When I started putting these pages together, I put green bars around the headings, although I had given some thought to strings of green beads. Beads didn't seem like a particularly good thing to have on a feminist page, given their association with stereotypical notions of femininity and "a woman's place".

As I worked on why I was writing a thesis in feminist theology, however, I came to realise that beads were an important symbol for me in my journey in feminist theology. Here's why.

The year was 1985 - my second year of theological study. I was sitting in the Dorothy Room of Trinity College, University of Melbourne, listening to a lecture on Mark's gospel. The lecturer was telling us about a new book on Mark written by Prof Morna Hooker from Oxford or Cambridge or some other well-known English university and he was obviously absolutely fascinated by it. Not by the content so much as by the imagery she used.

Hooker had likened what Mark had done in stringing together the stories in his gospel to putting pearls together on a string - precious items connected by a common substance. I was equally fascinated, not by the imagery, but by his reaction to it.

What was so unusual about it? A perfectly ordinary, commonplace image. Where else did he think the idea of stringing things together came from, anyway?

And then it hit me. Women often do theology differently to men! They tend to use different images and to understand their relationship with God differently to the way men do. Or they would, if given the freedom to do so.

I've spent the past fifteen or so years, on and off, exploring this and working out its practical implications in my life and the lives of others.

So, the strings of green beads on this page have survived several site redesigns as a reminder of an 'aha!' moment in my life.

Another one has nothing to do with my theological training and I'm not sure when it happened, although probably in a Year C of the New Revised Common Lectionary. I was reading Proverbs 8, and I can't imagine why, other than because it was the reading set for the day!

If you read the beginning of the chapter, or other parts of Proverbs where Widsom appears, it is quite clear that Wisdom is female (unless you happen to pick up the English translation which studiously removes all trace of gender from her - the lengths to which some people will go!!). Verses 22-31 of chapter 8 give an extended account of the role of Wisdom in the creation of the world, created first of all God's creation, working beside Yahweh as an artisan. Having recently been thinking about the prologue to John's gospel, I made the link for the first time between this Lady Wisdom, intimately involved in the creation of the world and the Word who was with God and was God and through whom all things came into being, the Word who was Christ.

Wow! The implications for our understanding of the nature of God and of the Trinity are pretty amazing! Another "aha!"

Being Feminist in the Church

Last updated 5 June 2001
Maintained by Judy Redman
E-mail to: jredman@metz.une.edu.au