I HAVE a lot of respect for the feminists and feminist theologians, both men and women, who have worked hard for the privileges we enjoy today. Yes, I used the ‘f’ word – feminism. The word gets a bad wrap these days. Feminism is about defining, establishing and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and opportunities for women. Feminism ...

There’s no denying that patriarchal bias has existed in Christianity throughout the ages but as feminist theory gathered pace in the 20th century so did feminist theology. Rev Dr Anita Monro explores the movement and how it links to the Basis of Union. Feminist theology is now well over 50-years-old. What has it contributed to the Christian faith? Feminist theology ...

Rev Dr Julia Pitman’s new book Our Principle of Sex Equality explores 15 female ministers in the context of the establishment of Congregationalism in Australia. Rev Jim Pearson reviews. I enthusiastically opened Rev Dr Julia Pitman’s Our Principle of Sex Equality for two reasons. Firstly, as a Presbyterian minister who became a Minister of the Word in the Uniting Church ...

Looking at the recent Journey (July 2016 edition) I am concerned at the apparent level of support for ‘feminist’ agendas. I have no problem with women seeking jobs but I wonder whether the headline should have read “Smashing the glass floor”. I feel there is such a pandering to status-seeking in feminist ‘conversation’ which does a disservice to the faith. ...

The Bible presents some uncomfortable depictions of women, particularly in the Book of Revelation. Ashley Thompson speaks with North American Biblical scholar, Dr Tina Pippin about what to do with the duality of the “women of the apocalypse”. In June, Grace College hosted Dr Tina Pippin as keynote speaker for their second annual Women’s Theology Conference—a gathering of over 40 ...

The Uniting Church in Australia may be a leading light when it comes to gender equality in leadership but we still have some way to go. Ashley Thompson talks to five key church leaders at UnitingWomen 2016 about how we can fully annihilate the glass ceiling. Shift your thinking  Colleen Geyer is the newly appointed general secretary of the Assembly, ...

Knowing where to stand First and foremost, I want to say I’m thrilled that we are talking about feminism in relation to faith (“Storming the old boys’ club”, September 2015, page six). But I must stress the importance of understanding our movement in order to speak with authority on it. We don’t need to be experts, but making errors on ...

The dreaded “F” word: bra burnings and angry women are so last century yet the stigma around feminism remains. Ashley Thompson speaks with four Christian women reclaiming feminist values for ministry and mission. Simply put, feminism is a stand for the political, economic and social equality of the sexes. It is the belief that men and women should have equal ...

Jesus feminism The Uniting Church is unusual in a number of ways—one of them being its wholehearted embrace of women’s ordination. The Uniting Church has ordained women since union, as did its constituent denominations before that. We stick out among Australian churches in this regard; while other denominations ordain women, few Australian churches match the Uniting Church in their conviction ...

Reminiscent of critically acclaimed classic Remember the Titans (2000), From the Rough joins a long list of self-acclaimed inspirational sports films which see underdog sports teams triumph against racial, economic and gender disadvantage to hope’s end. Based on a true story, Catana Starks (Taraji P Henson) is a former women’s swim coach and the first woman ever to coach an ...