A Spirituality of Openness: Christian Ecofeminist Perspectives and Inter-religious Dialogue

Abstract

Feminists have critiqued assumptions and structures of inter-religious dialogue even as they have acknowledged the need for more feminist presence in this area. Because ecofeminist values span religious differences, exploring a spirituality evident across Christian ecofeminist authors makes a contribution to inter-religious feminist work. A spirituality of openness manifests in four prominent themes which recur across diverse Christian ecofeminist thinkers. Each of these themes arises from a foundational orientation to openness. Relational theories of self are grounded in the openness of fluid identity construction; a stress on personal narrative as a relational way of knowing depends upon the openness of experiencing subjects to each other; an ethic of risk and discernment emphasizes openness in the courage and responsibility required to act within ambiguity; and the openness of receptivity is a prerequisite for engaging the potentially transformative power of beauty.For more than a decade, scholars have noted the absence of robust feminist presence in interreligious dialogue (King, 1998). In addressing reasons for this counter-intuitive lack, some Christian feminists critique current dialogue assumptions and methodologies which are effectively closed to feminist perspectives, while others seek to advance dialogue by noting convergences of feminist expression across religious difference. After surveying major contributions by both of these approaches, I argue that a further way to

Is South Asia’s Buddhist Leader the Gyalwang Drukpa an Ecofeminist? Dialectical, Grounded Analysis of Eminent Feminist Theology Illuminates the Foundations for a Vajrayana Buddhist Ecofeminism

“…She examines a Christian feminist cross-sectional perspective, which she designates the "Christian ecofeminist" (Downie 2014). In a similar manner, the resulting dialectical analysis will resolve points of divergence when placed upon a larger canvas of multiple cross-cultural and cross-theological similarities, wherein no single perspective is taken as universal.…”