Feminist Christology and Pneumatology - Point V - Kingsly

1.
Understanding of feminist Pneumatology in Asia

1.1 The Spirit and the New Humanity in Christ
Pneumatology acts presently what God has accomplished through Jesus Christ for human
salvation. With the coming of Jesus into the world a new age has come. The Holy Spirit does
in partnership with both the Father and the Son. Thus we get an eschatological perspective of
the working of the Holy Spirit. According to Paul Romans, chapter eight Paul spoke about
the glorious liberty of the children of God is pictured in Childbirth. In this glorious hope, the
spirit is involved deeply. Therefore, the final establishment of New Humanity in Christ is part
and parcel of the Spirit. The Spirit is also considered a feminine image in Romans 8:23 and
26 according to NEB translation as ‘she’ too is groaning with the whole creation and with the
children of God. In the accomplishment of God’s eternal purpose the spirit cooperates in
everything with those who love God. 1 According to Athyal, the female imagery is used in the
first creation of a female bird brooding over the eggs for hatching is used. The second
creation imagery is woman being labour pains.2 Athyal also considered the Spirit as woman
image has found favor from God contributed to the Son of God his humanity according to
Galatians 4:4 saying God’s son as “born of woman”. Thus the biblical story of the New
Creation brings into focus both the work of the Holy Spirit and the worth of the womanhood.
It was a woman who played the most important role in the divine act of crating the New
Humanity in Christ.3 9.2. Holy Spirit as Sakthi (Power) According to Lina Gupta mentioned
by Montenegro, Sakthi is the feminine creative principle underlying the cosmos. The word
Shakti means power or energy. Shakti is also called Devi, a word rooted in the Sanskrit div,
“to shine”. Devi is the self-manifested one who shines despites all obstacles.4 According to
Gnanadason, Shakti as a spiritual energy, is the essence of great religions in Asia.
Gnanadason further adds, Shakti makes sacramental relationship between humanity and
creation. Shakti has made the Indian woman to see things in a new ways of living. They find
courage to question oppressive traditions. 5 According to Vandana mentioned by Kim, the
power of the Most High is the Shakti, overshadowed the Virgin Mary, and the Shakti made
Mary to participate in the Divine Motherhood. Vandana’s further view is that the Heavenly
Mother has come down on earth through Shakti as a Universal mother. 6
1
Leelamma Athyal, Pneumatalogy and Women, ed. Prasanna Kumari (Madras: Gurukul Publications,
1993), 89.
2
Athyal, Pneumatalogy and Women, 89.
3
Athyal, Pneumatalogy and Women, 90–91.
4
Muriel Orevillo Montenegro, The Jesus of Asian Women (Maryknoll, N.Y: Orbis Books, 2006), 77.
5
Montenegro, The Jesus of Asian Women, 82.
6
Kirsteen Kim, Mission in the Spirit: The Holy Spirit in Indian Christian Theologies (Delhi: ISPCK,
2003), 126.
1.2 Feminist Spirituality
According to Elizabeth Schussler Florenza, “when we compare the feminist spirituality and
Christian spirituality it is the relationship of purely spiritual not in sexual activity.” 7 Same
way when we consider the feminist spirituality with the Biblical account it is the divine
power and dynamic energy that in no way deviate from the original Christian spirituality
though feminist spirituality is formulated against the patriarchal theology and the sexiest
practice of the church.8 According to Ivone Gebara mentioned by Hollingsworth, “the Spirit
is the women liberation, the power called freedom for many women is like being pregnant
with the Spirit.”9 Nancy Victorin – Vangerud support the view of Gebara that the themes of
liberation, life, and diversity are constructs a feminist maternal pneumatology of mutual
recognition. Here, we see that liberation, equality, mutuality, and empowerment have been
key themes to arise within feminist theological discourse on Spirit. 10 According to Sarah
Coakley mentioned by Hollingsworth, the link with the Pentecostal experience of the Spirit
with women’s empowerment by asserting that ecstatic / charismatic experience of the Holy
Spirit in prayer are crucial starting points for Trinitarian theology and that experiences hold
potential for person and political transformation by building the courage to give prophetic
voice.”11
10. Scholars View on Feminist Pneumatology

According to Nikos Nissiotis mentioned by Athyal, “Christ has not brought his human nature
from heaven and has not created it a new from the earth but he took it from the flesh and
blood of the very pure Virgin Maria.” 12 According to Athyal, “Pneumatology helps us to have
a unitive vision of reality. Our understanding of the Holy Spirit enables to overcome the
sexiest tendencies in our theology and praxis.13 According to Vandana mentioned by Kirsteen
Kim, the Holy Spirit is Sakthi. She expresses the oneness with Hindus as evidence that the
same Holy Spirit was at work in Hinduism. Vandana’s Pneumatological theology is the spirit
of Shakti is seen to be the same Spirit of ‘Oneing’, a unity underlying all diversities of race or
7
Elizabeth Schussler Fiorenza, Discipleship of Equals: A Critical Feminist Ekklesia-Logy of Liberation
(New York: Crossroad Publ.Co., 1993), 93.
8
Fiorenza, Discipleship of Equals: A Critical Feminist Ekklesia-Logy of Liberation, 93.
9
Hollingsworth Andrea, “Spirit and Voice: Toward a Feminist Pentecostal Pneumatology,” Atla Religion
Database with Atla Serial Plus 29.2 (2007): 191.
10
Andrea, “Spirit and Voice: Toward a Feminist Pentecostal Pneumatology,” 191.
11
Andrea, “Spirit and Voice: Toward a Feminist Pentecostal Pneumatology,” 209–10.
12
13
religion, creed or caste.14 According to Samartha, Vandana and Rayan mentioned by Kim,
Shakti is an image in the Spirit of mission in India. The reason for this is the Spirit is the
inspiration of the mission. Here, the mission is understood as a greater or lesser extent as
taking place in the feminine power of the Spirit and in a way sensitive to the Spirit’s
movement in the whole creation.15 According to Andrea Hollingsworth, in her research said
that “Holy Spirit is a divine voice, suggesting that this may be on promising way to move
toward a constructive feminist Pentecostal Pneumatology.”16 According to Elizabeth A.
Johnson mentioned by Hollingsworth, Spirit is ‘Sophia’ (wisdom) as the infinite, liberating
divine energy that creates, renews, empowers, and grace all things especially women’s bodies
and the earth.17 According to Johnson, “Spirit is an divine agent and reveals the divine. The
feminist pneumatologies have the potential to heighten awareness of the Spirit’s agency while
re-affirming the agency of women.”18 According to Salli McFague mentioned by
Hollingsworth, “the biblical Spirit (ruach / breath / wind), connection to construct a
panentheistic pneumatology in which the world is God’s body.” She further adds, “Spirit as
the divine power that orients us toward practical ways of living that empower women and
oppressed others, and sustain the planet.”19
14
Kim, Mission in the Spirit: The Holy Spirit in Indian Christian Theologies, 118.
15
Kim, Mission in the Spirit: The Holy Spirit in Indian Christian Theologies, 241.
16
17
18
Bergin Helen, “Feminist Pneumatology,” Atla Religion Database with Atla Serial Plus 42.2 (2010):
197.
19

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Understanding of feminist Pneumatology in Asia

10. Scholars View on Feminist Pneumatology

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