In Goddess and God in the World , leading theologians Carol P. Christ and Judith Plaskow propose a new method for thinking about theological questions: embodied theology rooted in experience and tested in dialogue. Their theological conversation begins from the premise that the transcendent, omnipotent, male God of traditional theologies must be replaced with new understandings of divinity that can provide orientation and guidance as we face the social, political, and environmental challenges of our time. Situating divinity in the world and placing responsibility for the future firmly in human hands, they argue for an inclusive monotheism that affirms the unity of being through a plurality of images celebrating diversity and difference. Carol proposes that Goddess is the intelligent embodied love that is in all being, a personal presence that can inspire us to love the world more deeply. Judith counters that God is an impersonal power of creativity, the ground of being that includes both good and evil. Their probing of the autobiographical sources of their theologies combined with an intense questioning of each others views offers both a new way of speaking about Goddess and God and a fruitful model of theological conversation across difference. " Goddess and God in the World makes clear that women's experience and perspective enrich and transform theology and also that some of the central theological debates continue. Do we think of God as the impersonal ground of everything or as the personal embodiment of cosmic love? Is one view more feminine or more feminist than the other?" John B. Cobb, Jr., professor emeritus and co-founding Director of the Center for Process Theology, Claremont School of Theology and author of Process Theology and For the Common Good " Goddess and God in the World offers readers the chance to sit in a cozy room with two of the greats of feminist theology. In this work Carol P. Christ and Judith Plaskow answer all the questions you would pose if you had an audience with them. You hear them laugh, reminisce, pontificate, argue, and laugh again. Plaskow and Christ offer distinct theologies that wrestle with the depth and breadth of patriarchy. They emerge different than they entered, yet maintaining deep and meaningful faiths. May this work be a model for all dialogical theology!" Monica Coleman, professor and co-director of the Center for Process Studies, Claremont School of Theology and author of Bipolar Faith and Making a Way Out of No Way "The engaging narratives and conversations in Goddess and God in the World brilliantly model the authors' conviction that divinity is to be found within our lives and in our shared experience. Carol P. Christ and Judith Plaskow have given us a unique gift: the record of a long and evolving friendship between two of our foremost feminist foremothers. I am thrilled with this book!" Marcia Falk, author of The Book of Blessings and The Days Between "What is most striking about this book is the sustained engagement with one another of two brilliant thinkers with radically divergent theologies. They are, of course, still committed feminists, but this book presents a mode of theological conversation that challenges all of us, not just women, to reflect deeply on our own understanding of the divine." Christine Downing, professor of mythological studies and author of The Goddess and Women's Mysteries " Goddess and God in the World is essential reading. Carol P. Christ and Judith Plaskow bring their formidable intellects and compassionate imaginations to the difficult, necessary work of thinking constructively about the Divine. Their exploration ranges widely, reaches deeply, and offers resources for us all." Kecia Ali, associate professor of religion at Boston University and author of Sexual Ethics and Islam and The Lives of Muhammad The purpose of theology is to help us understand the world and to provide orientation in it. We believe that the world and the body are our true home; that divinity can and must be known in the world and in the body; that this world is the one where we live out our lives and where our choices make a difference. The embodied theological method we propose begins with the insight that theology is rooted in experience. We can judge theologies by two criteria: Do they make sense of the world we share? Do they promote the flourishing of life? We hope that others will be moved by the conversation we have begun here to share their own spiritual journeys and to reflect on their theological views. Carol P. Christ, a pioneer in the study of women in religion, leads the Goddess Pilgrimage to Crete through Ariadne Institute. Coeditor with Judith Plaskow of Womanspirit Rising (1992) and Weaving the Visions (1989), she is author of the path-breaking books, Laughter of Aphrodite (1987), Rebirth of the Goddess (1997), Diving Deep and Surfacing (1995), She Who Changes (2003), and A Serpentine Path (20