Women have always constituted at least half of the church's membership, but for almost 2,000 years were excluded from any significant part in its leadership. After the example of Jesus, the earliest Christian communities were wholly inclusive in their organisation, but a patriarchal model derived from the pattern of the secular Greco-Roman societies was soon adopted. This restricted women to subordinate roles from which the struggle to escape continues.''However, there were always ...
Beeson, who was deeply involved in the radical movement of the 1960s, has singled out 100 Christians who made a contribution to this reform and renewal. He has chosen people from a wide spectrum spanning the 20th century, the world and the churches.'
