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Rosemary Radford Ruether (November 2, 1936 – May 21, 2022) was an influential American feminist scholar and theologian. She is considered a pioneer in the area of feminist theology, whose works helped stimulate a major reevaluation of Christian thought in light of women's issues. It was Reuther who coined the term God/dess to express the inadequacy of the traditionally male-dominated language of theology. Her book Sexism and God-Talk became a classic text for its systematic treatment of the Judeo-Christian tradition from the standpoint of feminism.

The term mendicant (from Latin: mendicans - "begging") refers to religious ascetics of various backgrounds who rely primarily (or exclusively) on begging and charity to survive. The practice of mendicacy is found in several world religions, and thus the term "mendicant" can categorize various types of ascetics such as Buddhist monks, Christian friars, Hindu sadhus, and dervishes of Sufi Islam. In general, mendicants (and religious mendicant orders) do not own property, either individually or collectively, and have taken a vow of poverty, in order to devote their time and energy to practicing their faith and serving the poor.