Faithful Christians have often wondered what salvation means and how we come to be saved. Traditional theories of atonement for sin have rested on the importance of Christ's sacrifice as the means of human salvation. This theology implies that it is somehow natural, particularly for women, to imitate Christ's suffering through sacrifice that has become increasingly oppressive.Jane McAvoy has constructed a feminist theology of atonement that draws on the insights of six medieval women mystics -- Julian of Norwich, Mechthild of Magdeburg, Hildegard of Bingen, Margery Kempe, Hadewijch of...