Powers and Submissions: Spirituality, Philosophy and Gender

by Sarah Coakley

In this book Sarah Coakley confronts a central paradox of theological feminism - what she terms 'the paradox of power and vulnerability'.

Genres: Theology, Religion, Spirituality, Philosophy, Feminism, Gender, Nonfiction

196 pages, Paperback

First published January 18, 2002

About the author

Sarah Coakley is a theologian, philosopher of religion and a priest of the Church of England. She is Norris-Hulse Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge.

Reviews

[Glenn Wishnew III · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magisterial.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection, even a decade-plus after its publication in this form, feels utterly fresh. Coakley is a Cambridge lady, no question. Her bridging of patristic and systematic theology with analytic philosophy of religion and critical theory makes the moves that, by now, we've come to expect. As the Radical Orthodox have grown reactionary and predictable, and subsequent trends in feminist constructive theology have pushed further into poetry and pluralism, Coakley's flexible and original orthodoxy looks better and better.

It hurts my heart a little to see her footnotes claiming God, Sexuality, and the Self as a forthcoming volume. Come on, Cambridge and Coakley. Bring the book out. The world is waiting for her systematic theology. How many people can you say that of?

[Jonathan Platter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sarah Coakley has quickly become one of my favorite theologians. Her recent God, Sexuality, and the Self: An Essay 'On the Trinity' is a brilliant and creative contribution to systematic theology. The current book, Powers and Submissions would be very helpful to read prior to God, Sexuality, and the Self though I read it afterward.

It is comprised of essays published in various journals, books, or presented at conferences. While this kind of book can contain disparate arguments with little connection, Coakley's is strikingly unified and cohesive. The centrality of contemplative practice runs throughout, as does her careful and creative use of the work of the young Cappadocian, Gregory of Nyssa.

The first essay could be seen as programmatic both for the book an for much of her later writing. In it she focuses on the meaning of kenosis and its various uses in theology and analytic philosophy of religion. She narrows its meaning to a few constructive uses and helpfully critiques gendered understandings of power and submission. In this way, she is able to come to a more positive understanding of submission through her contemplative lens.

This development opens out into the various more specific essays. Each handles an issue in contemplative practice, gender theory, or the God-creature relationship, with an eye to the dogmatic and gender-theoretic implications.

I highly recommend the book as a sensitive and robust approach to feminist Christian theology, but also to constructive systematic theology.

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh dear Lord where do I begin. Excellent shit. The last two essays on the epistemic conditions to “see, not with the eye only but with the whole of [our] being” and the latent eschatological question in Judith Butler’s gender theory…very novel. Never have I ever encountered a thinker who introduces Judith Butler and Wittgenstein to Gregory of Nyssa until now. Definitely an essential read for anyone who needs a deep theological engagement with their ongoing embrace of feminism, gender, and sexuality.

[Brent Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of essays that have been edited into a semi-coherent unit, but if for no reason other than to read the opening essay on Kenosis, I wholeheartedly recommend this book. There are some general drawbacks as many of the essays address issues and thinkers/theologians in a somewhat cursory manner due to constraints from the original publication context of the essay, which Coakley notes throughout, but before reading any other of Coakley’s work, I would start here as it lays the foundation for work she has produced since.

[Tynan Brooks]

I really adore Coakley. Few others are so capable of incorporating contemporary philosophers on gender, race, etc. into the Neoplatonic-Aristotelean synthesis of the Patristics. Excellent collection of essays.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an at times very technical collection of essays. I often love reading theology, and even with some practice, this was still a challenging read. But, on the other hand, it is a collection of essays, so you get a "restart" at the beginning of each chapter.

The essays themselves, as you'd expect, have quite a variety of subjects, but also as you'd expect from the title of the book, themes emerge. One not in the title is the great importance of the early Christian theologian Gregory of Nyssa. You might want to do a little preliminary reading on him before picking this one up. Coakley uses him extensively.

I don't at all mean to suggest that the book is without its pleasures. Coakley is a lively and engaging writer. She obviously cares about her prose, and she works to clearly connect the many quotes and references she's including.

I'll definitely be reading more of her work.

(Thanks to Kate Rae Davis for the recommendation of Coakley's work.)

[Aeisele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having sat under her lecturing at Harvard, I was excited to finally read some more of her essays. She is a very clear theologian, and has this huge scope and vision to her thinking, ranging from patristics to feminist theory, doctrinal issues to practical spirituality.

[Noelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think what i most appreciate about this book is her struggle to understand "kenosis" as something that is not synonymous with a destructive self-sacrifice.

[Scott Neigh]

Reviewed here.