Unit 1
Bratten Weiss - The Books that Made US
Critique of Conservative Christian Political Action and Virtue: The author expresses disillusionment with Christian intellectuals and communities who supported Donald Trump (2016) and prioritized crass politics over "reasoned, eloquent explanations of virtuous philosophers." She specifically challenges the notion that reading "good books makes good people" by citing historical examples of morally flawed classical readers like Thomas Jefferson and Ezra Pound.
The Problematic "Modern Christian Classics" Canon: The text identifies an unofficial literary canon of modern Christian writers—including C. S. Lewis, G. K. Chesterton, and Flannery O’Connor—that emerged as a "toxic fan culture." This canon was used to build an intellectually robust conservative Christian identity but fostered an uncritical reverence for its authors and a defensive "culture-war agenda" against broader modern literature.
Historical Failure of Institutional Christianity: The author rejects the self-told Christian story of being a constant "force for good," pointing out that institutions like the Catholic Church were sluggish or actively opposed justice, such as not condemning slavery until the 20th century. Today, white Western Christians often use their public influence to "oppose desegregation, or to attack healthcare initiatives," rather than enact Gospel principles.
Religious Deconstruction and Its Impact: Deconstruction is defined as a wearying, morally stubborn process of questioning institutional and cultural Christianity, often fueled by the church's failure to live up to Jesus's teachings. This trend is linked to a sharp decline in U.S. Christian affiliation (from 90% in 1970 to 63% in 2020), with women leaving in "record numbers."
Idea that religion can be personal, but it cannot be individual,
Communal doctrine and beliefs
Religion is a ‘group project’
Genesis 1 & 2
Genesis 1
6 Days of Creation
God Created Man on the 6th Day in the image of Himself
Genesis 2
God Created everything
Formed man from the dust on the ground
First thing he created
Garden of Eden
Eden was completely at fault, Adam blamed her entirely, starts off patriarchy with the creation of the world
Man was in more control - named all the animals
Pseudo-Dionysus - Mystical Theology
Divine Transcendence and Unknowing (Apophatic Theology): God utterly transcends all being, knowledge, and perception. The highest spiritual goal is union with the Unknowable reached by plunging into the "Divine Darkness" or "Gloom of Unknowing," which requires the absolute renunciation of the senses and intellect.
The Negative Path (Apophatic Method): The proper way to approach this transcendent God is through negation (apophatic theology), or the removal of all attributes (e.g., God is not light, nor darkness, nor essence, nor time). By denying all qualities, the mystic strips away impediments to perceive the wholly intangible reality.
The Affirmative Path (Cataphasis Method): The lesser, yet complementary, path is through affirmation (Cataphasis theology), which uses positive titles like Good, Existent, Life, and Wisdom. These attributes, particularly the titles Good and Beautiful/Beauty, describe God as the universal Cause and Exemplar from which all things derive their existence and harmony.
The Unity of Goodness and Beauty: The terms Good and Beautiful are essentially identical, as God is the Creative Cause and Final Cause that draws all things into existence through their yearning for their own perfection (Beauty/Goodness).
The Three Stages of Ascent: The mystical journey follows the stages of purgation (purification), illumination (receiving divine light/voices), and finally, union (plunging into the darkness of Unknowing), symbolizing the complete move from the material and intellectual to the transcendent.
Q'ran
Koran is the Word of God and Muhammad is the Witness, and in Christianity Jesus is the word and the New Testament is the writings of the Witnesses
Albanese - Introduction in America: Religion & Religions
Elephant in the Dark Analogy
Everyone takes what they want from religion and only understands what they see
Religion by: myths, symbols, and ritual
Perspectivism - everyone has a piece of the truth
Enuma Eilish
Akkadian Epic / Hymn
Their Story of Creation
Supremacy of the God Marduk
Rivalry and fight between Tiomat (female) v Marduk (male)
Marduk defeats and slays Tiamat. He splits her massive body in half, using one part to form the sky/heaven and the other part to form the earth.
Johnson - Basic Linguistic Options
The Core Problem is Androcentrism: Traditional Christian language for God is fundamentally male-centered (androcentric), which is deemed inadequate and contributes to the subordination and historical injustice toward women.
The Word "God" is Used, But Redefined: The author chooses not to abandon the heavily-laden word "God" but attempts to redeem it by associating it with metaphors and values arising from women's experience (e.g., using the phrase "God/She").
Female Symbols are Necessary to Shatter Idolatry: Simple gender-neutral terms like "God" are insufficient. Female symbols must be actively introduced to shatter the exclusivity of the male metaphor and challenge the "idolatry of maleness," affirming that women's reality can represent the divine.
Rejected Option: "Feminine Traits" Leads to Subordination: Adding nurturing, "feminine traits" to an otherwise male-imaged God (Father) is rejected because it keeps the feminine element subordinate and fails to achieve equivalent imaging between male and female humanity.
Rejected Option: "Feminine Dimension" is Inadequate: Identifying the Holy Spirit as the "feminine dimension" is rejected as it results in an easily subordinated, amorphous third person of the Trinity, often perpetuating stereotypes of the feminine.
Schneiders - Religion vs. Spirituality:
To focus this essay for a theology midterm study guide, here are the 3-5 most critical, concise points that capture the author's argument and definitions:
The Contemporary Conundrum and Models: Contemporary Western culture sees a decline in institutional religion but a rise in personal spirituality ("spiritual but not religious"). Schneiders presents three models for their relationship: as Separate Enterprises, Conflicting Realities (the most common tension), and Partners (the author's thesis).
Schneiders' Definitions:
Spirituality (General): The experience of conscious involvement in the project of life-integration through self-transcendence toward the ultimate value one perceives. It's the generic, holistic actualization of a human capacity.
Religion (Institutional): A cultural system for dealing with ultimate reality, organized by creed, code, and cult (institutionalized tradition).
The Thesis: Religion and Spirituality as Partners: Schneiders argues they are essential to each other. Institutional religion is necessary to transmit a spiritual tradition (as a safeguard), while spirituality is the personal life and goal of that tradition. Rejecting religion entirely is an error because the institution, despite its flaws, is the "optimal context" for a tested, sustainable spirituality.
Sources of Tension/Critique of Religion: The key reasons many reject religion are its historical and current deformations, specifically its tendencies toward exclusivity (leading to violence/domination), ideological legalism (narrow-minded dogmatism), and a clerical system (monopoly of spiritual resources).
Critique of Disaffiliated Spirituality: Private, non-affiliated spiritualities are problematic because they are naïvely narcissistic (the self is the sole arbiter), lack the tested wisdom and structural support of a tradition, and are incapable of being transmitted or contributing to future generations.
Religion v Spirituality
Christianity hinges on Sacrementality - everything can be a path to God
Johnson - Ask the Beasts
The text examines two biblical paradigms for the human-nature relationship: Dominion (Genesis 1, Psalm 8) and the Community of Creation (Prophets, Psalms, Job).
The Dominion Paradigm mandates human authority, which is debated: it can be interpreted as a positive Stewardship (God's representative charged with caring for creation's survival) or, as historically practiced, as destructive Domination and exploitation.
Stewardship is critiqued for establishing a vertical, top-down model that overlooks human-nature interdependence and treats the rest of creation as a passive resource for management.
The Community of Creation Paradigm re-situates humans within the living world, emphasizing kinship and interdependence based on the shared status of all beings as creatures sustained by God.
The Book of Job powerfully supports the community model by showing that most of creation, especially wild animals, exists independent of human control or purpose, serving as an antidote to human arrogance.
Plaskow - Standing Again at Sinai
God Talk
God as Male is harmful
Integral Ecology and the "Complex Crisis": The encyclical's central framework is integral ecology, which argues that the environmental crisis and the social crisis are inextricably linked. It asserts that we face one "complex crisis which is both social and environmental", meaning care for creation cannot be separated from justice for the poor.
Moral Imperative on Climate Change: The Pope directly accepts the scientific consensus on man-made global warming and environmental degradation, issuing a moral and spiritual warning about their consequences. It calls for "swift and unified global action" and a drastic reduction in carbon emissions.
Critique of the Modern Mindset: Laudato Si' criticizes a prevailing mindset, including the "technocratic paradigm" and unrestrained consumerism, which treats the Earth and other people as mere raw material to be exploited for profit, leading to the "throwaway culture."
Preferential Option for the Poor: The document emphasizes that the poor and vulnerable suffer the most immediate and severe impacts of climate change and pollution, highlighting a global debt owed to those who are least responsible for the crisis.
Ecological Conversion and Dialogue: The encyclical is addressed to every person on the planet and calls for a profound "ecological conversion"—a change of heart, lifestyle, and consumption habits—and a global, inclusive dialogue to set a new path for our shared future.
Gandolfo - Ecomartyrdom & Extractivism
Ecomartyrdom
Ecomartyrdom as a Global Crisis: The assassination of land and environmental defenders, termed ecomartyrdom, is a widespread, violent phenomenon, with Latin America and Indigenous peoples facing the greatest risk globally. The murder of Honduran activist Berta Cáceres is a key example of this trend.
Extractivism is the Root Cause: The violence stems from extractivism, defined as the intensive, for-profit appropriation of natural resources (mining, logging, dams, etc.) for export to global markets, disregarding environmental or human consequences.
Historical and Systemic Roots in Colonialism: Modern extractivism is rooted in the European conquest and colonization of the Americas, which inaugurated a system of simultaneous genocide and ecocide. This established a paradigm where the wealth of a few (Euro-American elites) is built upon the systemic exploitation and sacrifice of marginalized human communities and the natural world.
Extractivism as Structural Sin: The system is described theologically as an anti-social and anti-ecological imaginary (structural sin) that ruptures relationships with God, neighbor, and the earth. It relies on a logic that deems some people and parts of the earth as exploitable and disposable for the comfort and wealth of others.