Quilting and Braiding

"Can a male savior save women?" In answering this profound question, and as a way of engaging women and men who seek a deeper understanding of the role of Jesus Christ in contemporary Christianity, Quilting and Braiding explores the christologies of pivotal feminist theologians – Sallie McFague and Elizabeth Johnson – and examines the impact of feminist christology on the field of theology.

For centuries scholars have studied, debated, and articulated their understanding of the life, message, and impact of Jesus Christ (incarnation and salvation). In Quilting and Braiding, Shannon Schrein examines critical questions arising from feminist thought that address these core Christian beliefs. She explores the constructivist christology of McFague and the revisionist christology of Johnson and examines how each makes use of language, particularly metaphor and analogy, in addressing the christological concerns of women today.

Drawing its imagery from practices that have typically been a part of women's heritage – quilting and braiding – this work forms a footbridge between tradition and contemporary concerns, bringing the study of christology into the lives of God's people.

Chapters are "'Quilting': Creating the Pattern," "'Braiding': Formatting the Weave," "'Quilting': Designing One Square," "'Braiding': Weaving the Bridge," "'Quilting and Braiding' Christologies," "Constructivist and Revisionist Feminist Christology," and "Epilogue: Quilts and Braided Bridges."

Shannon Schrien, OSF, PhD, is an assistant professor of religious studies at Alverno College in Milwaukee and a member of the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania, Ohio. She serves on the Milwaukee Archdiocesan Women's Commission, the Ecumenical and Interfaith Dialogue Commission, and is a member of the Archbishop's Theological Consultation Board.