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Created in God's Image: An Introduction to Feminist Theological Anthropology

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Michelle A. Gonzalez (Religious Studies Department, University of Miami) presents Created in God's Image: An Introduction to Feminist Theological Anthropology, a sober reflection upon the biblical creation story as told in Genesis 1. The concept of women as well as men being created in the image of God has been crucial to feminist claims of equality, yet Gonzalez shows that feminist theology has long struggled against a contrary tradition in which women's claims to represent the image of God have been seen as inferior to those of men. Gonzalez puts forth a convincing argument that the time has come for a new understanding of God and the concept of being created in His image is needed for faithful men and women of the twenty-first century. A persuasive, expertly researched and thoughtfully reasoned philosophical and religious treatise.

"So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." -- (Genesis 1:27) For centuries, the creation story in Genesis 1 has been a foundation for Christian understandings of the human being. In particular, this egalitarian vision of women as well as men being created in the image of God has been a lynchpin to feminist claims for equality in the church and society. But as the author shows, feminist theology has struggled against a long, contrary tradition, in which women's claim to represent the image of God was seen as deficient or secondary to men. In tracing the history of this contested theme, she presents an introduction to the field of feminist anthropology. Ultimately, she argues, a new understanding of imago Dei in women must be rooted in a new understanding of God -grounded in, yet critical of, the Christian tradition.