Document Type

Paper

Publication Date

4-25-2019

Advisor

Vincent Smiles, Theology

Abstract

What we imagine God to be is frequently dictated and moderated by the society that we live in and how we understand ourselves within that society. Cultural norms around the male naming of God have been forming since early Christianity. The adoption of the male metaphor as a literal interpretation of God took hold and is reflected now in biblical writing and interpretation. In my paper, I will employ Cynthia Enloe’s concept of “feminist curiosity” in conjunction with theology to explore different metaphors of God that move outside a patriarchal context. I hold that by imagining God outside of patriarchal and masculine models there will be more space for relationship with the Divine and for a more liberated view of gender. By giving God female and non-binary metaphors perhaps Christian society will become more open and willing to accept the inherent dignity and divinity of each person due to the imago dei, our creation in the image of God.

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