Many people tend to believe incorrect information about gender roles within Islamic, Jewish and Christian communities, a Brite Masters of Divinity student said.

A forum titled “Public Theology: Gender and Religious Practice,” hosted by the Brite Divinity School, will aim to correct assumptions about the role of women in three of the world’s largest monotheistic religions, forum organizer Amanda Henderson said.

Tim Hessel-Robinson, a faculty director for the event, wrote in an email that gender would not be the discussion’s only emphasis.

“Gender serves as a focus for a conversation about how diverse faith traditions address public issues of inclusion and justice,” he wrote.

Hessel-Robin said he hoped those who attend will gain a deeper understanding of how faith traditions engage in public issues.

Henderson said participants each would speak as members of their faith but would not represent their entire religion. Speakers would discuss and answer questions based on their own religious experiences because individual beliefs and experiences often differed from the mainstream religion.

“This way I feel like we capture a deeper and more authentic understanding of that tradition,” she said.

Carole Sturm, a speaker from the Islamic Speakers Bureau, said she would offer the audience a chance to learn about Islam from a white, female American — a voice rarely associated with Islam.

Sturm officially converted to Islam as a first-year student at the University of Oklahoma. She is a full-time computer assistance analyst, a mother of two and an active part of her religious community.

In addition to personal experiences, Henderson said speakers would address the belief systems within their own faith.

Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, a speaker from Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, said there were two extremes within Judaism: Orthodox and Reform Judaism.

Orthodoxy conformed to ancient traditions while the reform movement tried to adapt the tradition to a 21st century setting, he said. For example, more progressive Jews have female rabbis. Ultra-Orthodox Jews, on the other hand, have laws against women leading prayer, he said.

Joretta Marshall, professor of pastoral theology and pastoral care and counseling, said Christian communities also adapted their practices differently to today’s society.

Some Christian denominations ordained women to leadership positions, while others did not, Marshall said.

Religious Practice in a Multi-Faith World
When: 11 a.m. today
Where: Bass Conference Center