AN INVESTIGATION OF THE MODELS OF GOD IN SALLIE MCFAGUE'S METAPHORICAL THEOLOGY

Abstract

Sallie McFague, a prominent theologian from the United States, has significantly contributed to the field of metaphorical theology. Her primary critique pertains to the inadequacy and lack of justification for the dominant language and metaphors employed in traditional theological discourse concerning God's relationship with the natural world. McFague's publication titled "Models of God: Theology for the Ecological, Nuclear Age" critiques the patriarchal model of the relationship between God and the world. By highlighting the limitations of this model, McFague proposes alternative models of mother, lover, and friend to describe our relationship with God that is more relevant to contemporary concerns. McFague suggests a model of creation as God's body to underscore the comprehension of our relationship to creation. The analogy between the world and the body of God implies that God is both transcendent in creation and fundamentally effective in terms of creation. Because as God's body, God is both transcendent and radically immanent in creation, our present home, where we must be actors in it as well and not tourists or temporary residents, McFague's primary approach involves utilizing the Bible, tradition, feminist concepts, cognitive processes, and personal experiences as a foundation for constructing her intended theology. The present article adopts an analytical approach to expound upon the models of God that are derived from Sallie McFague's metaphorical theology. The present article aims to elucidate McFague's theological methodology as it is reflected in her works.