Power That Heals: Christ, Climate Leadership, and the Strength of Feminine Wisdom

At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, ‘Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.’
He said to them, ‘Go and tell that fox for me, “Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed away from Jerusalem.”
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!
How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings,
​and you were not willing! 
(Luke 13:31-34)

As he prepares himself and his disciples to enter Jerusalem, Jesus is confronted by the very real threat posed to him by the powers that be. Herod, he’s reminded, has both the desire and the ability to kill him. As he often does, Jesus draws on parallels from nature to contrast who is he as opposed to his adversary. Herod is a fox, wily, lethal and ultimately cowardly. Jesus, is a mother hen, protective and self sacrificial using what power she does have to preserve life. In this moment we see two contrasting views of power, a decidedly masculine one, though female foxes are no less lethal than their male counterparts, and a decidedly feminine one. 

In the introduction to their collection of essays All We Can Save: Truth, Courage and Solutions for the Climate Crisis, Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katherine Wilkinson discuss the rise of climate leadership that is coming from women and girls. “Look around and you will see on the rise climate leadership that is more characteristically feminine and more faithfully feminist, rooted in compassion, connection, creativity, and collaboration”. It’s not hard to see in this model of leadership a more Christ-like way of being in the world. 

Johnson and Wilkinson offer four characteristics of the feminine models of leadership that they celebrate in their book. First, is a focus on making change rather than being in charge. “We see women and girls moving beyond ego, competition and control which are rampant in the climate space and impede good work”. Power is found by laying aside individual accolades for a common goal. Second, is a commitment to responding to the climate crisis in a way that heals systemic injustices rather than making them worse. “Equity is not secondary to survival,” they argue, “it is survival”. ​

“Equity is not secondary to survival,” they argue, “it is survival”. ​

Third is an appreciation for leading from the heart and not just from the head. This is a recognition of the emotional (And spiritual) toll that this crisis has on all of us and the need to lead with our whole selves. Finally, there is a recognition that building community is fundamental to building a better world. These leadership principles echo the basic tenets that eco-feminist thought has been built on over the last five decades: gender equality, revaluing of non-patriarchal/non-hierarchical structures, respect for organic processes, holistic connections, and the merits of intuition and collaboration.

As we continue to explore the themes of our annual resource, The Power of God: From Extractive Theology to Transformative Faith, it’s hard to ignore that much of what we hold up as ideal uses of power could be seen as feminine. We fully embrace that idea! Much of what has been extractive about our world can be traced to patriarchal notions of domination that desperately need to be rejected and countered. 

As we move into Women’s history month, we celebrate the women in both the climate movement and the church who have used their power to lead in ways that build connection, preserve life, and and allow for the fullest measure of human flourishing. 

All quotes taken from All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis. Ed. by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katharine K. Wilkinson. (One World Trade, 2021).

Click here to download The Power of God: From Extractive Theology to Transformative Faith resource.

Derrick Weston 
Director of Theological Education and Formation 
Creation Justice Ministries