Under the Tree of Life: The Religion of a Feminist Christian

by Gail Ramshaw

With feminism grafted on to Christianity, how will the Church continue its growth? Asking this question in a series of personal essays that reflect on the phenomenon of religion, Ramshaw proposes a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 082641110X
• ISBN13: 9780826411105
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: Continuum
• Length: 149 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A Feminist reformer of the forms she follows

"Ramshaw looks at the differences between different churches and argues that infrequent attendance does not necessarily mean a lack of involvement." Library Journal Dr. Gail Ramshaw is not saying this. As a liturgist & liturgical author, her emphasis is on community & communal worship, on "God-for-us" rather than "God-for-me" or "God-Apart." Involvement is her mission. As a feminist, she has dedicated herself to rediscovering or creating non-sexist metaphors & images that are personally meaningful as well as useful in Christian hymns, prayers & art. Dr. Ramshaw is an especially perceptive interpreter of Trinitarian concepts. One supposes she is more at home in the traditions & rituals of Lutherans, Anglicans, & Roman Catholics. At heart the author is a midwestern "mainstream" Protestant, raised conservatively & strictly, who enjoys being devoutly - even habitually - observant, & so reforms the forms she follows. She admits to this upfront, & gives us intimate, all-too-brief glimpses of her childhood throughout the book. Her writing is free of the ignorance, superstition & prejudice that are now epidemic in American Protestanism ( & government). She takes a long & appropriately hopeful view of her chosen faith; that is, "chosen" over her doubts however mysteriously rather than imposed by divine injunction, or patriarch, or law, or from base fears. These essays show great scholarship but are not academic tracts; they are like hanging out with a favorite professor-friend. An entertaining book, a fine teacher. Special note: the table of contents is also a poem!

Reverence and rolling your eyes

What an amazing book this is! As a modern woman it can be so difficult to make heads or tails of what Christianity hands us. Ramshaw's work is a refreshing voice in the mix. She speaks with a clarity and perspective I have encountered no where else. Her book shows how throughout her life she has both revered and rolled her eyes at the Christian churches and Christians she has encountered. It's a powerful testimony to how the spirit of Christianity can transcend the failings of our patriarchal culture.