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A review by skitch41
Sisters in the Wilderness: The Challenge of Womanist God-Talk by Delores S. Williams
4.0
Lately I have been exploring black theology through an online discussion group and been wrestling with what they have to say about God and Jesus Christ. In this book, [a:Delores S. Williams|410778|Delores S. Williams|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] uses the biblical story of Hagar in the book of Genesis to explore what it means to be a black woman living in America and a Christian. It is an impressive book that links the trials and travails of the black woman experience to this biblical story of oppression and survival.
The book is divided into two parts. The first part looks at the Hagar/Ishmael story in the book of Genesis and makes connections between Hagar's oppression & survival and links it to the unique experience of black women in America. Ms. Williams points how, like Hagar, enslaved black women were taken advantage of by their masters and provided surrogate children to them and how, like Hagar again, enslaved black women could face abuse and mistreatment by their owners. Drawing on these parallels, she expounds upon black women's critical role in the black church and black community life. The second part of the book is a kind of dialogue between the womanist theology Ms. Williams is expounding upon and other theologies/ideologies that it bumps up against such as black liberation theology, as expressed by black theologians such as [a:James H. Cone|17438|James H. Cone|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1281326117p2/17438.jpg] and others, white feminist ideology, and the black church as a whole.
Not everyone will agree with Ms. Williams's arguments. But the value of this book is in how it provides a unique perspective on Christian faith and practice from a group that too rarely gets a chance to speak out about their own travails. Whether this is your first experience with womanist theology or not, I would recommend this book to all Christian thinkers.
The book is divided into two parts. The first part looks at the Hagar/Ishmael story in the book of Genesis and makes connections between Hagar's oppression & survival and links it to the unique experience of black women in America. Ms. Williams points how, like Hagar, enslaved black women were taken advantage of by their masters and provided surrogate children to them and how, like Hagar again, enslaved black women could face abuse and mistreatment by their owners. Drawing on these parallels, she expounds upon black women's critical role in the black church and black community life. The second part of the book is a kind of dialogue between the womanist theology Ms. Williams is expounding upon and other theologies/ideologies that it bumps up against such as black liberation theology, as expressed by black theologians such as [a:James H. Cone|17438|James H. Cone|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1281326117p2/17438.jpg] and others, white feminist ideology, and the black church as a whole.
Not everyone will agree with Ms. Williams's arguments. But the value of this book is in how it provides a unique perspective on Christian faith and practice from a group that too rarely gets a chance to speak out about their own travails. Whether this is your first experience with womanist theology or not, I would recommend this book to all Christian thinkers.