Feminist Theology

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Feminist Theology

• Must God Be Male?

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Feminist Theology

• Feminist theology, as a theology of liberation,
  is concerned about exposing this false
  universalism the idea that the masculine
  experience applies to everyone and
  reinterpreting the experiences of women.
• Valerie Saiving Goldstein from Jacquelyn Grant
• "Feminism is a social vision, rooted in women's
  experience of sexually based discrimination and
  oppression, a movement seeking the liberation of
  women from all forms of sexism, and an academic
  method of analysis being used in virtually every
  discipline."
• Anne M. Clifford

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Types of Feminist Theology

• There are three basic types of feminist
  theologies
• Revolutionary Feminist Theology
• Reformist Feminist Theology
• Reconstructionist Feminist Theology

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Waves of Feminists Theology
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First Wave of Feminists

• First wave of feminism developed in 19th
  century. In the US the first major event was the
  Womens Rights Convention in 1848 in Seneca
  Falls, NY. It continued on until 1920 when women
  gained the right to vote.

Firs wave of feminist in Europe
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Second Wave of Feminists

• Second wave of feminism It is traced to the
  adoption of the United Nations of the charter to
  eliminate discrimination against women in 1967.

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Third Wave of Feminists

• Third wave of feminism This movement is traced
  to the International Womens Year which
  launched the UN Decade of Women. It also
  became clear that women in different parts of the
  world experience discrimination differently
  (womanist, mujerista, etc)

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Feminist Theologies Explained

• Revolutionary Feminist Theology
• Wants to totally revolutionize Christian
  theology it advocates worship of Goddess and
  woman centered culture among other things. A
  male centered God is problematic and
  Christianity is irredeemable.
• Reformist Feminist Theology
• Advocates modest changes in the current church
  structure, usually believes in the more
  traditional aspects of Christian theology but
  oppose gender bias and unequal power.
• Reconstructionist Feminist Theology
• Recognizes that the church must undergo a
  thorough change beyond merely sharing power with
  men and at the same time maintain Christian
  traditions.

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Christian Feminist Reconstructionists

• Main Points

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The Self

• 1. Conscientization
• This term is used especially in mujerista or
  "latina." In feminist theology one validates ones
  experiences. The experiences of women have been
  negated or downplayed by the patriarchal
  structure. To this end one is also sensitive to
  the experiences of others that are different from
  one's own. is. Patriarchy and androcentrism
  (male centered description) are sins. When
  people suffer because of their race, ethnicity,
  gender, class, age, status, sexual orientation it
  is sin. Therefore, social location is very
  important.

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The Interpretation

• 2. Hermeneutics
• The Bible is interpreted in light of whether or
  not it liberates women and men. If the text does
  not liberate then "it either must not be true or
  has been misinterpreted." The hermeneutics
  (interpretation) of the Bible and church
  practices are "detecting" patriarchal and
  androgynous tendencies. Therefore, one looks at
  language, depictions of women and men, parables,
  etc. in light of women's liberation from
  oppression and to the end of empowering women.

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The Practice

• 3. Praxis
• This theology is rooted in praxis. One needs to
  work at liberating women. One must take concrete
  steps to eradicate the oppressive structures.
  One works in the church and in society. " . . .
  Christian feminist theologies take up the love
  command of Jesus, recognizing that actively
  loving one's neighbors, especially those most in
  need, cannot separate them from the love of God .
  . . "

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Womanist Theology

• Aint I a Woman

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Womanist Theology Defined

• A womanist is sometimes referred to as a Black
  feminist. Womanist theology is rooted in the
  experience of Black women who have had triple
  oppression (race, gender, class).
• The term womanist was coined by Alice Walker in
  her book In Search of Our Mothers Gardens

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