Discovering a Common Humanity
At first viewing of the upcoming video on the convergence of process theology and feminism, I was inclined to say we were discussing feminism primarily. However, after watching it a second and third time, I am more aware that Marjorie Hewitt Suchocki wants us to think about what it means to be human, and how that might inform and possibly transform how we see people of the opposite gender.
As you might imagine, the next video then is very dense. So I would like you to be a bit familiar with a couple terms before she lays them out late in the video. There are two kinds of creativity in a process-relational perspective:
- concrescence creativity
- creativity that takes what is given and turns it into the decisive reality of who we are in a given moment
- transitional creativity
- creativity that takes who we are and offers it to the whole universe
Suchocki says that these creativities form the rhythm of the universe.
As we watch the video and discuss the worldviews of feminism and process-relational theology, consider questions you have and also these:
- Is the vision for human beings consistent with those imagined in our previous process discussions? What are the nuances?
- What nuances brought to the table by feminist thought and process thought expand and enhance a vision of a common humanity? Is anyone excluded due circumstances unrelated to gender?
You are invited to join us this Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 8:30pm in Wesley's Watseka Lounge.
2 comments:
Recently I have come to realize that the three main strains in my life--my Christian faith and my historical and medical studies--are all encouraging me to try to appreciate the humanity of other people(s). I think the technical term is "empathy" (which is different than sympathy). To empathize is to feel "for" someone, whereas to sympathize is to feel "with" someone. It's therefore rarer to sympathize, because you have to have been in that situation before, but harder to empathize. Can you recognize the Christ-in-them humanity of people(s) in different situations than your own? As a Christian I am called to empathize with down-trodden populations, such as homosexuals or those in war-torn areas. I have never been in those situations, but I need to feel for them and love them the best I can, even though they are different than I am. As a historian, I try to understand and appreciate people separated from me by time and space. And as a clinician, I am called to see each patient as unique and deserving of my time and best efforts. Feminism isn't just about women, or even gender; as Anthony suggests, it's really about including those "at the margins" of society. That dove-tails nicely with the sheep and goats passage in Matthew 25 I keep coming back to of late.
http://www.ebible.com/#%20matthew%2025:31-46
As I think about the direction the videos in the first DVD have taken us, I feel the nudge has been (1) to see the world as relational and to see God as relational; (2) to open ourselves up to the concerns of God and of the world; and (3) to look deeper into ourselves and others to see the depth of relationships to others and to the ways we give to the world and it gives to us that define who we are. In essence, we have gone from recognizing the interconnectedness in creation and God's part in that to the ways in which we all are part of it, men and women alike.
Post a Comment