This article explores the image and the concept of the Christa, evaluates its significance for contemporary feminist theology and spiritual practice, and suggests ways in which the notion of the Christa needs to be enlarged and developed. A distinction is made between visualizing the Christa in art and film, conceptualizing the Christa in theological discourse, imagining the Christa in fiction and poetry and ritualizing the Christa in liturgy and prayer. Whilst considerable attention has been paid to visual representations of the (...) Christa, and feminist theologians have written about the Christa, little attention has been paid to the Christa in poetry and fiction, or as a focus of feminist prayer and ritual. (shrink)

Rather than offer a detailed or close reading of Margolis’ paper, I ‘riff’ on some key motifs and themes from his paper from the perspective of a feminist practical theologian. I highlight affective and moral dimensions of the experience of engaging with difference, as exemplified in my own experience as a non-philosopher of engaging with a difficult philosophical text, before going on to nuance and add depth to the notion of religious diversity via multidimensional models of faith. I call on (...) feminist and ordinary believers’ approaches to inter-religious encounter to illuminate my central concern, namely to root philosophical discourse on pluralism within lived experience, particularly the lived experience of women of faith. (shrink)