Dr. Rachel Baard’s new book argues for feminist critique and retrieval of sin-talk
RICHMOND, VA (December 2, 2019) — Early feminist theologians criticized the Christian doctrine of sin for its focus on female sexual purity and its enabling of the marginalization and oppression of women. Others have questioned whether the entire theological category of sin should be abandoned in favor of other ways of talking about the human predicament. In her new book “Sexism and Sin-Talk: Feminist Conversations on the Human Condition,” Union Presbyterian Seminary Assistant Professor of Theology and Ethics Rachel Sophia Baard argues for a feminist critique of traditional sin-talk alongside a constructive reinterpretation of the doctrine of sin — one that can be life-affirming for all persons.
Baard claims that the Christian idea of sin — that tragic flaw at the core of human experience — provides one of the best tools for understanding the evils of sexism, patriarchy, and traditional sin-talk itself. She likewise provides a new rhetoric of sin-talk, one that accounts for the diverse experiences of the human family, not simply those of powerful men.
The book is published by and available for purchase through Westminster John Knox Press and Amazon.
She previously taught at Villanova University, outside Philadelphia. She holds a Ph.D. in Systematic Theology from Princeton Theological Seminary, and she received her BA in Law, BTh (MDiv equivalent), and MTh in Theological Ethics from the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa. Her research areas include systematic and constructive theology, theological ethics, and feminist and political theologies.
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Mike Frontiero
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Union Presbyterian Seminary
mfrontiero@upsem.edu
