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Re-Imagining, the Minneapolis interfaith conference of clergy, laypeople, and feminist theologians (feminist theology) in 1993 stirred controversy in U.S. Mainline Protestant denominations,〔Peter Steinfels,("Cries of Heresy After Feminists Meet" ), ''The New York Times'' May 14, 1994〕 ultimately resulting in the firing of the highest ranking woman in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).〔Mary Cartledgehays, ''Grace'' (New York: Crown Publishers, 2003), p. 95〕 Re-Imagining: A Global Theological Conference By Women: For Men and Women, grew out of a U.S.A. Mainline Protestant response to the World Council of Churches' ''Ecumenical Decade: Churches in Solidarity with Women 1988–1998.'' Participants met at the Minneapolis Convention Center during November 4 through 7, 1993. It brought together 2,200 people, one third of them clergy, and most of them women. 83 men registered. Attendees represented 16 denominations, 27 countries, and 49 states. (Nevada was not represented.) All presenters were women.〔Thelma Boeder, "Re-Imagining Demographics," ''ReImagining The Newsletter Day 4,'' (Conference publication) Minneapolis, November 7, 1993, p. 1〕 The conference aimed to encourage churches to address injustices to women worldwide and promote equal partnership with men at all levels of religious life.〔Mary Ann Lundy and The Rev. Forrest C. Stith, "Introduction Ecumenical Decade: Churches in Solidarity With Women," ''Into Action,'' New York, U.S. Office of the World Council of Churches publication, 1988, p. 1〕 In recognition of supporters' view that traditional Christianity's male-centered language and images have often stifled and hurt women, organizers chose "re-imagining" as the theme. International theologians were invited to address the theme as it applied to God, Jesus, church, creation, community, and world. Other presentations carried the theme through "Church as Worshipping Community," "Language/Word," "Sexuality/Family," and "Ethics/Work/Ministry." 〔Karen Eileen Dimon, "Introduction, Re-Imagining . . .," ''Church & Society,'' 84 No. 5 (May/June 1994) pp.1,2〕 After four days of community and freedom of discussion with like-minded women, hearing internationally recognized feminist theologians advance new ways of thinking about Christianity, and hearing their deity referred to with female pronouns, attendees reported having a transformational experience.〔Mary Cartledgehays,''Grace,'' (New York: Crown Publishers, 2003, p. 96〕〔Nancy J. Berneking, Preface in ''Re-Membering and Re-Imagining,'' ed. Nancy J. Berneking and Pamela Carter Joern (Cleveland, Ohio, The Pilgrim Press, 1995) p.''xi''〕 A number of similar conferences had been held, but the size, scope and creative atmosphere of Re-Imagining eclipsed anything that had come before.〔Bill Broadway ( "After Re-Imagining God, the Reality of Job Loss" ), ''The Washington Post,'' July 2, 1994〕 ==Sponsorship and Controversy== Three Minnesota councils of churches and the Twin Cities Metropolitan Church Commission sponsored the event. The latter organization's director, the Reverend Sally Abrahams Hill, was instrumental in organizing the conference along with Mary Ann Lundy, then director of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s Women's Ministry Unit. 140 volunteers helped organize the event during a 3 year planning process.〔Sally L. Hill, "The Planning Process at the Local Level, The Coordinator's Reflections," ''Church & Society,'' 84 No.5 (May/June 1994) pp.117,118〕 The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) donated staff time and $66,000 from an initial grant from its Bicentennial Fund.〔Robert H. Bullock, Jr. and John Sniffen, "The Re-Imagining Revival," ''The Presbyterian Outlook,'' 180 No. 18 (May 25, 1998) p. 1.〕 The Women's Division of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries paid the way of 46 top staff members to attend the event. Presbyterians sent 20 staff members, and officers in both denominations helped plan Re-Imagining.〔 According to the invitational conference brochure mailed in November 1992, cost per person ranged from $100 for early registration to $150 for late registration. Several months afterward, conservative newsletters, ''Good News'' and ''The Presbyterian Layman,'' within the mainline United Methodist Church and Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) denominations respectively, ran articles expressing outrage over what they called goddess worship and heresy at the conference.〔 The controversy they stirred resulted in enough members dropping donations to cause a serious backlash.〔 Mary Ann Lundy was fired seven months later.〔 No United Methodists were fired at a national level.〔Gwen Veazey, "Women find new ways to talk of God," ''Charlotte Observer'' (North Carolina ), 12 January 2004, p. 11A〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Re-Imagining (Christian feminist conference)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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