Feminist Theology: Methodology, Sources, And Norms Summary

In Chapter One of “Feminist Theology: Methodology, Sources, and Norms” Rosemary Radford-Ruether talks about the theology that Religion has on our society towards women and men in a historical tradition. Reuther say’s, “What have been called the objective sources of theology; Scripture and tradition, are themselves codified human experience” (page 12). In other words, Humans are the beginning and end of the annotative ring of life. The Hermeneutical circle comes from the Western Theological tradition, meaning it is history that has sculpted our society from the past to the present and aiming towards our future. The argument Reuther is applying in this book is; the theory that western thought is working toward gender equality whereas religion has always dominated that by patriarchy. The three dynamics she talks about are “The hermeneutical circle of past and present experiences," “Crisis of tradition," and “The critical principle of feminist theology”. These Three topics are interpretations of historical text and how our society is shaped by the way we follow or view them. For example, Religion is what most people would say is the start of human life in history. The “Crisis of tradition” shows that from the beginning of time the male being …show more content…
Reuther says, “However wide its historical sweep, back to biblical traditions, forward toward a post christian world, encompassing minority as well as majority tradition, it is nevertheless an exercise in feminist theology with a particular selection of human experience” (page 21). The point Reuther is explaining is how her view on society and human roles were created by the historical tradition she learned throughout her lifetime that made her views the way they are