The year 2007 marks two significant anniversaries in relation to feminist theologizing in Asia. One is the 25th anniversary of In God's Image (IGI), our feminist theological journal in Asia, and the other is the 20th anniversary of the Asian Women’s Resource Centre for Culture and Theology (AWRC), the feminist organization that publishes IGI. 

That IGI, the publication, is older than AWRC, the organization, shows the humble and interrelated beginnings of the two. It all started with a vision of a woman pastor-poet-theologian, Sun Ai Lee Park, who wished to share more widely, women’s theological reflections and articulations on the woman question. The vision was of course shared by a number of Asian women who also felt the need for women’s issues and concerns to be mainstreamed in Asian theologizing. Thus, In God’s Image is a product of the solidarity of a group of women in Asia who dreamt a world that was free from oppression and discrimination, a world where the image of God was not violated or abused. Soon the Asian women felt the need for a space and time to meet for bonding, mutual empowerment, solidarity building, and sharing with each other. Hence, the AWRC was born five years later. 

In celebration of these two related anniversaries, the IGI Editorial Advisory Committee of AWRC suggested that the December 2007 edition of In God's Image feature stories of women in Asia who have been the foremothers and foresisters of Asian feminist theologizing and write-ups on how IGI and AWRC have impacted the lives of Asian women. 

In this edition we feature some contributions from our network and constituency in response to our call for papers early in 2007. We also have three short interviews with three of the women who were significantly involved with IGI and/or AWRC early on. 

It is unfortunate that we could not interview or get the contributions of as many women pioneers as we would have wanted. In fact, some of these women pioneers of Asian feminist theologizing have already passed away. Nevertheless, we celebrate their legacy of daring to question the status quo, to challenge static theology, to conscientize other women on the woman question, and to dream dreams of a community of equality and partnership. 

Through this anniversary issue, we celebrate the lives of the early women pioneers although only some of them are mentioned in the following write-ups. We celebrate the stories of women whose lives have been impacted by IGI and AWRC – who have been inspired to think critically about the woman question, to re-read scriptures and critique traditions from women’s perspective. We also celebrate the great majority of women in Asia who in their predominantly patriarchal cultures, religions, and societies, continue to struggle to affirm their human dignity as having been created in the image of God. 

While Asian feminist theologizing is often daubed by those opposed to the empowerment of women as an importation of a foreign way of theologizing, Asian feminist theologians affirm that coming to an awareness of the woman question in Asia actually did not begin with the coining of the word feminism but with the critical movement of protest against the multiple oppression that women have suffered through the years in various countries. Hence, Asian feminist theologians assert that Asian feminist theologizing has much earlier roots, grounded in the contextual realities of Asia. 

We hope that our readers will be encouraged and inspired by the stories in the following pages. And that later on you will also share your own stories with us.

Happy 25th anniversary to IGI and 20th anniversary to AWRC!

Hope S. Antone
Publications Secretary