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Sexism and God-Talk: Toward a Feminist Theology
"By the time Ruether finishes, systematic theology has undergone a radical critique from which it emerges transformed rather than simply modified or totally rejected. She has constructed a full-fledged feminist theology—the first within a Christian context." -The New York Times Book Review
289 pages, Hardcover
First published March 28, 1983
26 people are currently reading
1819 people want to read
About the author
Rosemary Radford Ruether
87 books58 followersVisiting Professor of Feminist Theology B.A. Scripps College; M.S., Ph.D., Claremont Graduate School
Rosemary Radford Ruether was the Carpenter Emerita Professor of Feminist Theology at Pacific School of Religion and the GTU, as well as the Georgia Harkness Emerita Professor of Applied Theology at Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary. She had enjoyed a long and distinguished career as a scholar, teacher, and activist in the Roman Catholic Church, and was well known as a groundbreaking figure in Christian feminist theology.
Education
B.A. – Scripps College
M.S., Ph.D. – Claremont Graduate School
Recent Publications / Achievements
Christianity and Social Systems: Historical Constructions and Ethical Challenges (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2009)
Catholic Does Not Equal the Vatican: A Vision for Progressive Catholicism (New Press, 2008)
America, Amerikkka: Elect Nation and Imperial Violence(Equinox, 2007)
Encyclopedia of Women And Religion in North America, with Rosemary Skinner Keller (Indiana University Press, 2006)
Goddesses and the Divine Feminine: A Western Religious History (University of California Press, 2005)
Integrating Ecofeminism, Globalization, and World Religions(Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2005)
Mountain Sisters: From Convent To Community In Appalachia, Forward (University Press of Kentucky, 2004)
The Wrath of Jonah: The Crisis of Religious Nationalism in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (Fortress Press, 2002
Rosemary Radford Ruether was the Carpenter Emerita Professor of Feminist Theology at Pacific School of Religion and the GTU, as well as the Georgia Harkness Emerita Professor of Applied Theology at Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary. She had enjoyed a long and distinguished career as a scholar, teacher, and activist in the Roman Catholic Church, and was well known as a groundbreaking figure in Christian feminist theology.
Education
B.A. – Scripps College
M.S., Ph.D. – Claremont Graduate School
Recent Publications / Achievements
Christianity and Social Systems: Historical Constructions and Ethical Challenges (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2009)
Catholic Does Not Equal the Vatican: A Vision for Progressive Catholicism (New Press, 2008)
America, Amerikkka: Elect Nation and Imperial Violence(Equinox, 2007)
Encyclopedia of Women And Religion in North America, with Rosemary Skinner Keller (Indiana University Press, 2006)
Goddesses and the Divine Feminine: A Western Religious History (University of California Press, 2005)
Integrating Ecofeminism, Globalization, and World Religions(Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2005)
Mountain Sisters: From Convent To Community In Appalachia, Forward (University Press of Kentucky, 2004)
The Wrath of Jonah: The Crisis of Religious Nationalism in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (Fortress Press, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
November 1, 2021
I can see my pre-20th century ancestors shaking their heads in stunned disbelief, but until this week I don't think I had ever read a book which in so many words described itself as a work of theology. Look, look, I can explain. Um, you see, us enlightened moderns don't believe God exists. So, uh, theology, that's about God, so it's about something that doesn't exist. So it won't be very meaningful or relevant. You understand?
They don't understand, and they're right. Whether or not you happen to believe in God, it's clear that a great many people, both historically and now, have believed in God. It's had an enormous effect on their thought and behaviour. Even people who claim they don't believe in God most likely believe in a bunch of philosophical, moral and ethical principles which derive from or are allied to religious beliefs. It should not require a huge intellectual effort to conclude that it could in fact be interesting and useful to understand better what people who believe in God are thinking, how they conceive of God, how the concept of God has developed and changed over time, and so on.
Now of course the anti-theology sceptics have a second line of defence: theologians are the paid troops of the Church, I don't much like the Church, why should I read their obsequious propaganda? I'm sorry, but how naive can you get. If you want a comprehensive demolition of anything, look for the disaffected insider. They know where all the bodies are buried, they are intimately familiar with all the system's weaknesses because they've spent decades of their life trying to patch up those weaknesses. An outsider will never be able to equal their knowledge. The author of this book is a disaffected insider, and if you want to know what's wrong with Judeo-Christian monotheism she'll give you value for money and then some. Forget Richard Dawkins: saying that God's a delusion won't cause the believers to lose any sleep. Ruether, a highly regarded professor of theology, is far more subtle, and my guess is that many devout Christians and Jews have woken up in the middle of the night because of things she's written.
Ruether's entry point, as you can see in the title, is that monotheism is sexist. It's possible that your first reaction might be that, well, sexism isn't so bad, isn't everyone a bit sexist? But it is so bad: in fact, it's even worse than most feminists portray it. As Ruether says, one of the standard defences against accusations of sexism is to ridicule the accusers and trivialise their concerns. This is not about politically incorrect language or objectification of female bodies. It's not about rape culture or lower wages for women. It's not even about the systematic enslavement of half of the human race. It's worse than all of that. Ruether methodically lays out her case. Patriarchal religion, which is the basic substrate of most of Western thought over the last two thousand years, is rotten to the core. It is, literally, a death cult which exalts the spirit, identified with the male, and denigrates the living body, identified with the female. It is used to justify the exploitation and enslavement of all non-monotheistic people and the destruction of the planet's environment. And it isn't defensible even in its own terms. Ruether knows her Bible and her Church history backwards, all the changes, all the dirty compromises made at obscure conclaves. She is unflinching in explaining just how little of so-called Christian doctrine comes from the teachings of Christ, and how little we even know about those teachings through the many layers of revision and alteration that have been added by patriarchal reshapers of the doctrine starting with Saint Paul. But everything we do know about Christ tells us that he would have violently disapproved of present-day Christianity. He was on the side of the poor and the enslaved and the women: he was particularly on the side of poor women.
Needless to say, if you've been paying attention to what's going on in the world, you shouldn't be surprised by any of the above. But even so it's horrifying to see it all put together, carefully and coherently and in measured academic language, by someone who tells us that, despite everything, she still loves God. Whether you think of yourself as religious or not, Ruether's book is seriously worth looking at.
Oh, and in case you're wondering how I came to read it: I was lent it by a retired nun.
They don't understand, and they're right. Whether or not you happen to believe in God, it's clear that a great many people, both historically and now, have believed in God. It's had an enormous effect on their thought and behaviour. Even people who claim they don't believe in God most likely believe in a bunch of philosophical, moral and ethical principles which derive from or are allied to religious beliefs. It should not require a huge intellectual effort to conclude that it could in fact be interesting and useful to understand better what people who believe in God are thinking, how they conceive of God, how the concept of God has developed and changed over time, and so on.
Now of course the anti-theology sceptics have a second line of defence: theologians are the paid troops of the Church, I don't much like the Church, why should I read their obsequious propaganda? I'm sorry, but how naive can you get. If you want a comprehensive demolition of anything, look for the disaffected insider. They know where all the bodies are buried, they are intimately familiar with all the system's weaknesses because they've spent decades of their life trying to patch up those weaknesses. An outsider will never be able to equal their knowledge. The author of this book is a disaffected insider, and if you want to know what's wrong with Judeo-Christian monotheism she'll give you value for money and then some. Forget Richard Dawkins: saying that God's a delusion won't cause the believers to lose any sleep. Ruether, a highly regarded professor of theology, is far more subtle, and my guess is that many devout Christians and Jews have woken up in the middle of the night because of things she's written.
Ruether's entry point, as you can see in the title, is that monotheism is sexist. It's possible that your first reaction might be that, well, sexism isn't so bad, isn't everyone a bit sexist? But it is so bad: in fact, it's even worse than most feminists portray it. As Ruether says, one of the standard defences against accusations of sexism is to ridicule the accusers and trivialise their concerns. This is not about politically incorrect language or objectification of female bodies. It's not about rape culture or lower wages for women. It's not even about the systematic enslavement of half of the human race. It's worse than all of that. Ruether methodically lays out her case. Patriarchal religion, which is the basic substrate of most of Western thought over the last two thousand years, is rotten to the core. It is, literally, a death cult which exalts the spirit, identified with the male, and denigrates the living body, identified with the female. It is used to justify the exploitation and enslavement of all non-monotheistic people and the destruction of the planet's environment. And it isn't defensible even in its own terms. Ruether knows her Bible and her Church history backwards, all the changes, all the dirty compromises made at obscure conclaves. She is unflinching in explaining just how little of so-called Christian doctrine comes from the teachings of Christ, and how little we even know about those teachings through the many layers of revision and alteration that have been added by patriarchal reshapers of the doctrine starting with Saint Paul. But everything we do know about Christ tells us that he would have violently disapproved of present-day Christianity. He was on the side of the poor and the enslaved and the women: he was particularly on the side of poor women.
Needless to say, if you've been paying attention to what's going on in the world, you shouldn't be surprised by any of the above. But even so it's horrifying to see it all put together, carefully and coherently and in measured academic language, by someone who tells us that, despite everything, she still loves God. Whether you think of yourself as religious or not, Ruether's book is seriously worth looking at.
Oh, and in case you're wondering how I came to read it: I was lent it by a retired nun.
December 22, 2014
Very challenging for a guy who grew up in a standard midwestern U.S. evangelical church. Folks like us aren't generally very comfortable with alternative interpretations of the Holy Writ, believing our views to one step short of directly inspired by God himself (and that's most definitely a "him" there). The role of women is contentious in the modern evangelical church, but she places in the issue in a more theoretical and historically-informed context than most of us are used to or comfortable hearing about.
Ruether wrote this book several decades ago, but her ideas and critiques remain blistering. She'll leave you feeling extremely uncomfortable if you haven't already made an effort to expose yourself to these ideas (which get very little attention from pulpits or mainstream religious commenters).
Without going into a discussion of specific ideas in this book, I recommend this important book for everyone. I reserve my highest recommendations, however, for those believers who are immersed in the neo-conservative, mega-church theology so common in the U.S. today. You probably won't enjoy this book, but engaging with these ideas will challenge you. You might even find yourself a better person by the end.
Ruether wrote this book several decades ago, but her ideas and critiques remain blistering. She'll leave you feeling extremely uncomfortable if you haven't already made an effort to expose yourself to these ideas (which get very little attention from pulpits or mainstream religious commenters).
Without going into a discussion of specific ideas in this book, I recommend this important book for everyone. I reserve my highest recommendations, however, for those believers who are immersed in the neo-conservative, mega-church theology so common in the U.S. today. You probably won't enjoy this book, but engaging with these ideas will challenge you. You might even find yourself a better person by the end.
February 28, 2009
This book gave me a lot to think about. She calls into question a lot of the philosophical assumptions of Christianity, like the transcendent approach to spirituality, which claims that the spiritual, non-corporeal world is really what's important. This leads to asceticism, since our bodies are evil and our passions must be denied, and an eschalotogical view of history which leads up to a final salvation of our souls. This is influenced heavily, apparently, by Plato's philosophy of ideal forms, where the non-corporeal is actually more true and more real. (I've recently been hearing talk about how Hellenic philosophy and Christianity were related, but this is the first time I saw an explication that included the consequences of this relationship.) Women are mothers, and thus perpetuate original sin, which can only be atoned for in a new birth, baptism and conversion. Women represent the body, lust, sin, mortality, all the things that need to be shunned in order for the soul to transcend. Therefore they are devalued in society and within the church. The new social order that Ruether suggests is rather utopian (the person who read my library copy before me left lots of snarky marginalia) but seems a more liberatory approach to religion, and something worth looking into more.
December 19, 2024
perhaps in the year of our lord 2024 it is better to approach this book as a pioneering work in feminist theology from 40 years ago rather than an authoritative voice on social issues/exegesis/philosophy…
3.75 stars THANK YOU rosemary radford ruether for all you’ve done for us but it’s good our horizons have expanded and clarified a bit now
3.75 stars THANK YOU rosemary radford ruether for all you’ve done for us but it’s good our horizons have expanded and clarified a bit now
May 10, 2018
An incredible entrance to feminist theology. RRR was in many ways a forerunner, and her work is the ground on which many modern scholars have laid theirs. I recommend this as a first read for those trying to understand feminist theology.
December 16, 2013
I'm no expert, but if I were to recommend one book on feminist theology to your prototypical person on the street, this would be the one. Ruether systematically goes through all the big topics of Christian theology - the concept of G-d, Christology, church, eschatology, etc. - and critiques the traditional understandings of them while offering a new, life-affirming vision of how we can understand them in a redemptive way. Also, this book, while never dumbing anything down, can be read by non-academics and laypeople just as well as by academics. While this book is (somehow) three decades old now, its arguments still hold up tremendously well. I honestly believe that any Christian would gain immensely from reading this masterwork; I know I have.
November 8, 2024
(Proud of myself for reading another non-fiction book. I read a chapter from this in a religion course in college, and it was gratifying to realize I do have the mental capacity to read it now and get a lot out of it, even without the structure of a classroom.)
This book is strong Second Wave feminism: by women for women. And it was nice (?) to not be able to identify with many of the struggles/prejudices/oppression that she outlined? I think women are able to achieve more in the public sphere than when she was writing. (Of course, I’m writing this days after yet another woman failed to be elected president, but still.) I hope she’s proud of us?
The section about the Second Shift was still quite real though. I know that most women, even after being successful in their careers, come home to do more childcare and housework than their male spouses. But I think that’s changing. And that’s good.
I thought her historical analysis of the sexism in the Christian church was chilling. The primary idea that women are, by default, unclean and lesser because the act of birth dirties them. Women, mothers, are a constant reminder of how Christians are trapped in the imperfect human form, waiting to be set free in the spiritual afterlife.
I also found her critique of “androgyny”, whether in images of God or humans, fascinating. I had never thought about how many models of androgyny are incredibly male-centric. Women are assumed to conform to the male standard. And I did agree with her that most portrayals of an androgynous God are underwhelming as a female worshipper.
Her final conclusions and suggestions for a feminist theology were intense and radical. I’m not sure if I’m that much of a radical? But all her discussion about community and how women should strive to find a “grounded self” in community and relationships was so compelling. I want to find that. To establish an identity that is not completely egoistic and not completely self-erasure in the service of others, but to be a piece of a vibrant and healthy community. How does one do that? What an incredible goal for your life and work.
I have various quotations stored away, but here’s one:
It is this shaping of the beloved community on earth, for our time and generation to bequeath to our children, that is our primary responsibility as human beings.
Time to figure out how to shape a beloved community, brb
This book is strong Second Wave feminism: by women for women. And it was nice (?) to not be able to identify with many of the struggles/prejudices/oppression that she outlined? I think women are able to achieve more in the public sphere than when she was writing. (Of course, I’m writing this days after yet another woman failed to be elected president, but still.) I hope she’s proud of us?
The section about the Second Shift was still quite real though. I know that most women, even after being successful in their careers, come home to do more childcare and housework than their male spouses. But I think that’s changing. And that’s good.
I thought her historical analysis of the sexism in the Christian church was chilling. The primary idea that women are, by default, unclean and lesser because the act of birth dirties them. Women, mothers, are a constant reminder of how Christians are trapped in the imperfect human form, waiting to be set free in the spiritual afterlife.
I also found her critique of “androgyny”, whether in images of God or humans, fascinating. I had never thought about how many models of androgyny are incredibly male-centric. Women are assumed to conform to the male standard. And I did agree with her that most portrayals of an androgynous God are underwhelming as a female worshipper.
Her final conclusions and suggestions for a feminist theology were intense and radical. I’m not sure if I’m that much of a radical? But all her discussion about community and how women should strive to find a “grounded self” in community and relationships was so compelling. I want to find that. To establish an identity that is not completely egoistic and not completely self-erasure in the service of others, but to be a piece of a vibrant and healthy community. How does one do that? What an incredible goal for your life and work.
I have various quotations stored away, but here’s one:
It is this shaping of the beloved community on earth, for our time and generation to bequeath to our children, that is our primary responsibility as human beings.
Time to figure out how to shape a beloved community, brb
January 23, 2012
Rosemary Radford Ruether does a good job of summarizing the dilemmas faced by Christian feminists and critiquing the institutional churches -- to a point. Some mainstream religious groups have dug in their heels since the first edition of this was published in 1983 (and the revision in 1993). And, a lot of her writing, while interesting, is academic. As a feminist of faith, I now can better articulate my discontent. I know there are others in the same boat. Maybe it's better suited for a follow-up book, but this doesn't help me walk the walk. It's nice to think about a single-sex utopian community, but finding one -- and the means to pursue it -- is another matter. I'm comfortable with theology, having read it for many years, but I think some of Ruether's writing could be off-putting for the uninitiated. I'd like some updates.
"God did not speak once upon a time to a privileged group of males in one part of the world, making us ever after dependent on the codification of their experience."
Quoting Robert Palmer, "First the God, then the song and then the story."
"The starting point for feminist theology, perhaps all theology, is cognitive dissonance."
"The uniqueness of feminist theology lies not in its use of the criterion of experience but rather in its use of women's experience, which has been almost entirely shut out of theological reflection."
"The parent model for the divine has negative resonance. ... God becomes a neurotic parent who does not want us to grow up."
"Women have to suspect that the entire symbolic universe that surrounds them, which has socialized them to their roles, is deeply tainted by hostility to their humanity. ... An entire social and symbolic universe crumbles . ... The very grammar they have been taught to use to express themselves, the symbols they use to praise God ... become bitter-tasting."
A feminist creed "would not be fixed but open to continual revision as the community expands its vision of what liberation means."
"God did not speak once upon a time to a privileged group of males in one part of the world, making us ever after dependent on the codification of their experience."
Quoting Robert Palmer, "First the God, then the song and then the story."
"The starting point for feminist theology, perhaps all theology, is cognitive dissonance."
"The uniqueness of feminist theology lies not in its use of the criterion of experience but rather in its use of women's experience, which has been almost entirely shut out of theological reflection."
"The parent model for the divine has negative resonance. ... God becomes a neurotic parent who does not want us to grow up."
"Women have to suspect that the entire symbolic universe that surrounds them, which has socialized them to their roles, is deeply tainted by hostility to their humanity. ... An entire social and symbolic universe crumbles . ... The very grammar they have been taught to use to express themselves, the symbols they use to praise God ... become bitter-tasting."
A feminist creed "would not be fixed but open to continual revision as the community expands its vision of what liberation means."
July 27, 2009
she explores the new christianity from spongs and robinsons perspective (although i dont think she explicitly states this) and incorporates a feminist perspective (in this case that means beign aware of domination that exists in god-talk...)
I really loved one of her conclusions that the old view where God is above man who is above woman, and that man should dominate the earth, is a patriarchal dominative perspective. To view our relationship to the earth in a feminist perspective would be to respect it and love it.
I really loved one of her conclusions that the old view where God is above man who is above woman, and that man should dominate the earth, is a patriarchal dominative perspective. To view our relationship to the earth in a feminist perspective would be to respect it and love it.
March 30, 2020
Fascinating, deeply challenging, an important game-changer for me.
March 27, 2022
This was a dense read, but very interesting. I appreciated the ties to religions other than Christianity that shows the deep roots of Divine Feminine theology. It also helped me understand the deep rooted patriarchy in our society. This book makes me want to explore the divine femininity all around me and implement rituals and habits that help me recognize it.
February 23, 2025
Absolutely phenomenal is an understatement. Must read for any that have inherited the Christian symbolic framework yet struggle with the obvious patriarchal issue and obsession with masculine priorities in established faith traditions.
January 5, 2026
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4.5 Stars
Feelings about the book:
- Is the author more feminist than Christian? Is an important question to consider for feminist theology tbh. I liked this book and I learnt a lot from it; it is one of those greatly flawed but great books.
Premise/Plot:
- Ruether says that this book represents a feminist theology not the bible of it. And I greatly appreciated that she actually provided some clarification as to what the hell feminist theology even is.
- Ruether argues that traditional Christian language has reinforced women’s oppression and calls for a radical re-imagining of theology rooted in liberation, justice, and inclusive religious symbolism.
Themes:
- Patriarchy, religious language, the position of women within the church, liberation theology, sexism in doctrine, scripture, power and more
Pros:
- When it comes to feminist literature, for all it’s good intentions, it can descend straight into hell. And has done on far too many occasions. I think a part of this is the inability to adequately critique concepts such as patriarchy as a system. Too many feminists don’t have the ability to get over the individual male when talking about it. Ruether, in this book actually does a really good job critiquing the system. She doesn’t dismiss individual responsibility, but she uses examples of Christian and Jewish writings to illustrate how sexism, and oppression are embedded in our world today. And how that has persisted for the past 2 millennia.
- Throughout this book, Reuther positions women and subjugated people as committing sins themselves. And at times, oppressing weaker and even stronger people. I respected her ability to do that, as no one is perfect.
Cons:
- For all the pros of this book, this is feminist literature, and Reuther falls into the same traps as many writers before her. The biggest one being that she can’t get into the nuances of the overlap of women’s oppression and what women want to do. Reuther doesn’t go into how certain female behaviours and characteristics, would still take place even in a free, communal or even utopian world.
- Ruether believes women must go through the anger to come out better on the other side. But ignores the personal and cultural pitfalls of doing that
- Reuther seems to make the same basic mistakes women make in general when it comes time to walk in men’s shoes. Mainly because she and women don’t tend to really know about the life of men. One could critique the patriarchy all day long and still be woefully ignorant to the struggles of everyday men.
Quotes:
‘Feminist theology is not asserting unprecedented ideas; rather it is rediscovering the prophetic context and content of Biblical faith itself when it defines the prophetic-liberating tradition as norm. On one level, this means that feminist theology, along with other liberation theologies, strips off the ideological mystifications that have developed in the traditions of Biblical interpretation and that have concealed the liberating content.’
‘Oppressed people understand who is stepping on their toes and in what way, but they are often blind to the ways they step on other people’s toes.’
‘Contemporary dialogue between Marxism and liberation theologies takes place at this point of common interest: denouncing oppressive ideologies and announcing hope for justice on earth.’
‘Women want to integrate the public and the private, the political and domestic spheres in a new relationship that allows the thinking-relational self to operate throughout human life as one integrated self, rather than fragmenting the psyche across a series of different social orders.’
‘It is not accidental that figures such as Eve, Lilith, and Pandora, transformed into myths of the female origins of evil, are also ancient Mother-Goddesses. The Mother-Goddess who provided paradise is transformed, in male puberty rites, into the evil female who deprived the male of paradise.’
‘Consciousness is much more of a collective social product than modern individualism realises. No one can affirm an idea against the dominant culture unless there is at least a subcultural group that gives people both the ideas and the social support for an alternative position.’
‘Males take on a demonic face. One begins to doubt their basic humanity. One desires only to be with women, to distance oneself from the whole male world with its myriad games. Most women are deeply afraid of this deeper anger and alienation and stop well short of experiencing it. Their immediate ties of survival and service to men and children are too deep. Moreover, they believe that “loving everyone” and affirming everyone’s humanity disallows the experiencing of this anger.’
‘Every community needs a rule of life, not as a set of laws fixed in stone but as a liveable pattern that can be revised periodically.’
‘Is socialist feminism, then, the answer to the insufficiencies and limits of liberal feminism?’
‘Thus the feminist issue, when pursued within socialism, also seems to explode the limits of the dominant socialist traditions and to suggest that the feminist question cannot be solved within the limits of its system.’
‘Feminism needs to ask whether, instead of making the male sphere the human norm and attempting to assimilate women into it, it is not necessary to move in the opposite direction. Should we not take the creation and sustaining of human life as the centre and reintegrate alienated maleness into it?’
4.5 Stars
Feelings about the book:
- Is the author more feminist than Christian? Is an important question to consider for feminist theology tbh. I liked this book and I learnt a lot from it; it is one of those greatly flawed but great books.
Premise/Plot:
- Ruether says that this book represents a feminist theology not the bible of it. And I greatly appreciated that she actually provided some clarification as to what the hell feminist theology even is.
- Ruether argues that traditional Christian language has reinforced women’s oppression and calls for a radical re-imagining of theology rooted in liberation, justice, and inclusive religious symbolism.
Themes:
- Patriarchy, religious language, the position of women within the church, liberation theology, sexism in doctrine, scripture, power and more
Pros:
- When it comes to feminist literature, for all it’s good intentions, it can descend straight into hell. And has done on far too many occasions. I think a part of this is the inability to adequately critique concepts such as patriarchy as a system. Too many feminists don’t have the ability to get over the individual male when talking about it. Ruether, in this book actually does a really good job critiquing the system. She doesn’t dismiss individual responsibility, but she uses examples of Christian and Jewish writings to illustrate how sexism, and oppression are embedded in our world today. And how that has persisted for the past 2 millennia.
- Throughout this book, Reuther positions women and subjugated people as committing sins themselves. And at times, oppressing weaker and even stronger people. I respected her ability to do that, as no one is perfect.
Cons:
- For all the pros of this book, this is feminist literature, and Reuther falls into the same traps as many writers before her. The biggest one being that she can’t get into the nuances of the overlap of women’s oppression and what women want to do. Reuther doesn’t go into how certain female behaviours and characteristics, would still take place even in a free, communal or even utopian world.
- Ruether believes women must go through the anger to come out better on the other side. But ignores the personal and cultural pitfalls of doing that
- Reuther seems to make the same basic mistakes women make in general when it comes time to walk in men’s shoes. Mainly because she and women don’t tend to really know about the life of men. One could critique the patriarchy all day long and still be woefully ignorant to the struggles of everyday men.
Quotes:
‘Feminist theology is not asserting unprecedented ideas; rather it is rediscovering the prophetic context and content of Biblical faith itself when it defines the prophetic-liberating tradition as norm. On one level, this means that feminist theology, along with other liberation theologies, strips off the ideological mystifications that have developed in the traditions of Biblical interpretation and that have concealed the liberating content.’
‘Oppressed people understand who is stepping on their toes and in what way, but they are often blind to the ways they step on other people’s toes.’
‘Contemporary dialogue between Marxism and liberation theologies takes place at this point of common interest: denouncing oppressive ideologies and announcing hope for justice on earth.’
‘Women want to integrate the public and the private, the political and domestic spheres in a new relationship that allows the thinking-relational self to operate throughout human life as one integrated self, rather than fragmenting the psyche across a series of different social orders.’
‘It is not accidental that figures such as Eve, Lilith, and Pandora, transformed into myths of the female origins of evil, are also ancient Mother-Goddesses. The Mother-Goddess who provided paradise is transformed, in male puberty rites, into the evil female who deprived the male of paradise.’
‘Consciousness is much more of a collective social product than modern individualism realises. No one can affirm an idea against the dominant culture unless there is at least a subcultural group that gives people both the ideas and the social support for an alternative position.’
‘Males take on a demonic face. One begins to doubt their basic humanity. One desires only to be with women, to distance oneself from the whole male world with its myriad games. Most women are deeply afraid of this deeper anger and alienation and stop well short of experiencing it. Their immediate ties of survival and service to men and children are too deep. Moreover, they believe that “loving everyone” and affirming everyone’s humanity disallows the experiencing of this anger.’
‘Every community needs a rule of life, not as a set of laws fixed in stone but as a liveable pattern that can be revised periodically.’
‘Is socialist feminism, then, the answer to the insufficiencies and limits of liberal feminism?’
‘Thus the feminist issue, when pursued within socialism, also seems to explode the limits of the dominant socialist traditions and to suggest that the feminist question cannot be solved within the limits of its system.’
‘Feminism needs to ask whether, instead of making the male sphere the human norm and attempting to assimilate women into it, it is not necessary to move in the opposite direction. Should we not take the creation and sustaining of human life as the centre and reintegrate alienated maleness into it?’
February 19, 2020
Originally published in 1983, Sexism and God Talk is Radford Ruether's complex analysis of sexism spanning historical, theological, Christian, and political contexts. It remains extraordinarily relevant in 2020 - which in itself is a testament to how resistant our systems are to the advancement of women's equality. This is an important read for anyone seriously interested in the study of feminism and particularly feminist theology.
January 11, 2016
The book is dated, however since it took me over 30 years to read it I think that is to be expected. It is a good primer on Feminist Theology and I certainly gleaned new thinking and ideas.
December 30, 2024
This is a fantastic book. It reads as a collection of essays and arguments, in textbook style, thoroughly researched, to convict the world of its need for conversion toward justice and equality. It does not simply glean from modern day American Evangelicalism, but from historical Judaism, Christianity and Catholicism, a variety of peoples and races, various denominations, other religions and histories including a time when God was referred to in feminine terms as Goddess. And this book doesn’t simply speak of shifting the male perspective toward the equality of women, but shifting the entire world’s perspective toward ecological harmony.
Ruether writes of challenging the ideologies not only of “sexism but of heterosexism.” In chapter five she writes of marginalized women:
“Women are the oppressed of the oppressed. They are the bottom of the present social hierarchy and hence are seen, in a special way, as the last who will be first in the Kingdom of God.”
Toward the end of the book, Ruether looks at American-Indian beliefs and how “the human and the non-human” are all “one family of life.” So this book is not just about gender equality, it is about new ways of doing things in our world. Because large portions of our world have followed a white, masculine agenda for so long, we need to identify some of the traps we’ve fallen into—the less than healthy ways of being—and include diverse voices to create a new world.
In chapter four I learned a lot from Ruether’s explanation of androgyny, and how Gnosticism, has influenced Christian beliefs about gender and sexuality. Ruether explores how the teachings of Aristotle and Aquinas, and also Calvin, Barth and Luther, impacted church and theology. For example, the concept that woman is “misbegotten male” and the questioning of equality before the fall, let alone after the fall. Even historical egalitarian theologies have been known to elevate celibacy at the expense of viewing sexuality as a God-given gift to be expressed and enjoyed.
I appreciated the contrast between liberal feminism, socialist feminism and radical feminism, in chapter nine, and Ruether’s ideas for integration of all three. This chapter highlighted not only the difficulties of competing with men in the workplace, but also the fact that women have time and energy constraints because of the “double work burden” i.e. many women have a second job of looking after their household. In the nineties when this book was written,
“Women work[ed] approximately four hours a day more than men in order to provide domestic services.”
My favorite chapter was chapter seven, which is titled “The consciousness of evil: the journeys of conversion.” This chapter delved into the concepts of evil, morality, why we form tribes, and how we consider our tribe to be superior to every other tribe. Quoting from page 162,
“The perception of the other as inferior, less capable of the good self, rationalizes exploitation of them… When one conquers the other, the ideology of superiority of the dominant group stifles and suppresses the corresponding sense of self of the other and becomes the dominant ideology for rationalizing the other group’s inferiority.”
Ruether goes on to contrast women being scapegoated as the original sinners to label sexism itself as more akin to “original sin.” The quote from this chapter that I couldn’t get out of my mind is that so many women are “one man away from welfare,” which makes it extremely difficult for women to struggle against sexual and gender oppression.
The postscript section of the book was also extremely powerful but I won’t quote it here. Instead, I encourage everyone to read this book!
Ruether writes of challenging the ideologies not only of “sexism but of heterosexism.” In chapter five she writes of marginalized women:
“Women are the oppressed of the oppressed. They are the bottom of the present social hierarchy and hence are seen, in a special way, as the last who will be first in the Kingdom of God.”
Toward the end of the book, Ruether looks at American-Indian beliefs and how “the human and the non-human” are all “one family of life.” So this book is not just about gender equality, it is about new ways of doing things in our world. Because large portions of our world have followed a white, masculine agenda for so long, we need to identify some of the traps we’ve fallen into—the less than healthy ways of being—and include diverse voices to create a new world.
In chapter four I learned a lot from Ruether’s explanation of androgyny, and how Gnosticism, has influenced Christian beliefs about gender and sexuality. Ruether explores how the teachings of Aristotle and Aquinas, and also Calvin, Barth and Luther, impacted church and theology. For example, the concept that woman is “misbegotten male” and the questioning of equality before the fall, let alone after the fall. Even historical egalitarian theologies have been known to elevate celibacy at the expense of viewing sexuality as a God-given gift to be expressed and enjoyed.
I appreciated the contrast between liberal feminism, socialist feminism and radical feminism, in chapter nine, and Ruether’s ideas for integration of all three. This chapter highlighted not only the difficulties of competing with men in the workplace, but also the fact that women have time and energy constraints because of the “double work burden” i.e. many women have a second job of looking after their household. In the nineties when this book was written,
“Women work[ed] approximately four hours a day more than men in order to provide domestic services.”
My favorite chapter was chapter seven, which is titled “The consciousness of evil: the journeys of conversion.” This chapter delved into the concepts of evil, morality, why we form tribes, and how we consider our tribe to be superior to every other tribe. Quoting from page 162,
“The perception of the other as inferior, less capable of the good self, rationalizes exploitation of them… When one conquers the other, the ideology of superiority of the dominant group stifles and suppresses the corresponding sense of self of the other and becomes the dominant ideology for rationalizing the other group’s inferiority.”
Ruether goes on to contrast women being scapegoated as the original sinners to label sexism itself as more akin to “original sin.” The quote from this chapter that I couldn’t get out of my mind is that so many women are “one man away from welfare,” which makes it extremely difficult for women to struggle against sexual and gender oppression.
The postscript section of the book was also extremely powerful but I won’t quote it here. Instead, I encourage everyone to read this book!
June 11, 2023
What’s very interesting about this book is that it shows the development of misogyny in the Abrahamic religions. Some pre-Hebrew writings, e.g., the Gnostic texts, saw the female as having divinity but these ideas were rejected by Judaism and Christianity.
It is generally believed that egalitarianism was last seen before the development of agriculture, some 10,000 years ago. The author points out that since the dawn of monotheism, some 3,500 years ago, any attempts to promote egalitarianism, once the new community becomes dominant, reverts back to traditional patriarchal relations.
I can’t believe that if true equality were achieved anything would be different because humanity is naturally competitive for the resources needed for survival. The author does point out that humankind has dangerously come to think that it can control nature.
This book is all well and good but it’s hard for me to see how attitudes towards women can change after so many centuries; power, once achieved, is something not easily given up.
It is generally believed that egalitarianism was last seen before the development of agriculture, some 10,000 years ago. The author points out that since the dawn of monotheism, some 3,500 years ago, any attempts to promote egalitarianism, once the new community becomes dominant, reverts back to traditional patriarchal relations.
I can’t believe that if true equality were achieved anything would be different because humanity is naturally competitive for the resources needed for survival. The author does point out that humankind has dangerously come to think that it can control nature.
This book is all well and good but it’s hard for me to see how attitudes towards women can change after so many centuries; power, once achieved, is something not easily given up.
August 26, 2020
Ruether touches on a large number of topics related to feminism, patriarchy, religion, capitalism, environmentalism, and more. She illuminates these topics in a rigorous but accessible fashion. Some parts are better than others, but when she really gets going, she if full of righteous indignation and espouses a clear vision forward for the church, society, and humankind in which women are not invited in to the privileged world of males, but instead our fundamental understanding of what it means to be human and interconnected with nature, God, and one another is changed and deepened in a continual conversion.
November 14, 2017
Essential reading for an intro to feminist theology.
dnf
March 22, 2025Going to try this again later. Not sure I am smart enough to follow it! Very challenging.
July 19, 2024
RUETHER BEGINS TO OUTLINE HER CONCEPT OF A "FEMINIST THEOLOGY"
Rosemary Radford Ruether (born 1936) is an American feminist scholar and theologian, who has written many books, such as 'Gaia and God: An Ecofeminist Theology of Earth Healing,' 'Women-Church,' 'Liberation Theology: Human Hope confronts Christian history and American power, 'Religion and Sexism: Images of Woman in the Jewish and Christian Traditions,' 'New Woman, New Earth: Sexist Ideologies and Human Liberation,' etc.
She stated in the "Acknowledgements" section of this 1983 book, "The major part of this book was developed thanks to two endowed lectureships... Material on Biblical hermeneutics, on feminism and Marxism, and on criticism of Goddess feminism... was developed in the 1980 Schaff Lectures. Material on methodology, on feminism and God-language, on Christology, on ecology and eschatology, and on ministry was developed in the 1982 Caldwell lectures."
She begins by stating that the uniqueness of feminist theology lies not in its use of the criterion of experience but rather in its use of WOMEN'S experience, "which has been almost entirely shut out of theological reflection in the past." (Pg. 13)
Concerning the various strands of "usable tradition" she draws on (e.g., Scripture; traditional theology; "heretical" tendencies such as Gnosticism, etc.), she states, "All of these traditions are sexist." But she quickly adds, "All provide intimations of alternatives: equivalence and mutuality between men and women... Yet even these alternatives exist in forms distorted by sexism." (Pg. 22)
She states that the feminist theology she is proposing is based on a historical culture ... (and) seeks, in effect, to recapitulate from a feminist, critical perspective this journey of Western consciousness." (Pg. 45)
As with all of Ruether's writings, this one is challenging and thought-provoking, and well worth reading.
Rosemary Radford Ruether (born 1936) is an American feminist scholar and theologian, who has written many books, such as 'Gaia and God: An Ecofeminist Theology of Earth Healing,' 'Women-Church,' 'Liberation Theology: Human Hope confronts Christian history and American power, 'Religion and Sexism: Images of Woman in the Jewish and Christian Traditions,' 'New Woman, New Earth: Sexist Ideologies and Human Liberation,' etc.
She stated in the "Acknowledgements" section of this 1983 book, "The major part of this book was developed thanks to two endowed lectureships... Material on Biblical hermeneutics, on feminism and Marxism, and on criticism of Goddess feminism... was developed in the 1980 Schaff Lectures. Material on methodology, on feminism and God-language, on Christology, on ecology and eschatology, and on ministry was developed in the 1982 Caldwell lectures."
She begins by stating that the uniqueness of feminist theology lies not in its use of the criterion of experience but rather in its use of WOMEN'S experience, "which has been almost entirely shut out of theological reflection in the past." (Pg. 13)
Concerning the various strands of "usable tradition" she draws on (e.g., Scripture; traditional theology; "heretical" tendencies such as Gnosticism, etc.), she states, "All of these traditions are sexist." But she quickly adds, "All provide intimations of alternatives: equivalence and mutuality between men and women... Yet even these alternatives exist in forms distorted by sexism." (Pg. 22)
She states that the feminist theology she is proposing is based on a historical culture ... (and) seeks, in effect, to recapitulate from a feminist, critical perspective this journey of Western consciousness." (Pg. 45)
As with all of Ruether's writings, this one is challenging and thought-provoking, and well worth reading.
April 19, 2012
Rosemary Radford Reuther, as one of the pioneering women of feminist theology, does a fantastic job of explaining some of the problems of sexism and God Talk. I found this book very interesting, especially in how it access the implicit ways that sexism is built into religion and society. Its chapters on nature and how women's connection to nature, although empowering, can also be counterproductive against the idea of men overpowering women, were also very interesting.
October 13, 2024
a tour de force of christian theology (and the sexism it contains) from its jewish origins to karl barth. not only does ruether diagnose the oppressive qualities of christianity astutely, but she also recommends theological and pastoral changes that the church needs to make in order to reconnect woman with her authentic self (and to understand the authentic nature of god).
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July 3, 2008Selections - "Sexism and God-Language: Male and Female Images of the Divine"
November 14, 2008
This was a text for a Christian Feminist Theology class I took in college. If you have an interest in the subject matter, it's a VERY good read. I HIGHLY recommend Ruether.
December 29, 2010
Read this in 1995,but it's time to re-read it.
February 6, 2016
Majority read
August 2, 2019
This is a classic - I read it while studying for my theology degree in the early 1990s. Definitely worth a read if you're interested in Christian theology.
December 30, 2024
Important theological textbook working toward the equity of all people, honing in, obviously, on the female sex.
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