Feminist Theology as a Critical Theology of Liberation

Abstract

W RITING AN ARTICLE on feminist theology for an established theological journal is as dangerous as navigating between Scylla and Charybdis. Radical feminists might consider such an endeavor as co-operation with the enemy or at best as tokenism. Professional theologians might refuse to take the issue seriously or might emotionally react against it. Even though the women's movement has been with us almost a decade, it is still surrounded by confusion, derision, and outright refusal to listen to its arguments. Yet, since I consider myself a feminist as well as a Christian theologian, I am vitally interested in a mediation between feminism and theology. And good theology always was a risky enterprise. In the first part of the article I intend to circumscribe the concrete situation in which feminist theology is situated, insofar as I summarize some of the main tenets of the feminist critique of culture and religion and its reception by churchmen and theologians. The second part will present feminist theology as a critical theology. First, I will attempt to point out the feminist critique of the practice of theology by professional theologians and institutions. Then I intend to show how in the tradition, androcentric theology functions to justify the discriminatory praxis of the Church toward women. A final part will deal critically with myths and images of women. Even though the Mary-myth has emancipatory elements, it was not used to promote the liberation of women. Therefore it has to be balanced and replaced by a new myth and images which evolve from a feminist Christian consciousness and praxis. The article concludes with such an example of the feminist search for new liberating myths and images.