Using a Feminist Interpretation of the Bible’s Book of Ruth to Address Taiwanese Female Pastors’ Financial Autonomy and Self-Esteem

摘要

This study used Ruth’s story in the Bible and reinterpreted it with feminist theological perspectives to address the related issues of Taiwanese female pastors’ economic independence and autonomy. This study explored the phenomenological and contextual world of 27 female pastors’ mental wellness and specifically how they deal with the hardship of financial inequality when living in a culturally patriarchal society and serving within the male dominant church system. Four themes were generated to report these female pastors’ shared experiences through qualitative method. Counseling applications were provided and discussed in this article.