Calcutta Bible Seminary

A paper presentation on Methodological Issues in Feminist/Womanist theologies:

1. Feminist/Womanist Re-imaginations of Sources
2. Feminist/Womanist Re-imaginations of Theological Authority
Subject : Feminist Theology
Subject Lecture : Ms. Gloria Tsopoe
Presenter : Maongtoshi
Respondent : Roa

1. Introduction
Throughout the history there have been individuals and movements that have reminded us
of the need to respect the integrity, authenticity and dignity of each sex and to think in
terms of the complementarity of women and men in community. The essential message of
this social feminist movements in the past is that women must have dignity in the
community of women and men in the world which God created and we should advocate
that both women and men bear “the image and likeness of God” (Gen. 1:27-28). This paper
will be dealing with two methodological issues in Feminist theologies namely: Re-
imaginations of sources and reimaginations of theological authority.
2. Feminist Methodology
Feminist theologians analyze the situation of women in church and society, past and
present. This critical analysis is not restricted to those theological text that deal explicitly
with women or are written by women, it is concerned with all texts and in fact all aspects of
life, as they create and shape the situation of women. 1 Though feminist methodologies
draw from the wide resources of traditional theological methods, their overall framework
includes the basic elements of critique, retrieval, and re-construction. The fundamental
tasks of these elements are to analyze inherited oppressions through a deconstruction of
texts and formulations, to search for women’s alternative wisdom and suppressed history,
and to risk new interpretations in conversation with women’s lives.2
3. Feminist on Re-imaginations of sources
The source of feminist theology is the experience of women under the patriarchal
oppression. Women’s experience has served as the basis to debunk and demystify the
androcentric bias of humanism in liberal theology.3 Women have been long enduring their
oppression in various ways under a society which is dominated by male and his ideologies.
They suffer under social, religious and they are also often times a victim of being
stereotyped in their way of life. Hence, in a male dominated society, feminist claims that
the traditional Christian theologies is a product of male hands, hearts and mind, written
from the context of male, by male and for male section of the society. 4 According
1
Zubeno Kithan, comp., Women in Church and Society (Kolkata: SCEPTRE, 2014), 142.
2
Musimbi Kanyoro, “The Meaning of the Story: Theology as Experience,” ed. John. S. Pobee,
Culture, Women and Theology (Delhi: ISPCK, 1994), 29.
3
Kwok Pui-lan, Postcolonial Imagination and Feminist Theology (Louisville, Kentucky:
Westminster John Knox Press,2005), 54.
4
Kithan, Women in Church and Society, 262.
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Rosemary Radford Ruether, “The uniqueness of feminist theology lies not in its use of
criterion of experience but rather in its use of women’s experience, which has been almost
entirely shut out of theological reflection in the past.” 5 The aim of such re-reading and re-
imaginations is to uncover women’s absence as well as to discover women’s presences
throughout the Christian church traditions.
Throughout the history of the Church, Christian theology has been done with the exclusion
of women and their experience. It reflects negative bias against women in its teachings.
Therefore, the feminist theology thus seeks to analyze the effects of this exclusion of
women and negative anthropology about women and re-interpret basing the source on their
experience.6
The task of feminist theology is to reinterpret the source, its practices and tradition which
perpetuate the injustices inflicted on women and deny their full human subjectivity and
constructively create a liberated and liberating theology. For this Feminist approach against
the old held traditional understandings through interdisciplinary manners of critique and re-
imagination of the source. 7 Fundamentally, the feminist theology involves two approaches:
deconstruction and reconstruction.
3.1. Deconstruction: Christian theology has played its role towards subordination and
exclusion of women in theology, theological education and ecclesial ministry. This
exclusion is foundational theological problem. Critiquing of and deconstructing
existing male biased Christian theology is the task of Feminist theology. As a critical
theology, it has to identify not only kyriocentric dynamics and misogynist elements of
Christian Scriptures, traditions and theologies, but also those structures of the church
that perpetrate male-centered leadership as well as racism, culture and social situations
of women as the primary focus of theological reflection. Feminist theologian Rebecca
Chopp opines feminist theology as pragmatic critical theory, which is a liberating
method centered on emancipatory transformation, equality and freedom from
suffering.8
3.2. Reconstruction: Reconstruction is all about re-envisioning and reconstructing
theologies which have played significant roles in defaming the status of women
throughout the history. The traditional theologies have been biased towards women
through theological concepts, symbols, historiography, etc. It seeks to reformulate
theological concepts with a new perspective of reading the bible and development of
new creative forms of worship, church structures and ministry and with a life-giving
spirituality. Reconstruction involves two steps: firstly, to critique and struggle against
all forms of oppressions; second, to reform and reconstruct Christian tradition, the core
symbols and teachings of Christianity in the light of women’s experience with a critical
attitude toward socially and historically constructed gender.9

5
Rosemary Radford Ruether cited by Kwok Pui-lan, Postcolonial Imagination and Feminist
Theology, 55.
6
R. L. Hnuni, Vision for Women in India (Bangalore: Asian Trading Corporation, 2009), 18.
7
Fraincis Martin, The Feminist Question (Grand Rapid, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing
Company, 1994), 212.
8
Limatula Longkumer, Women in Theological Education: Pedagogical Issues (Bangalore: BTESSC,
2012), 95
9
Longkumer, Women in Theological Education…, 95.
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4. Feminist on Re-imaginations of theological authority
Re-imagination of theological authority is a step towards re-imagining theology where
women affirm that since the domination they experience and which rules the world is not of
God it can be eliminated. They take inspiration from liberation theologians like Gustavo
Gutierrez who says that “the task of theology is not helping the bourgeois (middleclass) to
discover the meaning of life, but assisting the de-humanized to recover their humanity.” 10
This is what feminist theologians expects theology to do, that is assist both men and
women to redeem the humanity enslaved to androcracy. Re-imagining of theology is
therefore a process of getting the whole faith community to come to a realization of how
the very identities that people live out, have been shaped by role definitions arising out of
‘he’ domination principle or order.11 An order which stifles imagination, curbs creativity
and causes us to live below our potential of full humanity. 12
Feminism raises certain theological issues such as hermeneutics, church history and the
history of theology, scripture, revelation, image and the understanding of God, Trinitarian
theology, Christology, anthropology, etc. they raise this experiencing the confinement of
the roles and gender stereotyping from the male dominated structure or so to say
‘patriarchal structure’. Feminist demands an examination of their expectations and status in
society or any other areas. Jim Hug says, “women are growing in appreciation of their own
dreams and talents and demonstrating capacities for leadership on all levels and in all
arenas of church and society, they are revealing some of the ways our gender-specific roles
and expectations have been suppressing personal callings”. 13 Re-imagination of the
theological authorities helps the women to re-interpret and formulate accordingly towards
women’s view point. They present a new dimension in the old belief.
The re-imagination of the theology brings afresh what the word of God is to the people,
how the male interpretation of God has led to the patriarchal structure and a societal mode
which highlights difference into inferiority and superiority. Feminist reinterprets theology
as a way of facilitating the reign of God as a free order, where both men and women are
equal. They find inclusive image of God. 14 Limatula Longkumer brings out four feminist
perspective on Christian theology and authority.15
4.1. Justice: Feminist aims towards a just theology. Justice has to do with concrete life
situations and experiences of women’s sufferings. Gender justice has been one of the
major issues not only in theological circle but in all educational, economic, socio-
political spheres of life. Hence, gender justice should be the heart of all theologizing ad
developmental programmes.
4.2. Feminist Anthropology: Feminist seek towards a theological anthropology that
does not debar women as subjective or considers them as lesser than men. They seek
towards recognition of women as active persons not limited to being stereotyped.

10
Mercy Amba Oduyoye, “Women Re-imagining and Re-shaping Theology: A specific Aspect of
Women’s Revolution,” ed. Lalrinawmi Ralte, Women Re-shaping Theology: Introducing Women’s Studies in
Theological Education in India (Delhi: ISPCK, 1998), 6.
11
John S. Pobee, ed. Culture, Women and Theology (Delhi: ISPCK, 1994), 8.
12
Oduyoye, “Women Re-imagining and Re-shaping Theology…”, 6.
13
Jim Hug, “Theological Issues Raised by Feminism,” eds., Stella Faria, Anna Vareed Alexander
and Jessie B. Tellis-Nayak, The Emerging Christian Women: Church and Society Perspectives (Bangalore:
Satprakasham Sanchar Kendra, 1984), 50.
14
Oduyoye, “Women Re-imagining and Re-shaping Theology…”, 7.
15
Longkumer, Women in Theological Education…, 96.
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 According to David Smith, majority of the women is of the opinion that “male persons
are identified as the oppressors who have consciously or more often unconsciously
lived in and promoted a social and religious system in which they perceived and
presented themselves as normative humanity.”16 Therefore the debate arises around
women’s subordinate positions. Hence feminist theology seeks for a Christian theology
of partnership, sharing, mutuality and reciprocity.
4.3. Holistic Spirituality: Feminist understanding of spirituality is non-dualistic which
affirms the full humanity of women together with men. The traditional spirituality
understanding is biased towards individualistic and isolated understanding of one
gender. Against such unwholesome radical dichotomist worldview, feminist shift to a
creative form of spirituality that is life-affirming and dynamic.
4.4. Creating a new community of communities: Feminist aims at creating a new
inclusive community. Scholars such as Elisabeth Fiorenza define it as “Disciples of
Equals” or ekklesia of women. Feminist understanding of God also is centered as a
community. The doctrine of Trinity indicates the idea of living community which is the
fundamental nature of all living beings including God himself. Feminist visions for a
renewed community where no individual is excluded, oppressed or exploited based on
the gender, caste, creed, color or race. It encourages the full participation of its
individuals and the development of its members.
5. Response to Feminist critique
With various critiques of Feminist on the matter of theology and other spheres of life and
often times the rejection of those critique by the society and culture, so in order to
neutralize between the two; theologians and Christian churches respond to feminist
critique.
Many deny feminist analysis and critics and points out that women are in no way inferior
but in fact superior, e.g. Pope Paul’s various statements on the superior qualities of women
serves to support the feminine mystique, “often when we speak about women, we think of
them in a ‘functionalist’ manner. Instead, we should see women as bearers of a richness
that men do not possess; women bring harmony to creation.” 17 Gayle Kimball is of the
opinion that most women have internalized the ideals and values of the feminine mystique
and have learned to suppress their own interest, abilities and wishes in order to support
their own husband’s egos and career. Theological arguments justify that women do not
realize that they are only one man away from public welfare and their self-identity and
economic status are precarious indeed.
Another way is to co-opt it by acknowledging some points of its analysis. Pope Paul VI
maintains that the church has already recognized the contemporary effort to promote the
advancement of women as a sign of times and he demands legislation to protect women’s
equal rights to participate in cultural, economic, social and political life. However, he
maintains that women have to be excluded from the hierarchical orders on the grounds of
an antiquated and simple false historical exegesis and by mere hermeneutical tools such as
“hermeneutics of suspicion”. They criticize it by saying that it can adept to those elements
of feminist critique which do not radically question the present structures and ideologies.

16
David L. Smith, A Handbook of Contemporary Theology (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Bakers
Books,2001), 252.
17
“Pope: women bring harmony that makes the world beautiful,” (Vatican Radio)
www.radiovaticana.com/news/2017/02/09/pope_women_bring_harmony_that_makes_the_world_beautiful/
129143 (29/11/2017)
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Often the feminist demands are rejected because the feminist demand for institutional and
theological change and giving up of centuries-old tradition.18
Conclusion:
To interpret or re-imagine theology or the source from the women’s perspective is not to
search for proof of support for female superiority. Rather it is for illumination of the
struggle of women and men for partnership in community. The Bible for example which is
a product of male transmission and vastly dominated by patriarchal elements has to be re-
read not as a book of rules for both genders but as a living testimony of God’s concrete
activity in history as a liberative message for all the downtrodden people especially the
women. Our reflection on the bible has to imaginatively reconstruct the hidden figures of
women in the society and proclaim a healing word and message for all God’s inclusive
community.
Bibliography:
David L. Smith, A Handbook of Contemporary Theology. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Bakers
Books,2001.
Hnuni, R. L. Vision for Women in India. Bangalore: Asian Trading Corporation, 2009.
Hug, Jim. “Theological Issues Raised by Feminism.” Eds., Stella Faria, Anna Vareed
Alexander and Jessie B. Tellis-Nayak. The Emerging Christian Women: Church
and Society Perspectives. Bangalore: Satprakasham Sanchar Kendra, 1984.
Kithan, Zubeno. Comp. Women in Church and Society. Kolkata: SCEPTRE, 2014.
Kanyoro, Musimbi. “The Meaning of the Story: Theology as Experience.” Ed. John. S.
Pobee, Culture, Women and Theology. Delhi: ISPCK, 1994.
Longkumer, Limatula Women in Theological Education: Pedagogical Issues. Bangalore:
BTESSC, 2012.
Martin, Fraincis. The Feminist Question. Grand Rapid, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans
Publishing Company, 1994.
Oduyoye, Mercy Amba. “Women Re-imagining and Re-shaping Theology: A specific
Aspect of Women’s Revolution.” Ed. Lalrinawmi Ralte, Women Re-shaping
Theology: Introducing Women’s Studies in Theological Education in India. Delhi:
ISPCK, 1998.
Pui-lan, Kwok. Postcolonial Imagination and Feminist Theology. Louisville, Kentucky:
Westminster John Knox Press,2005.
Webliography:
“Pope: women bring harmony that makes the world beautiful,” (Vatican Radio)
www.radiovaticana.com/news/2017/02/09/pope_women_bring_harmony_that_makes_the_
world_beautiful/129143 (29/11/2017)
18
Kithan, Women in Church and Society, 237.
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