The purpose of this dissertation is to prompt ecclesial imagination for the sake of envisioning and reshaping contemporary ecclesiology and church practice in more liberative forms. The thesis is that non-dominant theologies and historical narratives are sources that prompt ecclesial imagination and can potentially reshape ecclesiology and church practice. *Feminist Ecclesiology and a Liberating Counterhistory analyzes and interprets two such non-dominant sources in two case studies: *feminist ecclesiological writing on the church from the 1968 to 2020, and the archeological evidence of ancient Iron Age I Hebrew highland settlements, which pre-date biblical narratives and support a counter-narrative to conquest, namely a non-militaristic response to empire and societal collapse.
This dissertation utilizes the term *feminist to indicate the full range of white feminist, womanist, mujerista, Latin American, African, and Asian women’s ecclesiologies. The asterisk is meant to disrupt the totalizing tendency of the generic term feminist to imply only white feminist perspectives. The review of literature and textual analysis of *feminist ecclesiological discourses reveal four prominent conceptual themes, identified as four marks of the *feminist church: holistic, incarnate, utopic, and apostolic. The study of the highland settlements focuses on archeological findings, such as Iron Age I pottery, building foundations, and other material artifacts. A *feminist analysis of the settlements uncovers a liberative counterhistory that contrasts with genocidal and militaristic narrations of the origins of the Hebrew people in Canaan, such as found in Joshua 1-11.
Although the two case studies are drawn across great expanses of time and in different cultural settings, a close look reveals important resonances that make them a congruent pairing, albeit unexpected. Individually, they have much to offer towards ecclesial imagination. Interpreted together, the two cases are grounded in the depths of historical tradition, and offer nuanced critiques and imagination for the present, while simultaneously reaching towards an alternative future. The dissertation concludes with integrative insights that demonstrate how the highland settlement evidence can augment the *feminist marks of the church. Building upon these discoveries, the final chapter offers five principles of practice, suggesting ways that the cases and their integrative interpretation can prompt ecclesial imagination and practices for the future church.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bu.edu/oai:open.bu.edu:2144/43478 |
| Date | 30 November 2021 |
| Creators | Common, Kathryn A. |
| Contributors | Moore, Mary Elizabeth |
| Source Sets | Boston University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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