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Ecospirituality in the Theologies of Sallie Mcfague and Leonardo Boff Rebecca A

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Ecospirituality in the Theologies of Sallie Mcfague and Leonardo Boff Rebecca A Marquette University e-Publications@Marquette Dissertations (2009 -) Dissertations, Theses, and Professional Projects Love For God And Earth: Ecospirituality In The Theologies Of Sallie Mcfague And Leonardo Boff Rebecca A. Meier-Rao Marquette University Recommended Citation Meier-Rao, Rebecca A., "Love For God And Earth: Ecospirituality In The Theologies Of Sallie Mcfague And Leonardo Boff" (2014). Dissertations (2009 -). Paper 352. http://epublications.marquette.edu/dissertations_mu/352 LOVE FOR GOD AND EARTH: ECOSPIRITUALITY IN THE THEOLOGIES OF SALLIE MCFAGUE AND LEONARDO BOFF by Rebecca A. Meier-Rao, B.A., M.A. Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School, Marquette University, in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Milwaukee, Wisconsin May 2014 ABSTRACT LOVE FOR GOD AND EARTH: ECOSPIRITUALITY IN THE THEOLOGIES OF SALLIE MCFAGUE AND LEONARDO BOFF Rebecca A. Meier-Rao Marquette University, 2013 This dissertation examines the theologies of North American Ecofeminist Sallie McFague and Latin American liberation theologian Leonardo Boff in order to answer the question – What are the features of a Christian spirituality capable of helping people to clear vision, transformation and hope in this time of socio-ecological crisis? In the sixth chapter I also briefly engage the work of Carmelite contemplative Constance FitzGerald, as she both reinforces and deepens the theologians’ answer to the above question. The dissertation begins with a short explanation of the interlocking ecological and social crises, and offers a basic understanding of Christian spirituality as powerfully transformative of human assumptions and actions in the world. In Chapter One I argue that a study of McFague’s metaphorical theology indicates that authentic Christian spirituality must challenge false social constructions. Investigating McFague’s model of the world as God’s body, Chapter Two then illustrates how to live by a spirituality that loves God while caring deeply for the needs of the world. In Chapters Three and Four I show that an examination of Boff’s theological corpus elucidates how people can and must live in the experience of God through their every experience of the world. In this way, his theology explicates why and how God must be experienced for individual and collective fulfillment, as well as for producing a marked global and historical transformation. After summarizing and evaluating, in chapter five, the theologians’ contributions to contemporary Christian spirituality, chapter six briefly explores FitzGerald’s call to a contemplative yielding to God in this time of crisis so that God’s own vision and imagination may transform human consciousness. Thus, with all three authors I indicate that Christian spirituality is capable of producing clear vision, transformation and hope inasmuch as (1) it challenges false social constructions; (2) orients people to loving God while caring for the wellbeing of the world; (3) shows them how to experience God’s presence in their lives and understands the power of this experience to transform the course of history; and, most radically, (4) teaches people to yield to God so that God’s own vision for the future may arise in human consciousness. Such a Christian spirituality is well equipped for birthing a new humanity through the present socio-ecological crisis. i ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Rebecca A. Meier-Rao I would like to thank my dissertation director, Fr. Bryan Massingale, for his wise counsel and incredible support through the arduous process of writing my dissertation. I would also like to thank the members of my board, Dr. Danielle Nussberger, Dr. Jame Schaefer and Fr. Philip Rossi, for their work helping me shape and refine this project, and the Marquette University Theology Department for all the resources they provided me with to help me complete this process. Last but not least, I would like to thank all my family and friends, especially my husband Sunil, our parents Richard and Helen Meier and Ramachandra and Diana Rao, our siblings Jen and Andy, Richard and Ina, Carlos, Arun and Lidka, and my dear friends Kate, Gretchen, Asha, Nicholas and Courtney, for their ongoing patience, love and care through this time of research and writing. I could not have completed this project without all of you. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... i INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 1 A. The Interlocking Crisis .................................................................................... 2 (i) Ecological Crisis ............................................................................ 2 (ii) Social Crisis ................................................................................... 4 (iii) Interlocking Crisis ......................................................................... 6 (iv) Conclusion ..................................................................................... 8 B. Spirituality ....................................................................................................... 9 (i) Spirituality as Basic to Human Existence .................................... 10 (ii) Spirituality as Directed to God .................................................... 12 (iii) Spirituality as Experiential .......................................................... 14 (iv) Conclusion ................................................................................... 16 C. McFague, Boff and FitzGerald ...................................................................... 17 D. Dissertation Procedure ................................................................................... 21 CHAPTER 1: MCFAGUE’S METAPHORICAL THEOLOGY .................................... 23 A. Metaphorical Theology .................................................................................. 25 (i) Definition of Metaphor ................................................................ 27 (ii) Definition of Model ..................................................................... 30 (iii) Religious Language As Always Metaphorical ............................ 33 (iv) Conclusion ................................................................................... 35 B. Methodological and Theological Development ............................................. 37 (i) Hermeneutical Stage .................................................................... 38 iii (ii) Heuristic Stage ............................................................................. 40 (iii) Constructivist Stage ..................................................................... 44 a. Interconnectedness of Social and Ecological Problems ......... 45 b. The Common Creation Story ................................................. 46 c. Theology of Nature ................................................................ 48 d. Functionality .......................................................................... 51 (iv) Conclusion ................................................................................... 52 C. An (Intentional) Ambiguity in McFague’s Theology .................................... 55 (i) The Impossibility of Making Ontological Statements About Reality ............................................................................... 56 (ii) Reality as Something We Create (Metaphor as Redescription) ... 59 (iii) McFague’s “Slight” Ontological Claims ..................................... 62 a. “Shy” or “Slight” Ontological Claims ................................... 62 b. Bold Language ....................................................................... 64 (iv) Conclusion ................................................................................... 69 D. Chapter Summary and Assessment ................................................................ 70 (i) Summary ...................................................................................... 71 (ii) Assessment and Conclusion ......................................................... 73 CHAPTER 2: MCFAGUE’S BODY SPIRITUALITY ................................................... 77 A. Body Theology ............................................................................................... 79 (i) Preliminary Observations ............................................................. 80 (ii) Anthropology ............................................................................... 81 a. Sin .......................................................................................... 84 b. Salvation ................................................................................ 85 iv c. Summary ................................................................................ 85 (iii) God and The Relationship Between God and Creation ............... 86 a. The Body Model as Organic .................................................. 87 b. The Body Model as Agential ................................................. 89 c. Summary ................................................................................ 93 (iv) Christology ................................................................................... 94 a. Christ as Paradigmatic, Not Unique ....................................... 95 b. The Shape of God’s Body (Christology Relativized) ............ 97 c. The Scope of God’s Body (Christology Maximized) ............ 99 d.
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