This, the second in the Fortress Press series of short works from the Religious Consultation on Population, Reproductive Health and Ethics, looks to ten, largely patriarchal, world religious traditions to help redress gender injustices. Built on extensive work by a task force of ten progressive religious scholars (to be published in a larger volume by Suny Press), the book summarizes their findings for intellectual enrichment and advocacy.

As we unveil the patriarchal bias that so often embeds itself in the sacred, we seek to appropriate from that heritage more positive resources. Each of the religious traditions has a strong theory of social justice, and these resources can be harnessed to contemporary issues of gender. We ask how our scriptures, our founding prophets, our ancestors can be used today to further justice in relations between the genders.

John C. Raines is Professor of Religion at Temple University. As Fulbright Senior Scholar in Jakarta, he established the first graduate program in Comparative Religion. He is author of Open Catholicism: The Tradition at Its Best (ed. 1998), Modern Work and Human Meaning (1986), Capitalism and Community in Conflict (ed. 1983), and Illusions of Success (1976).