Life out of death
It was the last lecture. Around me, students were gathering bags and books, bike-lock keys in hand as they headed out. I waited, not sure how to approach her. The lecture was part of a University of Oxford series on feminist theology. A second was led by Sarah Coakley; this one featured a range of Oxford scholars: Jane Williams, Peggy Morgan, Mary Grey and Lavinia Byrne. Overlooked by most; for me, it was non-negotiable. By 1995, at the end of my undergraduate studies, I'd had one officially-sanctioned encounter with feminist theology. That was a Laud Society talk given by Mary Gray. It was the fifth week of my first term. I never looked back. But being a feminist theologian in the early 90s (and in some places, still) was like being a low-level spy. Hunting out books hidden in the Theology Faculty stacks. Scoping out potential allies. Stumbling into a new language. So a whole lecture series on feminist theology? I was ready. That week's lecture was given by Lavinia Byrne
