Faith, Feminism, and the Forum of Scripture

Faith and feminism unite in these essays to explore the theology of the Hebrew Bible as testimony to the faith of ancient Israel and as a source for Christian theology and ethics. Each chapter in Faith, Feminism, and the Forum of Scripture approaches the Bible as a site of theological reflection in which multiple voices are heard (in chorus and debate), as a forum that invites readers to join the conversation and extend it. Acknowledging the patriarchal world of the Bible and the androcentric distortions of its views of both human and divine, they identify foundations and directions that point beyond the cultural frames of the texts. Individual essays present the possibility of an Old Testament theology that integrates feminist insights and concerns into the full range of theological subjects; discuss the theological anthropology of the Hebrew Bible and its root texts in the Genesis creation accounts; outline a proposed new understanding of the authority of the Bible consonant with its nature as a historical, multivocal, and multivalent document; and offer a critical and constructive appraisal of the Old Testament's contribution to current debate on the place of homosexual persons and relations in the church.

""How does biblical theology take different shapes in different cultural contexts? How is the Bible authoritative for the church? How does historical criticism helpfully inform feminist biblical interpretation? How does gender analysis inform both OT anthropology generally and OT texts about homosexuality in particular? Four essays by eminent senior scholar Phyllis Bird . . . address these and other important questions. Bird's theological sensitivity, consummate exegetical skill, and meticulously crafted arguments are evident throughout. A must-read for both church and academy.""
--Katharine Doob Sakenfeld, Princeton Theological Seminary

""Long recognized as a pioneer in feminist biblical hermeneutics who demonstrated the essential role of historical critical scholarship in that enterprise, Bird now brings these two commitments to bear on the field of biblical theology. These essays--wise, perceptive, and rigorous--should be on the bookshelf and in the classroom of any scholar engaged in this aspect of theological studies.""
--Carol A. Newsom, Professor of Old Testament, Candler School of Theology, Emory University

""Bird has a distinctive voice in current biblical scholarship because of her commitment to doing biblical theology from a historical-critical perspective. These seminal essays are richly informed by knowledge of the ancient world and bring a sane perspective to bear on the use of the Bible in the contemporary church.""
--John J. Collins, Holmes Professor of Old Testament, Yale University


Phyllis A. Bird is Professor Emerita of Old Testament Interpretation at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church. She is the author of Missing Persons and Mistaken Identities (1997), Feminism and the Bible (1994), and The Bible as the Church's Book (1982).