Female Self-Sacrifice and Victorian Gender Politics: Reading Emily Pfeiffer’s “Madonna Dūnya” and Rhyme of the Lady of the Rock

This special issue of Religions, entitled “Transforming Encounters and Critical Reflection: African Thought, Critical Theory, and Liberation Theology in Dialogue”, brought together diverse international scholars and experts to think together on the intersection of African Thought, Critical Theory, and Liberation Theology. One of the aims of this special issue, and of the preceding conference (as stated in the call for papers), was to explore the complex relationship between the West’s pervasive (capitalistic) culture and epistemologies, and the current post-colonial context of (southern) Africa. As such, it provided a platform to engage questions regarding the relationship between colonialism, capitalism, and culture through both a philosophical and theological lens. The final publication of all articles in the special issue not only achieved the above set aims, but accomplished even more by opening up new creative pathways of thinking about the three traditions that were brought into conversation (and not only within their intersection).

Reviewed by: The Coming of Lilith: Essays on Feminism, Judaism and Sexual Ethics, 1972-2003 Rebecca Alpert The Coming of Lilith: Essays on Feminism, Judaism and Sexual Ethics, 1972-2003, by Judith Plaskow, edited with Donna Berman. Boston: Beacon Press, 2005. 272 pp. $19.00. Judith Plaskow defined the field of Jewish feminist theology. This collection of her essays brings together much of the important work she has done in a variety of scholarly and popular publications for the past thirty years. It makes a vital contribution to the study of the contemporary Jewish feminist movement and to the key role Plaskow has played in defining that movement's basic themes and values. It shows how Plaskow has made connections between Jewish feminist thought and broader concerns of contemporary Jewish life including theology, antisemitism, and sexuality. Viewing her work in this context it is easy to understand why Plaskow is not only a leading Jewish feminist, but one of the most important Jewish thinkers of this generation. The work is divided into four sections that coincide with Plaskow's intellectual interests. It begins with Plaskow's earliest writings (in the section entitled Formulating a Feminist Theology) that served as the background for the argument presented in her landmark book, Standing Again at Sinai (1990). In this section, we see Plaskow's progression from a feminist theologian to a Jewish feminist theologian. We learn how she developed a rationale for the central contention of her work: that Jewish feminism needs to be approached through the lens of theology. In "The Right Question is Theological," which was originally published in Susannah Heschel's groundbreaking anthology On Being a Jewish Feminist, Plaskow lays out her arguments against the assumption that gaining rights within the framework of the religious movements in Judaism (from Orthodox to Reform) is enough, and suggests that to realize the promise of feminist ideas fully, Judaism must be changed at its theological foundations and not only in its practice. The other highlights of this section are Plaskow's earliest Jewish feminist work, "The Coming of Lilith," from [End Page 144] which the collection takes its name, and "Lilith Revisited," which includes her thoughts about the essay twenty years later. While Plaskow's original retelling of the creation story from the perspective of Lilith has been broadly disseminated and widely used in classrooms and synagogues, it is still wonderful to read, and to read "Lilith Revisited," the essay the author contributed to a 1995 anthology of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim writings about the Creation story in Genesis, along with it. In her later thoughts about the original essay, Plaskow reveals to the reader how she perceives her growth as a Jewish thinker and sums up the transition that takes place throughout the essays in this section. The second section (The Complexity of Interlocking Oppressions) is devoted to Plaskow's writings that challenge oppression. Whether she is questioning Christian feminist antisemitism or Jewish anti-paganism, Plaskow makes it clear that the key to ending oppression is to acknowledge that victim and oppressor roles shift with context, and that we must listen to the "Other" and not fall into the trap of claiming victim status without acknowledging our own complicity in the suffering of others. Given this theme, the essay "Dealing with the Hard Stuff" seems out of place in this section. It focuses on the struggle Plaskow confronts again in two other essays in regard to how Jews should respond to difficult Biblical texts. In this case she struggles with the values of the Purim story. In the third section, Plaskow deals with the problems of reading prophetic references to marriage in haftarah readings in "Preaching Against the Text" (the only essay in the volume that was not previously published). In the fourth section, she similarly grapples with the afternoon Torah reading for Yom Kippur in "Sexuality and Teshuvah: Leviticus 18." Grouping these essays together, perhaps in conjunction with the "Coming of Lilith," might have made for an interesting additional section that would highlight another dimension of Plaskow's work, biblical interpretation. Most of the other essays in section three (Creating a Feminist Judaism) are brief but important writings from popular Jewish...

This essay argues that “Andrea del Sarto,” probably Robert Browning’s greatest short dramatic monologue, shows that the poet takes up the gender issue and deals with (un)manliness, gender roles, and female sexuality, and that the poem demonstrates Victorian men are weakened by their dependency on the power they have over women. The male character’s enervation derives from the Victorian concept of masculinity, which held that power and autonomy were a privilege reserved for men, not women. “Andrea del Sarto” might be read as a study in unmanly and unwomanly conduct. It is Lucrezia who plays the “dominant” role-reserved in Victorian gender dynamics for men, while Andrea is in the “passive” position-believed by Victorians to be the role of women. Lucrezia displays clear features which are atypical of the popular ideal woman image of Victorian society-“the angel in the house,” like submissiveness, self-sacrifice, passiveness, and gentleness. Browning’s poem is, in certain respects at least, an astonishingly strong anti-patriarchal polemic. This essay tries to show Browning’s resistance and criticism against the Victorian patriarchal gender politics, which is oppressive for women and undesirable for men at the same time. Reading “Andrea del Sarto” as Browning’s dramatic monologue with a critique of patriarchal Victorian gender ideology, this paper confirms Browning as a progressive social critic who questioned the Victorian traditional separate spheres ideology.

Reviewed by: Social Identities between the Sacred and the Secular ed. by Abby Day, Giselle Vincett, Christopher R. Cotter, and: Doing Christian Ethics from the Margins by Miguel A. De La Torre, and: Liberation Theology for Armchair Theologians by Miguel A. De La Torre Hans Harmakaputra Social Identities between the Sacred and the Secular. Edited by Abby Day, Giselle Vincett, and Christopher R. Cotter. Ashgate AHRC/ESRC Religion and Society Series. Farnum, Surrey, U.K., and Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing Co., 2013. Pp. 237. $99.95. Miguel A. De La Torre, Doing Christian Ethics from the Margins, 2nd ed., rev. and exp. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2014 (orig.: Orbis, 2004). Pp. 362. $35.00, paper. Miguel A. De La Torre, Liberation Theology for Armchair Theologians. Armchair Theologians Series. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2013. Pp. 168. $17.00, paper. The two books by De La Torre are concerned with liberation theology, one of the contemporary approaches that emerged in the twentieth century. Liberation theology has suffered rejection and criticism, but it has radically changed what it means to do Christian theology. In Liberation Theology for Armchair Theologians, which is part of larger series of introductory books, De La Torre does a wonderful job in presenting what liberation theology is in a simple way. As a part of the Armchair series, the book is purposely written for the novice with no theological training. De La Torre introduces the historical background from which liberation theology emerges, the South American context that strongly influences the discourse, and the important figures, and he explains how liberation theology put more emphasis on orthopraxis than on orthodoxy. Liberation theology comes from the margins and uses the eyes of the margins to interpret the whole of Christian theology. It seeks to liberate society from structural oppression. The forte of this book is its daring attempt in disclosing how theology is never unrelated to reality. Rather, theology is either about helping the oppressors and their endeavors in maintaining the status quo or about becoming a fuel to subvert the system and transform the society. [End Page 612] De La Torre defends liberation theology from an accusation that it is a form of Marxism because it incorporates sociopolitical analysis into its methodology. He states that “Marx may be one of many conversation partners, but he can never be the sole guide into the future” (p. 61). Since the book is introductory, it would not really be useful for scholars. Further, the author covers only the older generation of liberation theologians, neglecting recent developments or younger theologians. Doing Christian Ethics from the Margins is revised and expanded from the 2004 original and is specifically dedicated to elaborate Christian ethics from the lens of liberation theology. It is an attempt by De La Torre to shift the discourse of Christian ethics by integrating a hermeneutical mode of liberation theology. If Christian ethics begins with certain “truth” derived from dogmatic or biblical precepts, and ethics is treated as an endeavor to apply the “truth,” De La Torre emphasizes praxis that could redefine what is perceived before as the “truth.” The first way reflects an approach from the center, while the second comes from the margins. He believes that Christian ethics could really embody God’s will only through using the eyes of the margins. The hermeneutical circle proposed in this book has five steps. The first step is “observing” where Christians identify the problem. The second is “reflecting,” which includes social analysis as a tool to scrutinize injustice and oppression. Third is theological and biblical analysis on the problem or “praying.” Fourth, ethicists must formulate an actual plan for implementing praxis or “acting.” The last step is “reassessing” where new ethical perspectives emerge. The bulk of this book contains an analysis on using this five-step hermeneutical lens on various issues that he differentiates in three clusters: global, national, and business. Those are examples of how Christian ethics from the margins could be done in the context of the United States. This book is an excellent example of how liberation theology impacts on Christian theology, particularly in the field of ethics. It also shows how Christian ethics should impact real life...

Mother Earth, Postcolonial and Liberation Theologies adds another contribution to the ongoing interrogation of an imminent universal crisis, global warming. Examining the environmental crisis from liberation, postcolonial, and theological lenses in Africa, the continent whose people stand to bear the brunt of ecological catastrophe, the contributors provide fresh perspectives that place this book at the forefront of new research being done across the African continent. The volume serves as a compendium for the intersection of African spirituality, cultural expression, and the earth.

The approach taken in this essay proceeds from the assumption that the biblical text of Esther reflects a patriarchal ideology and it is largely the males in the story who wield the power. However, instead of examining the negative consequences for the female characters and how the patriarchal system forces them to operate, I look to the male characters to see how they fare in the system of patriarchy which they undoubtedly inhabit. In the first part of the essay, I consider the call issued by womanist and liberation theologians from traditionally marginalized communities for the need for liberation of both the oppressed and the oppressors from systems of oppression. In the second part of the essay, I respond to this call via an analysis of the book of Esther. First, I examine four different actions or attitudes that characterize the men in the story. Second, I observe some places where their power clearly brings them loss. Third, I argue that the destructive attitudes, actions, and relationships of the men in the story demonstrate their own need for liberation from the oppressive system of patriarchy from which they supposedly benefit.

In this essay, the transhumanist movement is analyzed through the lens of liberation theology, vis-á-vis the founding fathers of their respective movements, secular transhumanist Julian Huxley and liberation theologian Gustavo Gutiérrez. Although Gutiérrez is not a transhumanist, he delineates a theology of liberation which is driven by a social justice enhancement of the marginalized. The central question which will be analyzed is: How does a liberation theologian understand the transhumanist movement? Critically, both men begin on similar ground, arguing that the human condition is not as it should be. Through a careful exegesis of Guiterrez's seminal works on A Theology of Liberation and On Job: God-Talk and the Suffering of the Innocent, the arguments of liberation theology will be elucidated with respect to the transhumanist discourse, arguing that Gutiérrez privileges the telos of drawing humanity out of poverty and illness. However, Gutiérrez's work on Job restricts the potential social justice enhancement espoused by liberation theology. For Gutiérrez, God's gratuitous love precedes God's justice, making it so humanity cannot occupy the creative space of God. After establishing the theoretical arguments, the paper turns to the clinic to underscore when and how Huxley and Gutiérrez differ in relying on medical technology in the present day. The distinction between caring and curing is the deciding clinical factor to denote when a liberation theologian can embrace the transhumanist impulse. While Huxley does not limit his transhumanist project to conquer the limits of humanity, Gutiérrez sequesters the capacity of human transcendence because of his faith and hope in God's deliverance on earth.

This chapter approaches Paul Farmer’s work from the lens of liberation theology in public health, particularly the activism of liberation theologians for universal healthcare coverage in Brazil, stressing health care as a human right. This liberation approach in medicine precedes Paul Farmer’s work. The text presents experiences of liberating approach to health care developed in Brazil that began before Farmer’s activism and scholarship. The author argues that Farmer can be seen as part of this liberation perspective, that he incorporated in his medical service after his reading of earlier Latin American liberation theology’s material. Hence, he brought to the US context (and English readers) a liberation approach to medicine, also present in his public discourse and practice around the world, through his own voice/hands and the actions of the organization he co-founded, Partners In Health. Doing so, Farmer helped to expand the liberation approach to public health, offering a new pluralism that mediates the dialogue between the global and the local.

How might we view secularism differently if we read it through the eyes of its religious “other?” This chapter is a venture in answering this question. Although secularism is more aptly viewed as secularisms, distinctive formations that refract the history and politics of particular places, this collection tracks similar patterns across the country cases that reflect the global diffusion of the religion/secular classification and similar challenges stemming from its oppositional construction. As there is no single religious lens, of course, no reading can stand in for them all, though any one might generate insights that travel. In this chapter I read secularism through the lens of the Western theological tradition, with attention to its embodiment within the American context.KeywordsNational IdentityReligious FaithAmerican LifeChristian FaithAmerican ContextThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

Gender equality in the Islamic context is in deep focus, especially through the lens of feminist theology. This article explores the views of Asghar Ali Engineer, a Muslim activist, who advocates the need to treat women as equals to men and redefine sharia law regarding gender issues. The main focus is on the challenges and opportunities facing feminist theology in Islam, with an emphasis on the concept of gender equality and its impact on Muslim women. This research adopts a qualitative approach, analyzing and exploring data from key works such as "Islamic Liberation Theology" by Latief Muhaemin and the works of Asghar Ali Engineer. Feminist theologians, including Engineer, face the challenges of reconstructing religious texts, deconstructing traditional understandings that devalue women, and resolving socio-cultural challenges related to religious law and social norms. With a socio-theological approach, they emphasize the importance of understanding the social context and reinterpreting key concepts to suit the needs of the times. In an effort to create a non-exploitative life order, theological feminists such as Engineer strive to provide equal opportunities for women and men, including in aspects of leadership, to bring positive changes in the interpretation of Islamic religious teachings in the 21st century.
 

Using feminist theory and examining films that describe women artists who see others through the lens of feminist theology, this book puts forward an original view of the act of seeing as an ethical a

This article will examine gender issues in hymnody through the lens of Wisdom theology and Foucault’s subjugated ways of knowing. It interrogates the place of women in musical leadership in the history of Christianity and the nature of the hymnody that developed under male leadership. It analyses the dominant theology of traditional hymnody and calls for a rebalancing to include women’s creations and feminist theology. It claims that greater attention needs to be paid to what is sung in liturgy as singing takes a theology deeper into human consciousness. It draws from the women’s alternative worshipping groups as a case study and explores the obstacles to their representation in more public liturgy. It raises issues around the choosing of hymns and the obstacles in the way of a move towards a tradition that is more inclusive.

This study aims to analyze the factors influencing women’s ministry commitment at the Church of Anugerah Bentara Kristus (GABK) Sola Gratia Pakasua Congregation and to interpret this phenomenon through the lens of feminist theology. The research employed a mixed-methods approach using a sequential explanatory design. Quantitative data were collected through questionnaires administered to 38 active female church workers, while qualitative insights were obtained through in-depth interviews with five key informants. The results show that theological–doctrinal factors have the strongest influence on women’s ministry commitment (mean = 4.52), followed by socio–cultural, structural–organizational, personal–family, and psychological factors. Ministry is understood as a spiritual calling rooted in love and devotion to God rather than a mere institutional duty. From a feminist theological perspective, women’s active participation represents a theological and social transformation that embodies equality, solidarity, and spiritual resilience within a patriarchal structure. The findings affirm that women’s ministry reflects a liberating and contextual spirituality, providing significant implications for developing a participatory theology of ministry within local church contexts.

This paper will analyze the life of Servant of God Dorothy Day through the hermeneutical lens of liberation theology. Although Day was not an explicit liberation theologian, her work through the Catholic Worker Movement exemplifies liberative qualities. I will first reflect on Day’s interior life and her dissatisfaction with social injustices, claiming this as the starting point of liberative theological practices; then, I will turn to St. Thérèse of Lisieux, a saint whom Day came to greatly admire, and Thérèse’s method of “the little way,” paralleling it with mujerista theologian Ada María Isasi-Díaz’s epistemological concept of lo cotidiano as an important method in spiritual praxis; and finally, I will parallel the liberation between Base Ecclesial Communities in Latin America and the houses of hospitality in the Catholic Worker Movement, ultimately arguing that liberation for those on the margins stems from first offering safe places for the creativity of the marginalized to flourish. It is safety that thus leads to creativity—to a restoration of one’s agency and an affirmation of one’s voice and dignity—that can then lead to a stable and sustainable type of liberation. Day and the Catholic Worker movement serve as exemplars in this liberative method.

Taking the Hagar story as the central biblical resource to address the particular plight of Black women—a plight that reckons with patriarchal and White supremacist forces that desire its enclosure—Delores Williams challenges both the traditional understanding of atonement theory which embraces the Cross as salvific and Black liberation theologies’ apocalyptical conceptions of a mighty liberating God. This article seeks to read Delores Williams closely to take seriously her theological development through literature more broadly and her soteriological critiques of the Cross specifically. A rereading of Williams will provide the grounds for continuing the debate of the Cross’s (in)significance within Black theological thought at large. Analyzing Williams’ soteriological critiques will allow me to offer a reading of the Cross that ultimately relies on Williams’ emphatic rejection. Such a rejection of the Cross is necessary for understanding how Black Christianity centers the Cross in order to reject it, as it is intended to be.