Longing for Running Water: Ecofeminism and Liberation

I read Longing for Running Water by Gebara several years ago. This book threatens some individuals and inspires others. A good friend, a Benedictine monk, described it as devoid of any Christology; yet, another friend overhearing this, a woman, commented, "Since when do you know anything about a woman's point of view on Christ?" To me, as a lifelong Catholic and a theology student, Gebara upset the apple cart of my naive, male-centered beliefs. Her emphasis on understanding "how we know what we know" (epistemology) and her introduction of these concepts to poor Brazilian women made me reexamine the experience of how I came to think what I thought I knew. If liberation theology called us to perceive the world from the underside of history, namely the poor, Gebara inspires us to understand the perspective of the underside of the underside, the poor women of the world, who are oppressed by the oppressed, the poor male, who can only kick down. Ivone Gebara may not be extensively read, undoubtedly because of Rome's silencing, but she deserves to be.

Brilliant marriage of eco-feminism and liberation theology, from one of Latin America's greatest theologians. A must-read for any serious student of theology, or lay person with an interest in these critical issues.