Feminist Atonement Theory | Lent Devotional Day 26

Exploring the Meaning of Jesus’ Death
March 15, 2026
Written by Sarah Rugenstone

Feminist Atonement Theory

Scripture:

“There is no longer Jew or Greek; there is no longer slave or free; there is no longer male and female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.”  

Galatians 3:28-29

Reflection:

A note: First things first, feminism is at its best when it includes something called intersectionality, which is a fancy way of saying it includes all women, women of multiple experiences, abilities, regions, ages, races, classes, sexualities, etc. At its worst, feminist theology centers the white cis gender female. So going forward in this devotion, we’re assuming we’re talking about feminism when it’s operating at its best and including the wide range of experience women can have in this world.

Allow us now to narrow in on Feminist Theologians' understandings of the crucifixion, the cross and a lil’ bit about how this theory would explain the resurrection. To put it plainly, feminist atonement theories would say that God did not require Jesus to die, because that is actually the opposite of the kind of love we know God to hold. The feminist atonement theory would say that Jesus was murdered by the state. As theologian Elizabeth A. Johnson puts it in her book, She Who Is: The Mystery of God in Feminist Theological Discourse, “Jesus’s death was an act of violence brought about by threatened men, as sin, and therefore against the will of a gracious God.” (Johnson, 158).

The sin committed by men here in the crucifixion narrative, if you missed it, would be: betrayal, denial, greed, violence, corrupt power, and murder.

Essentially, this means that the same brokenness that put the world off kilter, the sin that is the root of patriarchy, white supremacy, and so many other dehumanizing systems, is against the will of God, it’s against the kindom of God. The ‘kindom’ of God is a way many theologians talk about the “Kingdom” of God, as it decenters monarchy language, and replaces it with something much more aligned with God’s vision of a new world and a new earth— one where every child of God is mutual, uplifted, and part of the family of God. When we lean into systems that highlight inequality, we go against the family of God, which we’re all included within.

The feminist understanding of the resurrection highlights God’s liberation and redemptive powers and the ability to restore what is broken. Meaning the oppressive systems that bind all women and all oppressed folks will be torn down and a new one that emphasizes the mutuality of all people will be built in its place. It removes the inequities that diminish the ability for all folks (such as Black and Brown folks, women, queer folks, children, disabled folks) to flourish and to be free.

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, we ask that you be with us this week. May you remind us that in learning about Christ’s death and how to understand it, we don’t seek to amplify more violence. Give us the wisdom and the ability to show as much love as we can in the face of so much hatred. We ask that you be with us, each of us who are suffering in this broken world. May you sustain us, give us strength, comfort, and remind us of the promise that you are with us, and you will not leave us in the dark. Amen.

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