Voices from Within: Faith-Life Stories of Women in the Church

Pat Gillespie's book, "Voices from Within: Faith-Life Stories of Women in the Church," is the result of a series of meetings with women who shared their faith.
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PRESS RELEASE: 'What women want' Voices of Faith storytelling event in the Vatican

They began by telling each other of their spiritual journeys and ended up forming wondrous bonds of Christian fellowhsip. In order to see whether this phenomenon was exportable they decided to experiment duplicating the process with "satellite" communities. Included here are guidelines for those who would like to thi!

Patricia Gillespie and Mary Mathews were participants in this project and chose to be the recorders and summarizers of the process. Both have theological training and have long been involved in the ministry of the church. The Library Journal said: As women articulate their stories, they discover common bonds in spite of denominational difference; they listen to other women and eventually to six men; and they "offer a framework, a model, a process which allows Christian women to Recommended for public and seminary libraries.

The simplicity of this presentation makes it difficult to label. Its depth is the result of its delicacy.

The need and beauty of faith sharing that comes from the feminine source finds expression and direction in this petite volume. Church groups looking for materials that are challenging and impressive, yet not overwhelming, will want to consider this book. The size of it permits it to fit in a purse, briefcase, or glove compartment.

Its language of faith is expressed without academic or dogmatic tones. Dialogues, testimonies, and suggestions come to the reader naturally. It would be great for use in guiding a small group retreat or to take along to the park. A Spiritual Geography" says, "This book offers a rare chance to eavesdrop on a group of Christian women of varied backgrounds as they reflect on their faith. The book is a meditation on the power of story, and of prayer, to make room for hope and healing in our lives.


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It is for those who value the theology of experience, the everyday theology that springs from our everyday lives. It is first-person talk about theology that is done in an ordered and refective way.


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I commend it to people who are trying to understand a women's faith experience and the way women think about church and faith. Read more Read less. Kindle Edition File Size: Hope Publishing House; 1st edition 2 February Sold by: Customer reviews There are no customer reviews yet. Share your thoughts with other customers. Blessed be her Holy Name. Jesus treated women in ways that were truly radical for his era, so I've argued for years that Christ should be considered a feminist.

The church has seemed afraid of the feminist movement, unsettled by it somehow; branding it as harsh and shrill. That seems bizarre as Christians should be at the forefront of women's equality, not bringing up the rear! Many denominations still don't let women preach, become Elders, or get ordained, so there's much work to be done.

Women and Church

For those of us women who have fought to live out our call in spaces of leadership within the church, we embody feminism daily whether we realize it or not. Any embrace of feminism within the church must be rooted in our deep conviction that we are all created to be free -- that it was for freedom that Christ set us free Galatians 5: It is a desire for this freedom to emerge from the truth that both women and men are created fully and wholly as image bearers of God.

In that sense, feminism is not necessarily about equality for me. It's about discipleship - about honoring the creativity of God in our midst, about enabling others to flourish, about fighting for another's freedom, and about submitting to the truth that we have all been gifted this breath each waking moment of the day.

Today I would not be allowed in the pulpit of a single one. Not only would I be barred because I am transgender, I would be barred because I am a woman. The irony is the things I know now make me twice the person I was before. But women's voices remain silenced while churches stumble in the dark with a leadership blinded by its own entitlement. It has made me into something I never expected I'd be -- a feminist.

I grew up in a christian context that inherited liberation theology born from third world liberation struggles and the continuous survival of indigenous mestizo peoples in the global south. This means that the world is my parish, and at the end of the day, compassion and accountability go hand and hand.

Image Courtesy of Mica McGriggs. McGriggs, a Mormon, on why she thinks Jesus was a feminist: He was always concerned and working for 'the least of these' he looked to the margins and created spaces that were inclusive to all. That is what intersectional feminism aims to do.

Customer reviews

The church would be a safer and more loving environment for all God's children if they were to embrace liberation theology and the practice of intersectional feminism. I'm always moved by the stories of Jesus' interactions with women in the gospels. In a time and culture where women were often invisible, he saw them and treated them as ones who were honored by God and deeply loved. If the church followed the example of Jesus in how he treated women, it could heal the world.

Just like the human body, the whole flourishes when every part is made stronger. Garcia , a transgender Latina who is a candidate for ordained ministry in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, on tracing feminism back to the creation story: The church has subjugated women far too long and it is time to emphasize the love and compassion Jesus taught us in the Gospel. Individually and collectively women bring God-given gifts to life. The church has a responsibility to remind the world of the sacredness of all life including that of women.

When women suffer because of discrimination due to their gender, everyone suffers through the loss of the gifts women bring to the world. Coleman, a scholar, activist and minister, on what a woman's perspective and questions can bring to the church: It's about what I notice and what kinds of questions I ask: Where are the women in the story? What might she have said? Who is in leadership in churches? Whose voices and perspectives have the loudest voice and influence? I try to answer these questions when I preach and teach.