This dissertation explores the concept of sin in Feminist Theology. Feminist Theologians are the women--and a chorus of men--trained in theology and concerned about the oppression of women in the religious arena. They divide into two camps according to their stance toward the institutional church. Revolutionaries view the church as too tainted by patriarchy to serve women, therefore obsolete. Reformists view the church as an institution in need of reform. They insist there is, within the Judaeo-Christian scripture and tradition, truth that is liberating for women and men alike. / All Feminist Theologians affirm sexism is sin and the institutional church "chief sinner" by action and attitude. It is in discussion of the consequences of sexism that Feminist Theologians contribute something new to the field of theology--the idea that the nature of sin is selflessness. The nature of sin has classically been defined as selfishness, spawning such sins as lust, greed, gluttony. Alongside that concept, Feminist Theologians suggest the nature of sin is selflessness, spawning such sins as "lack of desire", "lack of achievement", "lack of assertion", "lack of confidence", and an overall failure to actualize potentials. In these historical circumstances, it is the "sin with a feminine flair". / But Reformists take seriously the Biblical view of sin (ch.2), and the Biblical message of equality between male and female. They insist selflessness is not what God intended. In particularly feminist scholarship, explored in chapter five of the dissertation, they argue the message of equality in the creation stories, point out feminine images of the divine in the Bible, underscore feminine leadership in the early church, refute misinterpreted scripture, and expose mistranslations of scripture. / An appendix, "Psychological Support For Selflessness As Sin", explores the uniqueness of human being and the sickness of dependence using the works of Rollo May, Eric Fromm, Abraham Maslow, and Lawrence Kohlberg. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 46-09, Section: A, page: 2723. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1985.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_75625 |
| Contributors | ANDREWS, LOUIE ADELINE., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 243 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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