Classic Christian Feminist Books

Influential classic Christian feminist books, primarily (though not exclusively) from second-wave Christian feminism’s early period (1970s through 1980s)

Compiled by Nancy A. Hardesty, Professor of Religion, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina

Bilezikian, Gilbert.  Beyond Sex Roles. Grand Rapids:  Baker Book House, 1985.

Bristow, John Temple. What Paul Really Said about Women. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1988.

Bushnell, Katherine.  God’s Word to Women.  Privately published, 1912, 1923.  Reprint available from God’s Word to Women Publishers, P.O. Box 315, Mossville, IL 61552.

Crawford, Janet, and Michale Kinnamon, eds.  In God’s Image:  Reflections on Identity, Human Wholeness, and the Authority of Scripture.  New York:  Friendship Press, 1983.

Daly, Mary.  Beyond God the Father.  Boston:  Beacon Press, 1973.

Daly, Mary.  Women in Church History.

Finger, Reta Halteman, and Kari Sandhaas, eds. The Wisdom of Daughters: Two Decades of the Voice of Christian Feminism. Philadelphia: Innisfree Press, 2001.

Fiorenza, Elisabeth Schussler.  Bread Not Stone:  The Challenge of Feminist Biblical Interpretation.  Boston:  Beacon Press, 1984.

Fiorenza, Elisabeth Schussler.  In Memory of Her:  Theological Reconstruction of Christian Origins.  New York:  Crossroad, 1983.

Gundry, Patricia.  Heirs Together:  Mutual Submission in Marriage.  Grand Rapids:  Zondervan, 1980.

Gundry, Patricia. Woman Be Free!  Grand Rapids:  Zondervan, 1977.

Hagen, June Steffensen, ed., Rattling Those Dry Bones: Women Changing the Church. San Diego: LuraMedia, 1995.

Hardesty, Nancy.  Inclusive Language in the Church.  Atlanta:  John Knox Press, 1986.

Hardesty, Nancy.  Women Called to Witness:  Evangelical Feminism in the Nineteenth Century.  Nashville:  Abingdon Press, 1984.  2d ed. Knoxville:  University of Tennessee Press, 19

Hassey, Janette.  No Time for Silence:  Evangelical  Women in Public Ministry Around the Turn of the Century.   Grand Rapids:  Zondervan, 1983.

Hearn, Ginny.  Our Struggle to Serve:  The Stories of  15 Evangelical Women.  Waco, TX:  Word Books, 1978.

Jewett, Paul.  MAN as Male and Female.  Grand Rapids:  Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1975.

Jewett, Paul.  The Ordination of Women.  Grand Rapids:  Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1980.

Johnson, Elizabeth A. She Who Is: The Mystery of God in Feminist Theological Discourse. New York: Crossroad, 1992.

Kalven, Janet, and Mary I. Buckley, eds. Women’s Spirit Bonding. New York: Pilgrim Press, 1984.

Mercadante, Linda.  From Hierarchy to Equality:  A Comparison of Past and Present Interpretations of 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 in Relation to the Changing Status of Women in Society.  Vancouver, B.C.:  G-M-H Books, Regent College, 1978.

Mickelson, Berkeley, and Alvera Mickelson.  “Does Male Dominance Tarnish Our Translations?”  Christianity Today, October 5, 1979, pp 23-27.

Mollenkott, Virginia Ramey.  The Divine Feminine:  The Biblical Imagery of God as Female.  New York:  Crossroad, 1983.

Mollenkott, Virginia Ramey.  Godding:  Human Responsibility and the Bible.  New York:  Crossroad, 1987.

Mollenkott, Virginia Ramey.  Speech, Silence, Action!  Nashville:  Abingdon Press, 1980.

Mollenkott, Virginia Ramey.  Women, Men, and the Bible.  Nashville: Abingdon, 1977.   Rev. ed.  New York:  Crossroad, 1988.

Moltmann-Wendel, Elisabeth.  The Women around Jesus.  New York:  Crossroad, 1982.

Morton, Nell.  The Journey Is Home.  Boston:  Beacon Press, 1985.

Otwell, John.  H.  And Sarah Laughed.  Philadelphia:  Westminster Press, 1977.

Penn-Lewis, Jessie.  The Magna Charta of Women.  Bournemouth, UK:  The Overcomer Book Room, 1919.  Reprint ed., Minneapolis:  Bethany Fellowship, 1975.

Ruether, Rosemary.  Disputed Questions:  On Being a Christian.  Nashville:  Abingdon Press, 1982.

Ruether, Rosemary.  New Woman, New Earth:  Sexist Ideologies and Human Liberation.  New York:  Seabury Press, 1975.

Ruether, Rosemary.  Religion and Sexism.   New York:  Simon and Schuster, 1974.

Ruether, Rosemary.  Sexism and God-Talk:  Toward a Feminist Theology.  Boston:  Beacon Press, 1983.

Ruether, Rosemary.  Womanguides:Readings Toward a Feminist Theology.  Boston:  Beacon Press, 1985.

Ruether, Rosemary.  Women-Church:  Theology and Practice.  San Francisco:  Harper & Row, 1985.

Ruether, Rosemary,  and Rosemary Skinner Keller, Women & Religion in America: A Documentary History. Published in three volumes.  San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1981, 1983, 1986.

Russell, Letty, ed.,  Feminist Interpretation of the Bible.  Philadelphia:  Westminster Press, 1985.

Russell, Letty, ed.,  Human Liberation in a Feminist Perspective — A Theology.  Philadelphia:  Westminister Press, 1974.

Russell, Letty, ed.,  The Liberating Word.  Philadelphia:  Westminster Press, 1975.

Sayers, Dorothy L. Are Women Human?  Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1971.

Scanzoni, Letha Dawson, and Nancy A. Hardesty.  All We’re Meant to Be:  Biblical Feminism for Today.  Waco, TX:  Word Books, 1974.  2d ed., Nashville:  Abingdon Press, 1986.  3d rev. ed.  Grand Rapids:  Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992.

Scanzoni, Letha Dawson, and Virginia Ramey Mollenkott.  Is the Homosexual My Neighbor?  San Francisco:  Harper & Row, 1978.  Rev. ed.

Scholer, David.  “Feminist Hermeneutics and Evangelical Interpretation.”  Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 30 (December 1987): 407-20.

Solle, Dorothee.  The Strength of the Weak:  Toward a Christian Feminist Identity.  Philadelphia:  Westminster Press, 1984.

Spencer, Aida Besancom.  Beyond the Curse.  Nashville:  Thomas Nelson, 1985.

Swartley, Willard M.  Slavery, Sabbath, War, and Women.  Scottdale, PA:  Herald Press, 1983.

Tennis, Diane.  Is God the Only Reliable Father?  Philadelphia:  Westminster Press, 1985.

Thistlethwaite, Susan Brooks.  Sex, Race, and God:  Christian Feminism in Black and White.  New York:  Crossroad, 1984.

Trible, Phyllis.  God and the Rhetoric of Sexuality.  Philadelphia:  Fortress Press, 1978.

Trible, Phyllis.  Texts of Terror:  Literary-Feminist Readings of Biblical Narratives.  Philadelphia:  Fortress Press, 1984.

Wahlberg, Rachel.  Jesus According to a Woman.  New York:  Paulist Press, 1975.

Weems, Renita.  Just a Sister Away:  A Womanist Version of Women’s Relationships in the Bible.  San Diego:  LuraMedia, 1988.

Weidman, Judith  L., ed.  Christian Feminist:  Visions of a New Humanity.  San Francisco:  Harper & Row, 1984,

Wilson-Kastner, Patricia.  Faith, Feminism, and the Christ.  Philadelphia:  Fortress Press, 1983.

 

Nancy A. Hardesty was a founding member of the EEWC-Christian Feminism Today organization. She spent much of her career in higher education. From 1988 to her death in 2011, Hardesty taught in the Department of Religion and Philosophy at Clemson University in South Carolina. Before arriving at Clemson, Hardesty also taught at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. Hardesty’s first book, co-authored with Letha Dawson Scanzoni, was All We’re Meant to Be: Biblical Feminism for Today published in 1974. The ground-breaking book has gone through several editions, and was noted by Christianity Today, in its 50th anniversary issue, as one of the top fifty books influencing the evangelical movement. Hardesty subsequently wrote other books on topics ranging from women in the Bible to inclusive language in the church.

2 COMMENTS

    • Hi Kizzy! Thank you so much for your comment. Having a more contemporary list of feminist books and resources is a super idea! Thank you for the question/suggestion… stay tuned I’ll work to make such a list in the coming weeks!
      Katie Deaver
      Web Content Manager

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