The Religious Imagination of American Women

by Mary Farrell Bednarowski

Overview

"This book is a nuanced discussion of contemporary feminist thought in a variety of religious traditions. It draws from both academic and popular writings and offers a rich selection of books to pursue on one's own." —Re-Imagining

"This remarkable book examines American women's religious thought in many diverse faith traditions. . . . This is a cogent, provocative—even moving—analysis." —Publishers Weekly

This study of the fruits of many different women's religious thought offers insights into the ways women may be shaping American religious ideas and world views at the end of the twentieth century. At its broadest, this book presents a multi-voiced response to the question: "When women across many traditions are heard speaking theologically, publicly and self-consciously as women, what do they have to say?"

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780253109040
Publisher:	Indiana University Press
Publication date:	10/22/1999
Series:	Religion in North America
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
Lexile:	1600L (what's this?)
File size:	469 KB

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Foreword
1. American Women as
Religious Thinkers:Dissenting Participants
2. Ambivalence as a New
Religious Virtue: The Creativity of Women's Contradictory Experiences of Their
Traditions
3. The Immanence of the Sacred: Women's Religious Thought Comes
Down to Earth
4. The Revelatory Power of the Ordinary and the Ordinariness
of the Sacred
5. "Relationship" and its Complexities:Inhabiting
the Cosmic Web
6. Healing and Women's Theological Creativity: Strategies of
Hope
Epilogue: *Apres le deluge* What's
Next?
Endnotes
Index

Editorial Reviews

"Since there is not a long bibliography of works addressing the religious thought of women, Bednarowski (United Theol. Seminary of the Twin Cities) plows new ground. Although intimating that she speaks for all American women, Bednarowski primarily focuses on the thought of liberal Christian feminists writing in the last decade of the 20th century. In surveying a wide range of popular and scholarly publications, Bednarowski discerns five common themes or characteristics and devotes a chapter to each. According to Bednarowski, women's religious thought is (1) ambivalent, because it is produced by people who feel that they are both insiders and outsiders in their traditions, (2) characterized by an awareness of the immanence of the sacred, (3) down—to—earth and celebratory of the revelatory power of the ordinary, (4) characterized by themes of relationship and relatedness, and (5) pervaded by the idea of healing. Bednarowski argues that these themes constitute something of a worldview shared by women from a diverse range of communities, and her extensive examples seem to support this argument. Scholars will find that this exploration of women's public discourse about religious ideas helps to reveal the common threads that run through women's writing. Graduate students; faculty and researchers."—L. H. Hoyle, Georgetown College, Choice, May 2000

"Scholars will find that this exploration of women's public discourse about religious ideas helps to reveal the common threads that run through women's writing.May 2000"—Choice

From the Publisher

Since there is not a long bibliography of works addressing the religious thought of women, Bednarowski (United Theol. Seminary of the Twin Cities) plows new ground. Although intimating that she speaks for all American women, Bednarowski primarily focuses on the thought of liberal Christian feminists writing in the last decade of the 20th century. In surveying a wide range of popular and scholarly publications, Bednarowski discerns five common themes or characteristics and devotes a chapter to each. According to Bednarowski, women's religious thought is (1) ambivalent, because it is produced by people who feel that they are both insiders and outsiders in their traditions, (2) characterized by an awareness of the immanence of the sacred, (3) down—to—earth and celebratory of the revelatory power of the ordinary, (4) characterized by themes of relationship and relatedness, and (5) pervaded by the idea of healing. Bednarowski argues that these themes constitute something of a worldview shared by women from a diverse range of communities, and her extensive examples seem to support this argument. Scholars will find that this exploration of women's public discourse about religious ideas helps to reveal the common threads that run through women's writing. Graduate students; faculty and researchers.

Choice - L. H. Hoyle

Scholars will find that this exploration of women's public discourse about religious ideas helps to reveal the common threads that run through women's writing.May 2000

Choice

Since there is not a long bibliography of works addressing the religious thought of women, Bednarowski (United Theol. Seminary of the Twin Cities) plows new ground. Although intimating that she speaks for all American women, Bednarowski primarily focuses on the thought of liberal Christian feminists writing in the last decade of the 20th century. In surveying a wide range of popular and scholarly publications, Bednarowski discerns five common themes or characteristics and devotes a chapter to each. According to Bednarowski, women's religious thought is (1) ambivalent, because it is produced by people who feel that they are both insiders and outsiders in their traditions, (2) characterized by an awareness of the immanence of the sacred, (3) down—to—earth and celebratory of the revelatory power of the ordinary, (4) characterized by themes of relationship and relatedness, and (5) pervaded by the idea of healing. Bednarowski argues that these themes constitute something of a worldview shared by women from a diverse range of communities, and her extensive examples seem to support this argument. Scholars will find that this exploration of women's public discourse about religious ideas helps to reveal the common threads that run through women's writing. Graduate students; faculty and researchers.

Choice - L. H. Hoyle]]>