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Throughout Christian history, there have been significant feminist movements and individual women who have profoundly influenced the Christian tradition. The focus of this study is modern feminist theology which is a movement aimed at securing greater religious rights for women and challenging a predominantly masculine view of God. This they argue would allow for a more meaningful participation of women in the church.

Feminist theologians argue that the predominately patriarchal nature of the Bible and the way in which it appears to sideline and restrict the roles of women cannot be taken at face value. Rather a range of approaches need to be employed to discover and understand the world of the writer and their intended message. This practice is known as hermeneutics which in essence is the science or art of interpretation.

Feminist hermeneutics applies the disciplines of interpretation with a view to balancing a patriarchal text with more inclusive perspectives. While feminist theologians hold fundamental points in common, there are, nevertheless a range of particular approaches among feminist theologians. Furthermore, while feminist theology is generally found among the more progressive elements of Christianity, there are considerable differences between radical proponents of feminist theology and their more moderate counterparts. Some approaches, known as rejectionist, completely reject the Bible because of its association with patriarchal traditions in the Church. Other approaches seek to uncover and highlight elements of the sacred texts which portray women in a positive light. Other approaches examine the Bible from a perspective which promotes human liberation as a fundamental principle. These Liberationist approaches argue that society is structured so that those with power can exploit the powerless. In this context the issue of sexism in the Church is seen as a symptom of a greater abuse of power, a dynamic which also manifests itself in the abuse of the poor by the rich and the uneducated by the educated

Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza is a biblical scholar who has undertaken a theological reconstruction of Christian history, with a focus on the foundational period in which the New Testament was written.

She grew up and was educated in 20th century Catholicism and hence witnessed the shifts from Pre-Vatican II conservatism to the hopeful development associated with the Vatican II awakening, followed by a later conservative regression. These shifts enabled her to critically study the use of power in the church.

Fiorenza undertook theological training in West Germany and North America, which are recognised as among the finest schools theological study in the world. She studied modern hermeneutical tools within Biblical studies during a time when significant discoveries and developments were taking place in the field. She has been influenced by and has been involved in the broader feminist movement.

Her work as a feminist theologian has led into the heart of the debate on the ordination of women. This debate which has been bitter, prolonged and costly has resulted in the disenfranchisement and subsequent defection of many women from the Christian Church because of its stance on the issue.

Fiorenza is a highly respected author and lecturer. She is currently the Kirster Stendhal Professor at Harvard Divinity School and her most well known publication is the classic biblical reconstruction "In Memory of Her" published in 1983.

Many Christian denominations have removed formal obstacles to the full participation of women in the Church. However, informal and hidden forms of discrimination still exist. One of the most significant issues yet to be resolved relates to the role and status of women within the tradition. Women are often second class citizens in certain strands of the Christian tradition. This social stratification and disenfranchisement of women in Christianity has meant that today women, in some denominations, have limited areas of access and opportunities of meaningful participation

Feminist theologians argue that women are given a subordinate and inferior role in the Christian tradition. They also argue that the images of God employed in the Christian tradition are predominantly masculine and at times alienating for women. In order to address these issues, feminist theology calls for a re-examination of the sacred texts and their cultural overlay. Such an examination reveals that the misrepresentation or under-representation of women in the sacred texts is a product of the historical context in which the tradition and its sacred texts developed rather than one of theological intent.

Feminist theologians argue there are no legitimate theological objections to the practical acknowledgement of the equality of men and women. Accordingly feminist theologians have called for the Church to allow the ordination of women. The ordination of women, they argue is important for symbolic and practical reasons. On a practical level, the ordained person holds much of the decision making power in the community. The ordination of women is important on a symbolic level because the ordained person stands as the representative of Christ in the community. Some Christian denominations, principally the Roman Catholic and Orthodox have continued to adopt a hard line against the practical recognition of women's equality. In fact statements made by Pope John Paul II have ruled out the possibility of women being ordained.

Some scholars, such as Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza, believe that the ordination of women is not the solution to the problem of women's participation in the Church. She believes that the ordination of women simply perpetuates the notion of clerical authority and leadership. However, she also admits that the whole model of leadership is unlikely to change if women are not included in the present model.

Other areas where feminist theology has had effect are in the use of language and models of divinity. Firstly, in relation to language, feminist theologians argue that since there are no theological grounds for claiming that God is exclusively male, then it follows that there are no linguistic grounds for referring to God in an exclusively male manner. Similarly, since God cannot legitimately be referred to as being exclusively male, alternative models of divinity should also be used which do not portray God as male and refer to God as male. Language and models of divinity are important issues because they represent a significant mindset which flows into practice.

Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza has undertaken a theological reconstruction of early Christian history. Her greatest contribution to feminist theology and more specifically to Biblical studies has been the 'hermeneutics of suspicion'. Essentially, this hermeneutic proclaims that whenever texts only record the actions of men or portray women in a negative light, one needs to be suspicious and call upon greater life experience. With this tool Fiorenza develops a reconstruction of early Christian history which traces the progression of the Christian community from the gender inclusive nature of the Jesus movement to the more patriarchal culture of the New Testament period. These depictions reflect the historical overlay of patriarchy in which the texts were written rather than a legitimate theological expression.

Fiorenza shows, therefore, that no legitimate theological justification exists for allowing women to be treated as second class citizens. This situation is seen most evidently in denominations which do not allow the ordination of women. From the same principle it is argued that even though Christianity has had an historical inclination to depict God as male, there are no sound theological grounds to see God as being exclusively male. Consequently, gender inclusive language and alternative models of divinity need to be used to develop more adequate images of God.

Fiorenza explains the issue of sexism in the Church is a symptom of the broader dynamics of the use of power. To illustrate this concept she has coined the term "kyriarchy". The term 'kyriarchy' means to 'lord over' and describes the principle where a powerful group dominates and excludes a less powerful group. Fiorenza argues that the exclusion of women from power in the Church is a symptom of the greater abuse of power. In other words, the abuse of power by the Church against women works according to the same dynamic as the abuse of power by the rich against the poor, educated against uneducated and white against black etc. She argues that those in power must be made to give up their power as they will not be prepared to give it up of their own accord.

In this analysis of the dynamic of power Fiorenza is working at the intersection of liberation theology and feminist theology. These two movements which have been profoundly influential in Christian thinking will continue to have enormous influence on the future direction of Christianity. Liberation theologians have identified that Jesus was not a passive bystander or observer of injustices inflicted upon the poor and the uneducated. Rather he intervened, directly and decisively in defence of the victims. By adopting a liberationist approach to feminist hermeneutics Fiorenza has aligned herself with the plight of the poor and dispossessed.

Fiorenza visions a Christian community based on a consensual model that is radically different to the current hierarchical system based on clerical authority. She terms this alternative community the 'Discipleship of Equals'. In this model, ministry and authority are reordered so that ministry is carried out according to the gifts people have and power is shared by the community in a consensual manner.

Fiorenza's most notable contribution to biblical studies is her classic work 'In Memory of Her' (1983) where she introduces the groundbreaking concept of the hermeneutic of suspicion. This tool, which has effectively revolutionized biblical scholarship, is used to question the andocentric character of the Biblical texts. Using this Fiorenza proposes a radical reconstruction of New Testament literature where the contributions and significance of women in early Christian communities are reinstated.

Few modern theologians could claim the extent of influence that Elisabeth Schlusser Fiorenza produced yet the work of Fiorenza is still largely restricted to academic and professional circles. Her work is however, gradually filtering down into grass root levels. The fact that Fiorenza's work is centred upon the biblical texts of the New Testament has made her work all the more controversial because of the sacred nature of the subject matter. By attempting a reconstruction of Christian history with a focus on the New Testament period, Fiorenza has put herself at odds with many traditionalists in the Christian Church who believe that the Bible is above such analysis. Fiorenza's work, however, is widely acclaimed by many liberal Christians across a spectrum of denominations and of course by feminist and liberation theologians.

Feminist theology is one of the great movements shaping the future of the Christian tradition. The greater religious freedoms which allow twenty-first century women to have a meaningful access to their tradition, can to a great extent, be attributed to the efforts of feminist theologians like Elisabeth Schlusser Fiorenza. It is clear therefore, that feminist theology has been influential across a range of denominations. However, it is difficult to measure the full extent of the influence of feminist theology on the overall development of Christianity because the movement is still a relatively recent phenomenon and the work done by feminist theology is of a contemporary nature. In other words, the extent to which feminist theology has affected the present nature and future character of Christianity is yet to be determined.

At the present time, the influence of feminist theology differs among the denominations of Christianity. However, the degree of influence transcends the issue of denominations. While some issues have been resolved in some denomination but not in others, there are, nevertheless a variety of views within each denomination. In other words, there are conservative elements within all denominations which reject and/or oppose the claims of feminist theology. Yet, at the same time, there are liberal or progressive elements in these denominations which accept and/or support such claims.

The Catholic and Orthodox denominations do not allow the ordination of women, even though women in these denominations are allowed to act in a range of ministries. Protestant denominations generally allow the ordination of women, however reluctance still exists among local congregations and at an official level such as in the Anglican Diocese of Sydney.

Whilst feminist theology is yet to be successful in initiating change in the Catholic and Orthodox Churches at an official level, their influence can be felt within grass root levels. For example, despite the absence of formal change in relation to the gender exclusive language used in liturgy, some Catholic congregations have adopted an inclusive language text for the liturgy. This example reveals that feminist theology has been very successful in raising awareness of the gender inequalities which exist within the Church. This then paves the way for incremental change from below as mindsets slowly change. However feminist theology is less successful in provoking structural change from above. Though feminist theology is initiating change from below in some areas the influence of feminist theologians in theological training is still largely restricted to professional and academic circles. The full effect of feminist theology has yet to be felt in the broader extent of Christian community.