pattydsf's review
4.0
“Gradually I began to wonder whether I had a different perspective on theology because I was a woman. When I talked about the spiritual experiences that gave rise to my interest in theology – my connection to nature, the oneness with the universe I had experienced while swimming in the ocean or hiking in the woods – I was told that such experiences were ‘aesthetic.’ ‘poetic,’ emotional,’ or ‘confused and not worthy of theological consideration.”
It has been a couple of months since I finished reading this book by Christ. I had read it before, but I am revisiting Carol P. Christ for several reasons. One, I would like to go on her Goddess tour of Crete and two; she has published a new book. The tour is going to have to wait, things are happening in my life that are more important than travel. However, I really do want to read Christ’s new book.
I wanted to reread her other books to remind me of her growth as a theologian. I remembered much of her writing as academic. I think that view was incorrect, but her ideas were hard for me to absorb back in the 1980’s. At that time I was still fairly convinced that Christianity was the best faith for me. My views of G!d have changed in the last thirty years.
Christ was just starting her own spiritual journey when she wrote Diving Deep and Surfacing and so I was glad to revisit her ideas. Although I still haven’t read all the books she refers to in this work, I am familiar with most of them. I realized that Christ’s ideas no longer seem academic and confusing. Like the quotation above, much of what Christ has to say about women and their spiritual life rings very true for me in 2016. Women’s spiritual lives may be different from men’s, but that makes them no less important.
I recommend this book of Christ’s to anyone who is just starting down the path of examining women’s spirituality. This is a very early work, written more than 35 years ago. If you are interested in the history of women’s spirituality, this is a good place to start. If you are more interested in what is being written now, there are newer books have been written by Christ, Rachel Held Evans, Lauren Winner and Sarah Bessey, just to name a few.
It has been a couple of months since I finished reading this book by Christ. I had read it before, but I am revisiting Carol P. Christ for several reasons. One, I would like to go on her Goddess tour of Crete and two; she has published a new book. The tour is going to have to wait, things are happening in my life that are more important than travel. However, I really do want to read Christ’s new book.
I wanted to reread her other books to remind me of her growth as a theologian. I remembered much of her writing as academic. I think that view was incorrect, but her ideas were hard for me to absorb back in the 1980’s. At that time I was still fairly convinced that Christianity was the best faith for me. My views of G!d have changed in the last thirty years.
Christ was just starting her own spiritual journey when she wrote Diving Deep and Surfacing and so I was glad to revisit her ideas. Although I still haven’t read all the books she refers to in this work, I am familiar with most of them. I realized that Christ’s ideas no longer seem academic and confusing. Like the quotation above, much of what Christ has to say about women and their spiritual life rings very true for me in 2016. Women’s spiritual lives may be different from men’s, but that makes them no less important.
I recommend this book of Christ’s to anyone who is just starting down the path of examining women’s spirituality. This is a very early work, written more than 35 years ago. If you are interested in the history of women’s spirituality, this is a good place to start. If you are more interested in what is being written now, there are newer books have been written by Christ, Rachel Held Evans, Lauren Winner and Sarah Bessey, just to name a few.
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