Women in Christian Traditions

Women in Religions Series

by Rebecca Moore

Women in Christian Traditions offers a concise and accessible examination of the roles women have played in the construction and practice of Christian traditions, revealing the enormous debt that this major world religion owes to its female followers. It recovers forgotten and obscured moments in church history to help us to realize a richer and fuller understanding of Christianity.

This text provides an overview of the complete sweep of Christian history through the lens of feminist scholarship. Yet it also departs from some of the assumptions of that scholarship, raising questions that challenge our thinking about how women have shaped beliefs and practices during two thousand years of church history. Did the emphasis on virginity in the early church empower Christian women? Did the emphasis on marriage during the Reformations of the sixteenth century improve their status? These questions and others have important implications for women in Christianity in particular, and for women in religion in general, since they go to the heart of the human condition.

This work examines themes, movements, and events in their historical contexts and locates churchwomen within the broader developments that have been pivotal in the evolution of Christianity. From the earliest disciples to the latest theologians, from the missionaries to the martyrs, women have been instrumental in keeping the faith alive. Women in Christian Traditions shows how they did so.

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, History

222 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 27, 2015

Reviews

[SK Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book! Heavy on history so if you like that go for it! I appreciated that throughout the book Moore took time to shift focus from a western perspective of the world. Very educational and enlightening information about church history and the role women have played in that!

[Joseph Sverker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very important book that fills clear gap in church history. Many introductions (for example Jonathan Hill's) barely mentions any women. That is such an obvious oversight which needs correction. The way to do it is to have a book like this that solely presents women that have had an impact on church history. The introduction also gives a god overview and introduction to feminist thinking.

[Molly Leyden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I read the whole thing!

[Natalie Judson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Compelling in terms of historical scope but a bit too biased for my liking