Feminist Literary Criticism Meets Feminist Theology: Yashodhara and the Rise of Hagiographical Fiction in Modern Feminist Re-visioning

Feminist re-visioning has led to heterogenous retellings of mythological heroines in fiction. Sita and Draupadi, two of the well-known Indian mythological characters, have been explored in various capacities in mythological fiction. Yashodhara, Buddha’s wife, is a recent addition to this re-visioning project. This article seeks to engage with three retellings of Yashodhara’s story—each of which is radically different from the others. The result is the rise of hagiographical fiction around the character—responsive to the Buddhist ethos of love and spirituality. This article argues that the most intriguing representations of Yashodhara found in this fiction are rooted in the nonoppositional agency given to her character.

New directions in natural theology

This article contrasts natural theology’s vicissitudes in recent centuries with its more promising prospects in contemporary philosophy and theology. It interrogates certain genres of theology regarding their relation to natural theology, focusing on feminist theology, eco-theology, apologetics and the theology of natural law. It concludes with a reflection on the aspects of natural theology that are particularly prominent at present, and asks if the degree of revival currently enjoyed by natural theology may even be the precursor of a greater role in the academy.

Finding Feminism through Faith: Casa Yela, Popular Feminism, and the Women-Church Movement in Chile

Among the popular feminist projects of the dictatorship period in Chile was the Yela group in Talca, made up of pobladoras (women shantytown residents) and two Maryknoll sisters. Of particular interest is the manner in which this group’s popular feminism and antiviolence work during the 1980s was shaped by the women-church movement and feminist theology related to patriarchy, violence against women, and women’s collective resistance strategies. Over the long term, religious elements were gradually excluded from Casa Yela’s antiviolence work in favor of more secular feminist interpretations. Entre los proyectos feministas populares durante la época de la dictadura en Chile se encuentra la presencia del grupo Yela de Talca, formado por pobladoras (mujeres residentes de poblaciones) y dos hermanas Maryknoll. De particular interés es la forma en que el feminismo popular y antiviolencia de este grupo durante la década de 1980 se moldeó a partir del movimiento mujer-iglesia y la teología feminista relacionada con el patriarcado, la violencia contra las mujeres y las estrategias de resistencia colectiva de mujeres. A largo plazo, los elementos religiosos fueron gradualmente excluidos del trabajo antiviolencia de Casa Yela en favor de interpretaciones feministas más seculares.

Christian Feminist Theology and the Arts

Christian theology is the study of God and religious belief based on the Christian Bible and tradition. For over 2,000 years, Christian theologians have been primarily men writing from men’s perspectives and experiences. In the 1960s, women began to study to become theologians when the women’s rights movement opened doors to higher education for women. Beginning in the 1970s and 1980s, female theologians developed Christian feminist theology with a focus on women’s perspectives and experiences. Christian feminist theology seeks to empower women through their Christian faith and supports the equality of women and men based on Christian scripture. “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). The arts have an important role in Christian feminist theology because a significant way Christians learn about their faith is through the arts, and Christians engage the arts in the practice of their faith. Christian feminist theology in the visual arts can be found in paintings, sculptures, icons, and liturgical items such as processional crosses. Themes in visual expression include female and feminine imagery of God from the Bible as well as female leaders in the scriptures. Christian feminist theology in performing arts can be found in hymns, prayers, music, liturgies, and rituals. Performative expressions include inclusive language for humanity and God as well as expressions that celebrate Christian women and address women’s life experiences. The field of Christian feminist theology and the arts is vast in terms of types of arts represented and the variety of ways Christianity is practiced around the world. Representing Christian feminist theology with art serves to communicate both visually and performatively that all are one in Christ.

A PRELIMINARY EVALUATION OF KWOK PUI-LAN’S POSTCOLONIAL FEMINIST THEOLOGICAL METHOD

Abstrak: Teologi feminis pascakolonial merupakan sebuah gerakan teologis dari Dunia Ketiga yang berusaha menggabungkan perjuangan feminis melawan androsentrisme dan patriarki dari generasi pertama teolog feminis—yang dominan berkulit putih—dengan sebuah kesadaran terhadap pengalaman kolonial dan perjuangan bagi kemerdekaan. Di dalam area penafsiran Alkitab, pendekatan feminis pascakolonial mencoba untuk mendekolonisasi dan mendepartriarkalisasi teks-teks Alkitab dan penafsirannya bagi tujuan-tujuan liberatif. Artikel ini mengobservasi dan menganalisis salah satu teolog feminis pascakolonial yang terkemuka, yaitu Kwok Pui-Lan, secara khusus menelaah metode berteologinya yang unik. Tiga isu spesifik akan dibahas: pandangannya tentang pengalaman, Alkitab, tradisi, dan akal budi sebagai sumber-sumber berteologi, pandangannya tentang doktrin Alkitab dan penafsirannya, dan metodenya dalam melakukan teologi feminis pascakolonial. Artikel ini akan ditutup dengan sebuah evaluasi awal. Sementara beberapa poin positif dapat ditarik dari metodenya, kaum Injili akan melihat beberapa potensi masalah, khususnya terkait isu otoritas, kebenaran, dan identitas. Abstract: Postcolonial feminist theology is an originally Third-World theological movement which attempts to combine feminist struggles against androcentrism and patriarchy of the first generation of feminist—predominantly White—theologians with an awareness of colonial experience and struggle for independence. In the area of biblical interpretation, postcolonial feminist approach tries to decolonize and depatriarchalize both biblical texts and their interpretations for liberative purposes. In this article, authors will observe and analyze one of the most prominent postcolonial feminist theologians, Kwok Pui-Lan, specifically looking at her unique theological method. Three specific issues will be addressed: her view on experience, Scripture, tradition, and reason as sources of theology, her doctrine of Scripture and its interpretation, and her method of doing postcolonial feminist theology. The article will then be concluded with a preliminary evaluation. While some positive points can be drawn from her method, evangelicals will observe some potential problems, especially those concerning the issues of authority, truth, and identity.

Entangled Crossroads: Inter-Relationality, Masculinity, and Sex-Trafficked Boys

In this article, I highlight systemic oppression related to identity construction and ontological performativity. I introduce the concept of inter-relationality as a discursive tool that builds upon intersectionality, feminist theology, and quantum entanglement theory. For a case study, I recount my experience observing sex-trafficked boys in Thailand in order to demonstrate the analytical model I present. My chief analytical guiding principle in the treatment of the case study is the way masculinity operates to re-enforce oppression. I propose queering masculinity using an inter-relational perspective for the purpose of de-constructing oppressive systems and replacing them with liberative ones.