By Kaylee Hayes | Reporter
Dr. Natalie Carnes presented a lecture titled, “Why Feminist Theology Needs Art” on Tuesday evening. Her lecture focused on topics featured in her recent book, “Attunement: The Art and Politics of Feminist Theology.” Carnes opened her lecture by stating that female bodies are sites of “abundance, pain, struggle, gift and revelation.”
Through her reading of past female theologians’ literature, Carnes said she began to see a pattern among the focal points of each book, in which female theologians often engaged a more “explicitly creative genre.” Then when continuity began to come into play Carnes was able to illustrate a picture that shows the “pattern,” which is really an “impulse,” that has been embedded into the history of feminist theology.
The first example that Carnes employed was from the 12th century, Hildegard of Bingen, who was a creative theologian. Carnes described her as one who was invested in aesthetics.
According to Carnes, Hildegard began having a series of visions in which she was authorized to speak by the Lord directly.
“To convince the other beings of her Godly encounter, she made a series of images that reflected her visions — her creative vision,” Carnes said.
Hildegard would document experiences of divine inspiration and was known for her writing, Carnes said. She was widely recognized for her theological efforts and was one in four female church doctors during her time.
Sojourner Truth was featured as another example of a woman who exuded authority. Truth fought against the limitations that were placed on women, most famously known for her speech “Ain’t I a Woman?” from 1851.
When speaking about Truth’s postcards that she sold as fundraising for abolition and suffrage movements, Carnes compared Truth to St. Paul, and said that she too extends her authority through postcards as he did through letters.
Carnes makes the argument that there are powerful women all throughout history, and said that if people “reimagine the theological terrain through attunement,” a person begins to see how women were and are fundamental to the theological world.
Through the documented paintings, such as the “Nursing Madonna,” people see the image of a woman nourishing the child who nourishes them, Carnes said.
Historically, women have been associated with sin, Carnes said. Instead, these pieces of art show how women and their bodies have been utilized for holy and godly purposes and tasks.
Corona, Calif. senior and former student of Carnes, Kylie Hertica, said at the time Carnes hadn’t written her book yet but much of the stuff they discussed and studied in her class was familiar with the lecture.
“The readings were complicated, for sure, but a lot of what she was talking about we had already read or was something she was already talking about writing,” Hertica said.
Being from California, Hertica said she felt like there was a looming idea that women aren’t supposed to be in ministry, and that Carnes’ class opened her up to a “totally different” perspective.
