Gender and Theology

Question 1

Define ‘post-Christian theology’

Answer 1

Religious thinking that abandons traditional theology

Question 2

Define ‘reform feminist theology’

Answer 2

Religious thinking that seeks to change traditional Christian thought

Question 3

Define ‘Davidic Messiah’

Answer 3

A Messiah figure based on the kingly military images of Hebrew scriptures

Question 4

Define ‘Servant King’

Answer 4

An understanding of the Messiah that focuses on the service than overlordship

Question 5

Define ‘Sophia’

Answer 5

Greek meaning ‘wisdom’ personified in the female form

Question 6

Define ‘Thealogy’

Answer 6

Studying God based around a Godess

Question 7

What does Mary Daly believe to be the ‘unholy trinity’

Answer 7

Rape, genocide and war

Question 8

Who is Mary Daly?

Answer 8

A radical feminist post-Christian theologian

Question 9

Give a quote from Friedrich Nietzsche

Answer 9

“Whenever man has thought it necessary to create a memory of himself, his effort has been attended with torture, blood ad sacrifice”

Question 10

Describe the views of Tertullian (early Christian theologian)

Answer 10

Saw women as the devil’s gateway responsible for the Fall

Question 11

Describe the views of Augustine and Pope Pius XII

Answer 11

A - Imago dei excludes women
P - Liberation doesn’t come from formalistic or materialistic equality with men, it comes from the recognition of a woman to be a mother

Question 12

What does Daly believe about religious language?

Answer 12

Androcentric (man-centred)

Question 13

Describe Daly’s views of rape (unholy trinity)

Answer 13

A symbol of all violent oppression, she calls the leaders of society ‘sovereigns of sado-society’ to use culture, religion, politics and media to erase female power
- Connection of rape mentality and phenomenon of war

Question 14

Give a quote from Number 31:17-18 in regards to rape (Daly’s unholy trinity)

Answer 14

“Now kill all the boys and kill every woman who has slept with a man but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man”

Question 15

What does Daly believe about genocide? (unholy trinity)

Answer 15

• Exploitative caste system perpetuated by the consent of victims (females) and dominant males through sex-role socialisation
• Male sexual violence forms the basis of military interest and rape objectifies it

Question 16

What does Daly believe about war? (unholy trinity)

Answer 16

Inevitable result of male-dominated politics and liberation requires women to be radically deviant and object to moral standards made by men

Question 17

Describe Daly’s term ‘quintessence’

Answer 17

Describes the being in which we live, love and create, the spirit that permeates all nature that can be damaged or partly blocked by many factors e.g. violence, rape and poverty but it can be rediscovered in nature

Question 18

Describe Daly’s spirituality through nature

Answer 18

• Maleness of God needs to be overturned
• Priests’ authority locked women into an Eden
• Traditional holy places managed by men are not suitable as centres of spirituality

Question 19

How does Elizabeth Fiorenza (feminist) challenge Daly’s ideas?

Answer 19

Suggests an alternative reading of the Bible as it actually supports women in their struggles and challenges patriarchal norms e.g. John 4:1-42 when Jesus breaks social norms

Question 20

How does Simon Chan challenge Daly?

Answer 20

Fatherhood is embedded in the trinity and using male language does not give him male qualities e.g. Isiah 54:5-7 refers to God as the husband who acts with deep compassion

Question 21

How does the Apostle’s creed oppose Daly’s theology?

Answer 21

“God the Father Almighty… our Lord” the relationship of God is more than a label of him being male

Question 22

Who is Rosemary Radford Ruether?

Answer 22

Born 1936, a reform feminist theologian and ecofeminist

- Christianity has been distorted by patriarchy

Question 23

What does the Old Testament imply about the Male Warrior Messiah expectation?

Answer 23

Messiah is God’s anointed one and future King who will be restored to Israel to deliver the people from bondage through battle as the son of David - ‘Davidic Messiah’ who liberates people from their enemies

Question 24

How does Ruther object to the traditional view of the Messiah warrior?

Answer 24

Jesus is not a traditional warrior Messiah, she wrote “He is expected to win, not suffer and die”
- Jesus does not bring military victory and rejects the nationalist-revenge theology

Question 25

Why is Jesus a servant king and not a warrior messiah?

Answer 25

Critical of Jewish authorities and reigning powers (John 19:11) and washes his disciples’ feet (John 13:1-17)

Question 26

How does Ruther think the notion of the messiah should change?

Answer 26

Not to be Davidic Messiah but instead the self-sacrificing female notion of wisdom

Question 27

Describe ‘Sophia’

Answer 27

Greek meaning ‘wisdom’ personified as a Godess

Question 28

How does Ruether describe ‘Sophia’

Answer 28

Christianity has merged wisdom that unites the cosmos with the divine to become a Messianic king who brings a new age of redemption

Question 29

What quote from Proverbs can be used when discussing ‘sophia’?

Answer 29

Does not understanding raise her voice? At the highest point… where paths meet she takes her stand” 8:1-3

Question 30

How does Simon Chan challenge Ruether?

Answer 30

You cannot rewrite the Christian story to give more prominence to women
God is never called a mother
Many ancient cultures who are centred around a Goddess still have a male God alongside and are still patriarchal

Question 31

Give a quote from the Catholic Eucharist Prayer

Answer 31

“Through him… in him… all honour and glory”