The Eighth Annual Fairfield University Center for Catholic Studies/Voice of the Faithful Conference, taking place on Saturday, March 27, will feature pioneering theologian Elisabeth Schüssler-Fiorenza, Ph.D., an architect of feminist thought in the context of religion.

Dr. Schüssler-Fiorenza, the Krister Stendahl Professor of Divinity at the Harvard Divinity School, has been described as a church reformer, and respected scholar in the area of biblical interpretation and feminist theology. A prolific author who has given a strong scriptural base to feminist religious thought, she will speak about her acclaimed book, "The Discipleship of Equals: A Critical Feminist Ekklesialogy Of Liberation," (Crossroads Publishing Company, 1993). Library Journal called the work "a collection of superb essays, which, as she says in the introduction, also serve to document the history of feminist theology."

The event is co-sponsored by the Center for Catholic Studies and Voice of the Faithful in the Diocese of Bridgeport. It will take place in the Oak Room, located in the John A. Barone Campus Center, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. A registration fee is required.

In reviewing her book, "Bread Not Stone: The Challenge of Feminist Biblical Interpretation" (Beacon Press, 1995), the New York Times Book Review observed: "Schüssler Fiorenza stands among the most articulate and respected theologians who have challenged the silence and marginality that have characterized the great majority of Christian women for nearly 2,000 years."

She is also the author of the book, "In Memory of Her: A Feminist Theological Reconstruction of Christian Origins" (Crossroads Publishing Company, 1984), which has been translated into 14 languages.

Born in Romania in 1938, Dr. Schüssler Fiorenza is the co-founder and co-editor of "The Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion," a channel for the publication of feminist scholarship in religion and a forum for discussion and dialogue among women and men of differing feminist perspectives.

She was elected the first woman president of the Society of Biblical Literature and has served on the editorial boards of major biblical journals and societies. In 2001, she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Later this year, Westminster John Knox Press will publish her book, "Democratizing Biblical Studies Toward an Emancipatory Educational Space."

Posted On: 03-17-2010 10:03 AM

Volume: 42 Number: 238