Ruth Duck

Ruth C. Duck is an American ordained pastor in the United Church of Christ, a liturgical theologian and retired professor of worship who taught for 27 years at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois. Duck is best known for her work as a composer, writer and adaptor of hymns. In 1973, she was part of the committee at the Ecumenical Women's Center of Chicago that produced Because We Are One People, the first 20th century collection of original and adapted hymns that promoted the use of “non-sexist language”. Since that time, Duck has written over 150 hymns, edited three books of sources for worship services and written on the topic of Trinitarian theology, all with an eye toward facilitating the use of gender inclusive language in the context of Christian worship. She is a leading, contemporary champion for and developer of inclusive language worship sources. A hymn text writer for over forty years, in 2013 Duck was named a Fellow of The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada. She currently lives in Claremont, California. Born on November 21, 1947 in Washington, D.C., USA.