God is a Black woman / Christena Cleveland, PhD.
| Author/creator | Cleveland, Christena, 1980- author. |
| Format | Book |
| Edition | First edition. |
| Publication | New York, NY : HarperOne, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2022] |
| Copyright Date | ©2022 |
| Description | ix, 262 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : color illustrations ; 22 cm |
| Subjects |
| Contents | She who is worth seeking at all costs -- In God we can't trust : the problem with whitemalegod -- She who guides us along the freedom path -- God of the gag reflex : whitemalegod's disgust for human need -- She who cherishes our hot mess -- God of bulimia : whitemalegod's war on our bodies -- She whose thick thighs save lives -- Machiavellian monster : whitemalegod's liturgy of fear -- She who loves by letting go -- God of white women -- She who is unapologetically Black -- She who has the final word. |
| Abstract | "For years, theologian, social psychologist, and activist Christena Cleveland spoke about 'racial reconciliation' to congregations, justice organizations, and colleges. Yet over time, she felt she could no longer trust in the God she'd been taught to worship--a God who, she realized, did not affirm a Black woman like her. Her crisis of faith sent her on an intellectual and spiritual journey through history and across France, on a four-hundred-mile walking pilgrimage to the ancient shrines of Black Madonnas, where she discovered the healing power of the Sacred Black Feminine. In recounting her mystical journey, Cleveland reveals how America's collective idea of God as a white man has perpetuated hurt, disillusionment, and racial and gender oppression. Integrating her stirring personal story, womanist ideology, as well as theological, historical, and social science research, she invites us to dismantle the cultural 'whitemalegod' and encounter the Sacred Black Feminine, giving us a new and hopeful path for connecting with the divine and honoring the sacredness of all Black people."-- Dust jacket. |
| Abstract | In this timely, much-needed book, theologian, social psychologist, and activist Christena Cleveland recounts her personal journey to dismantle the cultural "whitemalegod" and uncover the Sacred Black Feminine, introducing a Black Female God who imbues us with hope, healing, and liberating presence. For years, Christena Cleveland spoke about racial reconciliation to congregations, justice organizations, and colleges. But she increasingly felt she could no longer trust in the God she'd been implicitly taught to worship--a white male God who preferentially empowered white men despite his claim to love all people. A God who clearly did not relate to, advocate for, or affirm a Black woman like Christena. Her crisis of faith sent her on an intellectual and spiritual journey through history and across France, on a 400-mile walking pilgrimage to the ancient shrines of Black Madonnas to find healing in the Sacred Black Feminine. God Is a Black Woman is the chronicle of her liberating transformation and a critique of a society shaped by white patriarchal Christianity and culture. Christena reveals how America's collective idea of God as a white man has perpetuated hurt, hopelessness, and racial and gender oppression. Integrating her powerful personal story, womanist ideology, as well as theological, historical, and social science research, she invites us to take seriously the truth that God is not white nor male and gives us a new and hopeful path for connecting with the divine and honoring the sacredness of all Black people. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 255-262). |
| Issued in other form | Online version: Cleveland, Christena, 1980- God is a Black woman First edition New York, NY : HarperOne, [2022] 9780062988782 9780062988805 |
| LCCN | 2021038973 |
| ISBN | 9780062988782 (hardcover) |
| ISBN | 0062988786 (hardcover) |
Availability
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joyner | Ronnie Barnes African American Collection | BT153.M6 C49 2022 | ✔ Available | Place Hold |