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Speaking of Christ: A Lesbian Feminist Voice
Christian Studies, Theology, Gay & Lesbian Studies, Women's Studies
96 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1989
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 18, 2024
ESSAYS AND SERMONS BY ONE OF THE EARLIEST FEMALE EPISCOPALIAN PRIESTS
(Isabel) Carter Heyward (born 1945) is a feminist theologian, teacher and priest in the Episcopal Church; she has also written books such as 'A Priest Forever: One Woman's Controversial Ordination in the Episcopal Church,' 'Saving Jesus From Those Who Are Right,' 'When Boundaries Betray Us: Beyond Illusions of What Is Ethical in Therapy and Life,' etc.
She wrote in the Preface to this 1989 book, "This book is not in a classical or formal sense a 'christology'... it is a collection of prose and homilies meant to evoke christological sensibilities... of who or what 'Christ' is, or may mean... to the reader... It is important to me that the reader know that this person who is speaking of Christ if a lesbian and a feminist who wants her readers to have this information."
She begins the first essay by stating that the historical doctrinal pull between Jesus of Nazareth and Jesus Christ, the human Jesus and his divine meaning, is no longer "a place of creative christological inquiry. Worse, it is a distraction from the daily praxis of liberation, which is the root and purpose of Christian faith." (Pg. 13)
She states in the title essay that we who are Christians are empowered by the memory and presence of Jesus; "Only insofar as we take seriously this human brother can we discern in what he did the divine spirit moving with and in and through him." (Pg. 23)
She states that we must protect people with AIDS from "the church's twisted demands that we deny the sacred character of our bodies"; a "spirituality of suffering" requires that we Christians be politically active. (Pg. 38)
Heyward's open and revealing meditations provide some genuine insights into an important modern "cleric."
(Isabel) Carter Heyward (born 1945) is a feminist theologian, teacher and priest in the Episcopal Church; she has also written books such as 'A Priest Forever: One Woman's Controversial Ordination in the Episcopal Church,' 'Saving Jesus From Those Who Are Right,' 'When Boundaries Betray Us: Beyond Illusions of What Is Ethical in Therapy and Life,' etc.
She wrote in the Preface to this 1989 book, "This book is not in a classical or formal sense a 'christology'... it is a collection of prose and homilies meant to evoke christological sensibilities... of who or what 'Christ' is, or may mean... to the reader... It is important to me that the reader know that this person who is speaking of Christ if a lesbian and a feminist who wants her readers to have this information."
She begins the first essay by stating that the historical doctrinal pull between Jesus of Nazareth and Jesus Christ, the human Jesus and his divine meaning, is no longer "a place of creative christological inquiry. Worse, it is a distraction from the daily praxis of liberation, which is the root and purpose of Christian faith." (Pg. 13)
She states in the title essay that we who are Christians are empowered by the memory and presence of Jesus; "Only insofar as we take seriously this human brother can we discern in what he did the divine spirit moving with and in and through him." (Pg. 23)
She states that we must protect people with AIDS from "the church's twisted demands that we deny the sacred character of our bodies"; a "spirituality of suffering" requires that we Christians be politically active. (Pg. 38)
Heyward's open and revealing meditations provide some genuine insights into an important modern "cleric."
April 5, 2021
I purchased this book used for $2 and expected very little from it.
I was amazed.
Although the subtitle boldly announces the bias of the author, this book is not so much lesbian or feminist theology as is it good, inclusive Christology.
This book is a treasure trove of quotes, questions, and ideas about what it means to be the body of Christ in a broken world full of broken communities and broken people. It redefines justice, love, hope, humility, and pride in beautiful terms with challenging implications.
10/10 would recommend.
I was amazed.
Although the subtitle boldly announces the bias of the author, this book is not so much lesbian or feminist theology as is it good, inclusive Christology.
This book is a treasure trove of quotes, questions, and ideas about what it means to be the body of Christ in a broken world full of broken communities and broken people. It redefines justice, love, hope, humility, and pride in beautiful terms with challenging implications.
10/10 would recommend.
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