Dismantling the Patriarchy: The Ongoing Work of Feminist Theology

Abstract

Has the patriarchy already been smashed? Can feminist theology see this work as completed? This article argues that while talking about patriarchy has become less common in feminist theology (replaced in some cases by wider discussions on gender), Christianity is still deeply patriarchal. Entwined with, and often at the root of, colonialism, racism and classism, I argue that patriarchy is a sin that should be dismantled by those who claim to follow Jesus. I tackle, via Beth Allison Barr and Alice Mathews, the misconceptions in some forms of Christianity that patriarchy and patriarchal relationships are God’s perfect plan for Christian life, engaging autoethnographically with my own experience in evangelical Christianity. I argue that while patriarchy is something that exists in the biblical text, it is not (despite what St Paul thinks) God’s preferred plan for relationships and instead, as something sinful, should be resisted and dismantled. In the case of Feminist Theology, I suggest a number of practices that Christian feminists can engage in as they dismantle the patriarchy: decolonising our minds from internalised misogyny, engaging in micro-feminist acts such as calling God She and learning to love our bodies as places from which we do theology.