because, like some of the other reviewers, I would have liked to see more evidence for some of her positions.

"Sexism and God-Talk" is based on lectures given by the author in the 1970's. The book was originally published in 1983, but it has much to say to Christians in 2002.

I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5, because I think that Ruether's comments about male puberty rites and the origins of mysogyny were weak and needed some documentation. There were a few other points in the book which I felt needed more documentation.

Nevertheless, "Sexism and God-Talk" is an excellent introduction to Christian feminist theology. Ruether is one of the few American writers to have defined Christian feminism in mainstream Western culture. She explains how being female came to be associated with evil in Western theological thought, and how, ironically, "Romantic feminism", which proposed that women were actually more spiritual than men, still was harmful to women.

Ruether insists that it is possible to be both Christian and feminist and that there is salvation within Christianity for all. She warns against reducing feminism to the hatred of men. Nothing is solved by that.

One need not agree with all of Ruether's political positions, such as her belief that democratic socialism is the best form of governance or her views on the situation in Palestine and Israel in order to appreciate her work.

In her fourth chapter on Anthropology: Humanity as Male and Female, Ruether is in search of an egalitarian Christian anthropology that leaves neither the male nor the female subjugated. She reviews the sexist anthropology that has dominated the Christian church for twenty centuries with intelligence and objectivity.
Ruether's conclusions are sound as well as incredibly appealing. Indeed, the history of the world and of the church is dismissive of anything about females as a sex that might be considered laudatory, exemplary or desirable. The claims made about females by supposedly brilliant theologians/clergymen of the past are an embarrassment to Christ, the church, and males. Her call for integration of the whole self in a non-dualistic way must have seemed revolutionary twenty-six years ago. I would add to her statements that males should heed her advice as well. Personality traits are not oppositional. Poor mental health is the result of making them so. The various journals of psychology are rife with studies pointing to superior emotional stability in people who do not repress aspects of their personalities.
I'm surprised and disappointed that Ruether did not suggest where we might look for more models of the "fullness we seek," as she phrased it. I believe she is correct, as scandalous as it may sound, that the historical Jesus possessed the perspective of only one man, and that it was severely circumscribed by things like culture, gender and time. "Has Christology," she asks, "been a model of redemptive personhood for women...?" (P. 115) Probably not. Christology, after all, is a human enterprise, and until recently, a human enterprise controlled by men. Clearly a new Christology is needed. As for models, however, she overlooks, I think, the obvious. What about the saints? The Liturgy of the Hours is replete with examples of men and women from numerous cultures and ages.
They lived great lives for God but they were frail, mortal humans like us. Many of the women exhibited traits that historically have been judged to be the province of men. Many of the men exhibited traits that historically have been relegated to women. Maybe this is what made it possible for them to live such lives - they made no such artificial distinctions.

Ruether's book provides an accessible introduction to feminist theology. Her chapter headings supply the reader with familiar cues from a more traditional theological framework. For someone new to feminist theology, this is a good starting point.

Ruether lays out the basic principles of a Christian Feminist ethic in this book, and outlines a number of alternative feminists views from the radical to the liberal and socialist perspective. She illustrates convincingly the male bias of much of the theological perspective of the Christian tradition, and suggests how a feminist ethic can help rectify the domineering, hierarchical model of society that this tradition has been all-too-comfortable with. A male Jesus can save feminists too, because Jesus was all about leveling inequalities and promoting social justice, from her point of view. Ruether's writing style and language ranges from accessible to somewhat inaccessible. Beginning students of feminism may find some of the language and background hard to follow, but in a concise work Ruether's book still remains a successful illustration of the feminist ideas of Christianity.

I was totally confused by the previous reviewer's comments, so I read HIS profile (Ruether's is golden -- go look at HER bio!). This guy likes sports & video games & says every CD he's got on his public review is 'the best he's ever heard' -- a statistical impossibility.

So, I put this in as a 5-star book, just to counteract such an odd review. Did JJJ REALLY read the book? And what is so bad about feminists? We let HIM live, don't we???

Hatred is NOT a family value, that I can see... and I think that was Mother Jesus's message as well. As for me & mine, we will pray for dear JJJ.