Gender theory has in recent years given an increasingly nuanced account of the wordly 'powers' that serve to stifle human flourishing. However, feminine theology has been loath to acknowledge that form of surrender to divine 'power' which can alone sustain authentic human freedom, and chasten the abusive will to power in both women and men. Powers and Submissions tackles the questions of how the narratives of divine and human 'powers' should be disentangled. Coakley examines this issue through the lens of spiritual practice, philosophical enquiry and doctoral analysis, arguing that contemplative practice must be the sustaining matrix of any truly liberative human empowerment.