Flesh Made Word

This work explores the contribution of the thought of Luce Irigaray to the theological conversation, at the heart of which is the desire to create and nourish a culture in which difference is not simply tolerated, but celebrated; in which the other is approached as an autonomous and independent source of their own self understanding. However, we cannot hope to deal justly with the other in our midst without considering the most basic of differences by which human society is structured, namely, sexual difference? Neither can we create a culture of difference without a careful consideration of religion. Turning to the Catholic tradition Irigaray finds "two key principles: an incarnational relationship between the body and the word, a philosophy and morality of love". Both of these principles are related to Irigaray''s argument for a feminine divine. The relationship between Irigaray''s God and the objective status of the personal God of Christianity remains an open question, but a certain pragmatism with regards to what is life giving, which is Irigaray''s primary concern, should have an important place in theological reflection.