Lucy Tatman identifies the events and ideas that influenced the formation of a North american feminist paradigm. She explores the components of this paradigm, particularly the way in which they affect the understanding of knowledge. She then examines the representation of these elements in the theologies of three prominent feminist theologians in North America: Rosemary Radford Ruether, Carter Heyward, and Sallie McFague. From her discussion of these scholars, she proposes that a responsible feminist practice of epistemology requires participatory discernment.