Gail Ramshaw

Gail Ramshaw is a scholar of liturgical language. She is a graduate of Valparaiso University (BA), Sarah Lawrence College (MA), The University of Wisconsin-Madison (PhD) and Union Theological Seminary (MDiv). She is past president of the North American Academy of Liturgy and member of Societas Liturgica.

Dr. Ramshaw has published books on the meaning of liturgical language, including A Three- Year Banquet: The Lectionary for the Assembly (Augsburg Fortress 2004); The Three-Day Feast: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter (Augsburg Fortress 2004): Treasures Old and New: Images of the Lectionary (Fortress 2002); Reviving Sacred Speech (OSL Publications 1999): God beyond Gender (Fortress 2002); Liturgical Language: Keeping It Metaphoric, Making It Inclusive (Liturgical Press 1996) and Worship Searching for Language (Pastoral Press 1988).

Her works on liturgical spirituality include A Metaphorical God (LTP 1995) and the Words series: Words Around the Fire, Words Around the Table, Words Around the Font and Words That Sing (LTP 1990, 1991, 1992, 1995). She published a set of personal essays entitled Under the Tree of Life: The Religion of a Feminist Christian (OSL 2003, 1998). Her children's books include 1-2-3- Church, Everyday and Sunday Too, and Sunday Morning.

Gail has prepared numerous liturgical helps, including Richer Fare for the Christian People and Between Sunday. She collaborated with Paivie Jussila on Koinonia, a worship resource published by the Lutheran World Federation, and with Gordon Lathrop on inclusive language revisions of the Sunday lectionary texts, in Psalter for the Christian People and in Readings for the Assembly, Years A, B, C.

Her prayers have been included in denominational worship resources published in the United States, Canada, Sweden and New Zealand.

Dr. Ramshaw lives in Philadelphia and is professor of religion at LaSalle University.