Self-giving is not met with self-giving, but with exploitation and brutality. What some feminist thinkers object to is not so much the idea of self-donation, but that in a world of violence self-donation would be held up as the Christian way. With this objection they are not alone. If we happen not to be on the receiving end of self-giving—if we are weak, exploited, or victimized—all of us will object. In a world of violence, the cross, that eminently counter-cultural symbol that lies at the heart of the Christian faith, is a scandal.
