Like it or not, the word "feminism" as used today has been pretty much co-opted by radical unisex-type feminists. That is the big concern terminologically. "New feminism" might work if it is orthodox, because it contains within it the rejection of, or going further than feminism (i.e., the fashionable radical feminism).
I like the phrase "feminine theology" because it bypasses all the cultural/political baggage of "feminism." The definition of new feminism from Wikipedia is great:
"New feminism is a predominantly Catholic philosophy which emphasizes a belief in an integral complementarity of men and women, rather than the superiority of men over women or women over men.
I've been stressing complementarity of men and women for years in my own ruminations on gender issues. If we call it "new Catholic feminism" it would work even better, though with all the heterodox strains in the Church (on the ground) that can be twisted, too.
I think women can bring special insights and contributions to theology: absolutely, just as men do (and we even have female doctors of the Church now). They can specifically bring things that differentiate them from men. Blessed John Paul II wrote about many of these special gifts. The more such "projects" the better, in my opinion, as long as they are orthodox.
* * *
See a wonderful Facebook discussion on this matter, that I was part of, and the following related articles:
Catholic and Feminist: Can One be Both? (Elizabeth Fox-Genovese)
Alice Von Hildebrand on Feminism and Femininity
The Whole Truth About Catholic Feminism (John F. McCarthy)
Commentary: Catholic Feminism vs Equality Feminism (Prof. Janne Haaland Matlary)
What Is a Catholic Feminist? (Simcha Fisher)
Catholic Feminism (Walter H. Schneider)
Current Issues: Feminism (collection of articles at Catholic Education Resource Center)
Catholicism and Feminism (Cathleen Kaveny)
The New Feminism (website with lots of articles)
Feminists Don't Respect Women; the Catholic Church Does (Jennifer Fulwiler)
New Feminists (Leah Darrow)
Feminist Mythology vs. Catholic Reality (Joanna Bogle)
The Feminist Agenda within the Catholic Church (Cornelia R. Ferreira)
The Feminist Pope (Colleen Carroll Campbell)
Feminism and the Language Wars of Religion (Helen Hull Hitchcock)
Feminism and the Language Wars of Religion (Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J.)
***
.jpg)
