Christian Feminism: Female Pastors and Feminism

Presenter Information

Amanda A. Slowinski, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Location

CSU 204

Start Date

24-4-2007 10:30 AM

End Date

24-4-2007 12:30 PM

Student's Major

Gender and Women's Studies

Student's College

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Mentor's Name

Jocelyn Fenton Stitt

Mentor's Department

Gender and Women's Studies

Mentor's College

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Description

Christian Feminism is a branch of Feminism that combines Christian beliefs with Feminist theory. Using the methodology of oral history I interviewed two female pastors in southern Minnesota. I wanted to know how they dealt with issues such as church leadership, women's place in the church, abortion, sexist behavior, sexuality, gender roles, the gender of God, and inclusive language while being a pastor. I also investigated why the two women I spoke with either chose to identify as a Feminist or not. I analyzed the interviews using theoretical perspectives from Christian Feminist, Feminist and religious texts to show the relationship between Christianity and Feminism, as well as why one would or would not identify with Christian Feminism while being a pastor. While this oral history project does not attempt to reflect the views of all Feminist Christian women, the purpose of my research was to obtain a fuller understanding of Christian Feminism through in-depth research on the experiences of two women pastors.