Feminist Liberation Theology Within Christianity
A Response to the Oppression of Women Within the Church Body
Oct 31, 2009 Melissa Reginelli
The Purpose of Liberation Theology
Each type liberation theology is formed as a response to oppression. The faction of liberation theology which seeks to free women from a second-status role has been titles Feminist Liberation Theology. No one person can be accredited with the formation of feminist liberation theology, but many women and even a few men have contributed to the development of this form of theology.
The Influence of Feminist Theologians
The Church and the Second Sex by Mary Daly critiques modern theology from a feminist perspective, and is possibly one of the most widely ready works on feminist liberation theology. She claims that sexism is a moral issue and needs to be addressed on a universal scale by church leaders in order to promote congruency in their authority over a congregation.
Phyllis Trible is another feminist theologian who has authored God and the Rhetoric of Sexuality and Texts of Terror: Literary-Feminist Readings of Biblical Narrative. She suggests new interpretations of Biblical texts that are holistic and gender inclusive, insisting that much of the oppression of women within Christianity is due to the dominantly masculine authority that interprets the Biblical texts.
The Roots of Oppression
Moral issues arise in the subservient role to which women are often submitted within the church. This role has been accepted as “natural” and “fundamental” in many church bodies, and very few had stood up to challenge these perceptions. Another matter that is addressed in feminist liberation theology is the tendency to use masculine pronouns and literary devices to refer to God, rather than welcoming a gender neutral or feminine view of God.
Distortions in the religion’s essential teachings are generally criticized as the cause for discriminative language that is a mechanism for prejudice within the church. In order to maintain authority within the religion, patriarchal authorities had been set in place. Some feminists go further to criticize the basic foundation of the religion and the social structure upon which it was built (religion-online.org).
Scripture: The Double-Edged Sword
Scripture can be used to support and contradict Feminist Liberation Theology. Some feminist theologians use Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (New International Version) to support the claims that men and women are meant to be in one community and equal, indiscriminate partners in faith. On the other hand, congregations have referred to verses such as 1 Corinthians 14:34 and 35 for centuries as guidelines for the roles of women in the church. These verses claim “Women should remain silent in churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the Law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church” (New International Version).
Theology Within the Church
|
Women Are Taking a Stand
|
What do you think about this article?
Latest Articles