Toward an Analytic Theology of Liberation

This chapter attempts to diagnose and critique the relative lack of interest in liberation theology as a research programme in analytic theology. After offering analyses of what constitutes ‘analytic theology’ and ‘liberation’ theology respectively and showing that the two are compatible, I argue that the epistemic good theology seeks—that of producing true explanatory theories—is subject to pragmatic and moral encroachment by other sorts of goods, including the good of serving the needs of the oppressed in society. Accordingly, I conclude that Christian theology ought to recognize liberatory interests as a norm of theological inquiry, and that instances of Christian analytic theology that are not also instances of liberation theology ought to be regarded as instances of bad theology.

Sacramental Shame in Black Churches

Drawing from a qualitative study of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) conservative Christians and their allies, our research names a form of spiritual violence we call sacramental shame that impacts the lives of LGBTQ members. Through this shaming dynamic, homonegative churches make constant displays of endangered belonging a requirement for sexual/gender minorities’ acceptance and even their salvation. This chapter explores how racist discourses impact sacramental shame experiences for African-American LGBTQ church members. African-American churches have long resisted the spiritual violence of white supremacy; however, with the goal of protecting an image of Blackness that defies the sexual stereotypes at the root of white supremacy, they often unwittingly instil in LGBTQ members distinct forms of sacramental shame. At the same time, many in these churches cultivate personal relationships with a liberator God who sides with the oppressed, avenges those who endure injustice, and inspires communal work for justice, promoting a life-enhancing ethos of love.

The Shape of Trans Afterlife Justice

Trans persons endure terrible injustices in this life: They are bullied, murdered, forced to conceal their identities, and denied opportunities that would be available to them if they were cis. This chapter offers grounds for theological hope—in particular, hope that the afterlife would be better for trans persons. I argue that we should view trans identities as worthy of respect and that, as a matter of justice, their gender identities should be preserved in the afterlife. I focus specifically on trans persons with interests in transitioning and argue that they are owed an opportunity to transition in the afterlife. Moreover, the parties responsible for their earthly abuse are principally responsible for any transitioning costs and must participate directly in the process. Finally, trans persons should be provided opportunities to procreate and enter romantic unions they were denied during their earthly lives because of their trans identities.

Conceptualizing the Atonement

If belief in the redemptive nature of the life and death of Christ is to be intellectually defensible, Christian philosophers must have an account of it that is not only philosophically coherent, but also morally unobjectionable. Drawing on feminist theology, this chapter explores the epistemological and gendered implications of traditional approaches to the atonement; namely, the normalization of submission to violence and the idealization of suffering. Conceiving of redemption as arising out of sacrificial submission to violence has corrupted the shared hermeneutical resources through which Christian communities conceptualize ethical conduct, love, and virtue. Borrowing in part from those who have suggested a moral influence view, like Abelard, this chapter argues that Christian philosophers should pursue a new kind of exemplarist model. That is, perhaps death has no central role in what redeems us, nor sacrificial love, but rather resisting injustice, even when the risks of doing so may be fatal.

Mary as Mediator

Theological identity, for many, provides a powerful social role. These distinct theological locations proscribe very different places from which to think about the particular woman named Mary, the mother of Jesus. Her story has been a site of great conflict, but this chapter argues it can also provide a mediated space where various theological identities can meet, converse, and act on the social issues informed by her particularities as a poor, pregnant, Jewish woman. This chapter takes up two of the most contested theological questions about her story, her sinlessness and her ministry. New Testament exegesis supports the conclusion that the text allows for different doctrinal decisions on these issues, but prohibits any stance that would so distance her from others so that her calls for justice are ignored in favour of continued oppression against the marginalized. Instead, her story invites honest conversation and common action.

Introduction

Over the past several decades, scholars working in biblical, theological, and religious studies have increasingly attended to the substantive ways in which our experiences and understanding of God, and of God’s relation to the world, are (partially) structured by our experiences and concepts of race, gender, disability, and sexuality. These personal and social identities and their intersections (for better or worse) serve as hermeneutical lenses for our interpretations of God, self, others, and our religious texts and traditions. However, these topics have not received the same level of attention from analytic theologians as other more traditional topics, and so a wide range of important issues remains ripe for analytic treatment....

Defiant Afterlife

Many Christian theologians have struggled with how people with disabilities could be perfectly united to God in the afterlife. For some, union with God requires that those with disabilities will have their disabilities ‘cured’ or ‘healed’ prior to heavenly union with God. Others have suggested that certain disabilities preclude an individual’s ability to be united with God, thus suggesting, even if only implicitly, that such individuals have no eschatological place in the Body of Christ. In this chapter, I develop an argument for the possibility of individuals retaining their disabilities in the eschaton and nevertheless enjoying complete union with God (and through God to others). While I don’t think that the argument I develop here applies equally well to all disabilities, I think it gives us good reason to consider heavenly disability as a plausible part of speculative theology.

Shattered Faith

In this chapter, we argue that it’s possible to lose your faith in God by the actions of other people. In particular, we argue that spiritually violent religious trauma, where religious texts are used to shame a person into thinking themselves unworthy of God’s love, can cause a person to stop engaging in activities that sustain their faith in God, such as engaging in the worship of God. To do this, we provide an analysis of faith, worship, and love on which to have faith in God is to have an attitude of worship to him; to have such an attitude of worship to God is to love him; and to love God is to desire union with him. We apply this analysis particularly to the case of LGBT Christians and their experience in the church today.

Non-deference to Religious Authority

In Epistemic Authority, Linda Zagzebski argues that members of long-standing religious communities are rationally justified in deferring to the authority of their tradition when asserting certain beliefs or deciding on a course of action. Deferential trust in religious authority, on her account, is a proper expression of a member’s intellectual humility. In this chapter, I argue that Zagzebski has not sufficiently considered the fact that religious traditions may be vehicles of epistemic oppression. Christian communities have a history of hermeneutically marginalizing those whose bodies and gender identities deviate from the so-called ‘able-bodied’ male type. Drawing on the work of Kristie Dotson, Miranda Fricker, and Hermann Cohen, I show that wholesale deference to traditional religious authority would merely perpetuate this marginalization and the ensuing epistemic oppressions. On my account, non-deference to some traditionally authorized beliefs is not indicative of member’s arrogance, but rather an attempt to cultivate the virtue of epistemic justice.

Seeking out Epistemic Friction in the Philosophy of Religion

Philosophical practice does not take place in an intellectual or social vacuum, hence it is important to consider how we can improve our social environment when engaging in philosophical reflection. In this paper, I recommend that philosophers of religion seek out epistemic friction, by exposing themselves to viewpoints that are in tension with their own. I first provide an overview of work in experimental philosophy of religion that shows that philosophy of religion presents a distorted epistemic landscape that does not reflect the religious and ideological diversity of human reasoners at large and that privileges particular aspects of Christian theism and scientific naturalism. I respond to two potential objections against the call for increased epistemic friction: epistemic partiality and imaginative resistance. The paper concludes by outlining ways in which philosophers of religion can go outside of their comfort zone and engage more with alternative, under-represented points of view.