Feminist Theology 101
- play show:
Date: 4 June 2009
All About Eve
We often hear about Abraham, the Biblical father of Jews, Christians, and Muslims, but not so much about his wife, Sarah. We hear God described as a man, a white-bearded disciplinarian in the sky…but rarely is God called a mother, a nurturer, a woman. And then there’s Eve, who, according to the standard interpretation of the book of Genesis, sprung forth from Adam’s rib: the original second-class citizen. Feminist theology is trying to change these kinds of views, and this week, we find out how—and why.
Judith Plaskow, author of Standing Again at Sinai: Judaism from a Feminist Perspective
Mary Hunt, author of Fierce Tenderness: Toward a Feminist Theology of Friendship
Israel’s Holocaust ‘Obsession’?
Begins at 22 min 56 sec
In a controversial new book, Avraham Burg argues that Israel is “stuck in Auschwitz,” using the Holocaust as the defining experience of Jewish identity. This former speaker of the Israeli Parliament says his country's preoccupation has led to an unhealthy nationalism that mourns the past, fears the future and feeds violence.
Avraham Burg, author of The Holocaust is Over: We Must Rise from Its Ashes
Jews and The Shoah: Another View
Begins at 37 min 12 sec
Daniel Gordis also views Israel as Holocaust-centric, but doesn’t think it impacts Israeli politics as negatively as Burg suggests. He emphasizes Israel’s mandate to remember, and points out that the country was founded by survivors of the Holocaust.
Daniel Gordis, author of Saving Israel: How the Jewish State Can Win a War That May Never End
Thomas Berry, Eco-Theologian
Begins at 49 min 15 sec
Maureen remembers Rev. Thomas Berry, a beloved Catholic priest and cosmologist. He died this week at the age of 94. Berry celebrated the connection between human beings and the Earth, and was one of the first theologians to suggest that the environmental crisis is a spiritual crisis.
Maureen Fiedler, Host
This Week's Interfaith Calendar
June 11 - Corpus Christi (Catholic Christian)
Catholic Christians believe that during the Mass, ordinary bread and wine become the living body and blood of Jesus, which they call the "Eucharist." On the feast of Corpus Christi ("body of Christ" in Latin), Catholics in Poland, Italy and other countries parade the Eucharist through the streets, using a special container called a monstrance (pictured).
Other Christian denominations also celebrate the Eucharist. Here's a recipe for Eucharistic bread used by St. Timothy's Episcopal Church in Mountain View, Calif.:
4 cups whole wheat flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup honey or molasses (or a 1/4 cup of each)
1/2 cup oil
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup warm water
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients. In a separate large bowl, mix together honey (and molasses), oil, milk and warm water. Add the dry ingredients one cup at a time to avoid lumping. Knead for 1 minute using more whole-wheat flour until the dough is not sticky. Roll into 1/2 inch thickness and cut into 2"-5" circles (depending on your need). Score the top of one side in quarters (don't be too shy because the light scoring disappears in the baking process).
Bake for 5 minutes on each side. Cool completely before storing in plastic bags. Enjoy!
