She Who Is The Mystery of God in Feminist Theological Discourse

includes index and biblioraphy

BACKGROUND: SPEECH ABOUT GOD AT THE INTERSECTION OF MIGHTY CONCERNS INTRODUCTION. TO SPEAK RIGHTLY OF GOD ...... A Crucial Question 3 Context: Mystery Mediated in History 6 Purpose: Connecting Feminist and Classical Wisdom Plan 13 Scotosis vs. the Glory of God 13 FEMINIST THEOLOGY AND CRITICAL DISCOURSE ABOUT GOD ................ The Lens of Women`s Flourishing 17 Speech about God at the Intersection of Mighty Concerns 19 Feminist Theology 22 Critique of Speech about God 33 BASIC LINGUISTIC OPTIONS. GOD, WOMEN, EQUIVALENCE ....................... 42 Why the Word God? 42 Why Female Symbols of God? 44 Why Not Feminine Traits or Dimensions of God? 47 Equivalent Images of God Male and Female 54 Options 56 FOREGROUND: RESOURCES FOR EMANCIPATORY SPEECH ABOUT GOD WOMEN`S INTERPRETED EXPERIENCE ................. 61 The Dynamism of the Conversion Experience 62 Experience of Self, Experience of God 65 Moral Values 67 Image of God, Image of Christ 69 SCRIPTURE AND ITS TRAJECTORIES .................. 76 A Hermeneutic of Revelation 76 Spirit/Shekinah 82 Wisdom/Sophia 86 Mother 100 CLASSICAL THEOLOGY ........................... 104 Divine Incomprehensibility 104 Analogy 113 Many Names 117 SPEAKING ABOUT GOD FROM THE WORLD`S HISTORY SPIRIT-SOPHIA ........................ Divinity Drawing Near and Passing By 124 Forgetting the Spirit 128 The Human Analogue 131 Spirit-Sophia in Action 133 Speaking about Spirit 141 Speaking about God 146 JESUS-SOPHIA ......................... Wisdom Made Flesh 150 Distorting the Christ 151 The Human Analogue 154 Jesus-Sophia in Action 156 Speaking about Christ 161 Speaking about God 167 MOTHER-SOPHIA ........... Unoriginate Origin 170 Eclipsing the Mother 172 The Human Analogue 176 Mother-Sophia in Action 179 Speaking about God 185 DENSE SYMBOLS AND THEIR DARK LIGHT TRIUNE GOD. MYSTERY OF RELATION .......... Tradition and Its Discontents 191 Freeing the Symbol from Literalness 197 Directing the Symbol toward Meaning 205 Female Metaphors 211 The Symbol Gives Rise to Thought 215 Speaking about the Triune God 222 ONELIVINGGOD. SHEWHOIS .................. "No Real Relation " and Women`s Sensibility 224 Divine Nature: A Communion 22 7 Bespeaking God`s Solidarity with the World 228 Female Metaphors 233 Divine Being, Sheer L iveliness 23 6 Speaking about the Living God: SHE WHO IS 241 To Practical and Critical Effect 244 SUFFERING GOD: COMPASSION POURED OUT . ...... The Apathic, Omnipotent God and "His" Critics 246 Female Metaphors 254 Divine Suffering 265 Divine Power 269 Speaking about the Suffering God 271