Crossing the Divide: Luther, Feminism, and the Cross

Over the last two decades, traditional formulations of the idea of atonement have come under heavy attack from feminist theologians and others. They argue that the traditional view valorizes suffering and encourages people to acquiesce in needless self-sacrificing, that it is unseemly to think of God as demanding suffering of his son, and that the theology of the cross needs to be rethought in light of the whole life, ministry, and resurrection of Jesus.

Equally committed to the insights of the theology of the cross and feminist theology, Deanna Thompson takes up these contentious issues here in a creative and nuanced way. Her work emerges from direct engagement with Martin Luther and the Heidelberg Disputation as well as with the architects of reformist feminism. She finds surprising common ground on issues of suffering, abuse, atonement, reform, ethics, and the import of Jesus, and her book culminates in a constructive and promising feminist theology of the cross.

Deanna A. Thompson is Martin E. Marty Regents Chair in Religion and the Academy and Director of the Lutheran Center for Faith, Values, and Community at St. Olaf. She is author of five books and dozens of articles on topics ranging from Martin Luther, feminism, and interfaith engagement to being the church in the digital age.