Abstract

A Traditional epistemologies have focused on the possibility and justification of knowledge, paying little attention to ethics. Feminist thinkers argue that epistemologies are unavoidably ethical; approaches to knowing must take serious account of lived experience; prize an "objectivity" that foments reliable knowledge and ethical complexity; and require accountability. Luther's theology of the cross, emerging from both historical and personal upheaval, critiques both official theology and human pretension; announces God's solidary intention toward humankind and the value of embodied experience; and equips humans to "use reality rightly." ;An "epistemology of the cross" drawn from these two resources responds to issues of power, experience, objectivity, and accountability. It describes the movement from lived experience to compelling knowledge: seeing what is the case; comprehending one's implication in it; and responding accountably. ;Two objections are raised: that a privileged church forfeits its claim to an epistemology of the cross insofar as it turns the cross into a construct severed from the suffering of real people; and that an epistemology that so depends on the cross cannot avoid glorifying suffering. The responses: only a privileged church needs an epistemology of the cross, which unmasks the cruciform reality this church conspires in; and acceptance of the "fact of the cross"--the reality of suffering--is essential if we are to respond to it, bear with it, and/or overcome it. An epistemology of the cross, far from glorifying suffering, helps us see and respond to it