Many Christians profess that Jesus died as a sacrifice for sins. The Catholic Mass is even understood as a “sacrifice.” Some take issue with this language, for it seems to put forward an idea of God that is implicated in vengeance and violence. Why would God accept the murder of an innocent man as a sacrifice for sin? As important as this question is, there is a more fundamental question: What does it mean to say that Jesus dies as a sacrifice for sin?

Within feminist theology, the very idea of sacrifice is laced with tension. Women and other marginalized groups have historically been oppressed by the use of the language of sacrifice. They have been told to live lives of self-sacrifice, at the expense of their well-being. Thus, many reject the language of sacrifice outright.  Starting with an exploration of René Girard’s understanding of sacrifice, Chelsea Jordan King places Girard into direct dialogue with feminist theologians who raised similar critiques of violence. She then shows how we can re-claim the language of sacrifice in such a way that is liberative for all women and other marginalized groups. 

Chelsea Jordan King is an Assistant Professor in Catholic Studies at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut, USA.