This summer, the Palgrave Macmillan publishing company released Being Feminist, Being Christian: Essays from Academia (June 2006), a collection of writings on feminist thought and theory as it pertains to the Christian community from academic scholars in both the United States and Canada.
The book was edited by Bettina Tate Pedersen, professor of literature at Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU), and Allyson Jule, senior lecturer in education at the University of Glamorgan in Wales. According to Pedersen, Being Feminist, Being Christian explores themes such as “Can evangelical Christians be feminists?” and issues of gender theory, along with the ongoing struggle women ministers face in the Christian community.
“This book aims to show that being feminist and being Christian are not only compatible, but that they ought to go together, ” she said.
In addition to Pedersen, contributors to the book from PLNU include faculty members Linda Beail, Lisa Bernal-Corley and Carol Blessing. Essays range from Silence as Femininity?: A Look at Performances of Gender in Theology College Classrooms (Jule) to Blessed Mother or Material Mom: Which Madonna Am I? (Beail). The book consists of eight essays written by nine Christian scholars who have background in the research and study of feminism.
“The main theme is how it is possible to be both feminist and Christian, even though many people seem to think those two things are antithetical,” said Beail, professor of political science. “The book combines both the theoretical and the personal/practical.”
The idea for this collection came about during conversations Jule and Pedersen had while attending the Western Regional Conference on Christianity and Literature (CCL) in March of 2004. Held at PLNU, the topic of the conference was, “Faith in Conversation with Theory.” It was here that the two co-editors met and dialogued about their views on Christianity and feminism. These interactions then led to the joint decision in organizing and later publishing Being Feminist, Being Christian.
"Among Christians there are theological and practical matters about which they disagree, and the same is true of theoretical and pragmatic matters in feminism,” said Pedersen. “The book aims to show why issues that matter to Christians and to feminists are compatible, and that the contributors have given years of considered thought and research to the ways in which a Christian commitment and a feminist commitment are mutually sustaining,"
A book signing will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 27th at 4 p.m. at PLNU’s Colt Hall Forum. The event is sponsored by the Center for Women's Studies and co-sponsored by The Wesleyan Center, the Department of Literature, Journalism and Modern Language and the Center For Justice and Reconciliation.
“It is an interesting, eclectic, and timely book that engages fascinating questions of how feminism and faith interact,” said Beail.
For more information on the signing, visit Center For Women's Studies.