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Womanist biblical hermeneutics centers Black women’s experience and identity, social location, historical memory, a hermeneutics of suspicion, and a hermeneutics of affirmation. In addition, womanist biblical hermeneutics are radical and subversive forms of biblical interpretation that provide multi-dimensional systemic analysis and critique, acknowledge and affirm a multiplicity of voices and identities. Womanist biblical hermeneutics provide a means for Black women to critique unjust forms of oppression, discourse, and practices, especially in relation to the use of scripture in order to facilitate social transformation. This bibliographic essay will map the various conceptual frameworks and methods of religious scholars engaging in womanist’s
biblical hermeneutics. Important to note, Womanist biblical hermeneutics are diverse, interdisciplinary, polyvocal, and expands discourse among scholars in various disciplines and fields. Furthermore, womanist biblical hermeneutics are dialogical, and ever expanding. This paper outlines what constitutes as womanist biblical hermeneutical methodologies. Foremost, it is important to highlight that womanist biblical hermeneutical methods are not singularly employed by biblical scholars but by ethicists, theologians, philosophers and scholars in other religious and extra-religious studies disciplines as my scholarly contributors reflect. Where this body of scholarship converges is around the struggle to render theological reflection through biblical interpretation on non-essential, non-romanticized understandings of what it means to be a “ Black woman.” In response to dominant traditional Eurocentric biblical interpretations, Womanist scholars render theological reflection that stems from Black women’s consciousness and knowledge as a method of resistance to oppression through mainstream ideologies, interpretations, and practices. The scholars included share similar theoretical interests and methodologies in order to resist marginalization and exploitation in biblical and cultural settings. None of the works represent a comprehensive womanist biblical hermeneutic rather together, offer theoretical and methodological contributions that endeavor to advance our knowledge of multiple and intersecting inequalities that impact Black women historically, socially and religiously as well as underscore the problems and struggles of Black women seeking liberation. Similarly, scholars in this bibliography do not employ all methods nor argue all theories outlined within this essay.
In the novel, Under the Feet of Jesus, (Viramontes) I have focused on the female gender role that Estrella and both Cleofilas face in different situations of their life in relation to labor. Estrella, is one of the main characters that I’m writing about. She learns quickly what hard labor really is. She learns at an early age of thirteen what female and male gender roles consist of. She works inside of her family’s homes by washing the dishes, looking after the children and then working out in the hot fields picking grapes for her and family to survive.
Though her life is a mystery to many academics, her only recovered works “Secret and “The Negro Laughs Back”, like Wilson’s, Hurston’s and Johnson’s explore the deep seated feelings of frustration with the ongoing fight for equality. However, unlike them, she explores ideas of spirituality which suggest that God lives within her. Mary Jenness’s work “Secret” is the exemplification of these ideas, she speaks directly to the heart of the African American struggle for equality within the United States. More assertive than her counterparts who proceed her, Jenness speaks directly to her oppressor, “Oh you that strike will never flinch/from hearts you cannot feel”, a line that suggests a lack of empathy from her oppressor. Using terms of aggression, such as strike and flinch to provoke an image of uncaring hatred (Jenness 82). She compares her plight, and the plight of all African American women to the same difficulties faced by Jesus Christ. Jenness creates this juxtaposition, by alluding to the Bible, best evidenced in the third line of the poem, “Though I that turn the cheek may hide/a wound that does not heal”, an allusion to Bible scripture Mathew 5:39, when Jesus instructs his followers to turn the other cheek. Yet, unlike Jesus, her wounds, and the wounds of African American women are often without healing. Jenness continues the work stating, “Yet something in you has to die/And something in me live” the “something Jenness refers to is humanity, noting that the cruelty exercised by her oppressors is hurting them more than her, as they are relinquishing their own souls and connection with mankind. The thought of this allows Jenness to end the work with a renewed sense of hope and thanks her enemies “for the gift of hate/ that keeps me sensitive” (Jenness 82). Throughout the poem, there is the familiar tone of anger and pain found in much of the writings of
Deborah Gray White’s Ar’n’t I a Woman? details the grueling experiences of the African American female slaves on Southern plantations. White resented the fact that African American women were nearly invisible throughout historical text, because many historians failed to see them as important contributors to America’s social, economic, or political development (3). Despite limited historical sources, she was determined to establish the African American woman as an intricate part of American history, and thus, White first published her novel in 1985. However, the novel has since been revised to include newly revealed sources that have been worked into the novel. Ar’n’t I a Woman? presents African American females’ struggle with race and gender through the years of slavery and Reconstruction. The novel also depicts the courage behind the female slave resistance to the sexual, racial, and psychological subjugation they faced at the hands of slave masters and their wives. The study argues that “slave women were not submissive, subordinate, or prudish and that they were not expected to be (22).” Essentially, White declares the unique and complex nature of the prejudices endured by African American females, and contends that the oppression of their community were unlike those of the black male or white female communities.
"God of the Oppressed" is brilliantly organized into ten chapters. These chapters serve as the building blocks to the true understanding of Cone’s Black Theology. This progressive movement begins with an introduction of both him and his viewpoint. He explains that his childhood in Bearden, Arkansas and his membership to Macedonia African Methodist Episcopal Church (A.M.E) has taught him about the black Church experience and the sociopolitical significance of white people. “My point is that one’s social and historical context decides not only the questions we address to God but also the mode of form of the answers given to the questions.” (14) The idea of “speaking the truth” is added at this point because to go any further the reader must understand the reason and goal for Black Theology. Through the two sources in that shape theology, experience and scripture, white theology concludes that the black situation is not a main point of focus. Cone explains the cause for this ignorance, “Theology is not a universal language; it is interested language and thus is always a reflection of the goals and aspirations of a particular people in a definite social setting.” (36) This implies that one’s social context shapes their theology and white’s do not know the life and history of blacks. As the reader completes the detailed analysis of society’s role in shaping experiences, Cone adds to the second source, scripture.
James H. Cone is the Charles A. Briggs Distinguished Professor of Systematic Theology at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. Dr. Cone probably is best known for his book, A Black Theology of Liberation, though he has authored several other books. Dr. Cone wrote that the lack of relevant and “risky” theology suggests that theologians are not able to free themselves from being oppressive structures of society and suggested an alternative. He believes it is evident that the main difficulty most whites have with Black Power and its compatible relationship to the Christian gospel stemmed from their own inability to translate non-traditional theology into the history of black people. The black man’s response to God’s act in Christ must be different from the whites because his life experiences are different, Dr. Cone believes. In the “black experience,” the author suggested that a powerful message of biblical theology is liberation from oppression.
For centuries religion has played a huge role in the black community. From slavery to freedom, religion has help black folk deal with their anger, pain, oppression, sadness, fear, and dread. Recognizing the said importance of religion in the black community, Black poets and writers like Phillis Wheatley and Richard Wright, use religion as an important motif in their literature. Wheatley uses religion as a way to convince her mostly white audience of how religious conversion validates the humanity of herself and others. Wright on the other hand, uses religion in order to demonstrate how religion, as uplifting as it is can fail the black community. Thinking through, both Wheatley and Wright’s writings it becomes apparent that religion is so complex,
Anna Julia Cooper’s, Womanhood a Vital Element in the Regeneration and Progress, an excerpt from A Voice from the South, discusses the state of race and gender in America with an emphasis on African American women of the south. She contributes a number of things to the destitute state African American woman became accustom to and believe education and elevation of the black woman would change not only the state of the African American community but the nation as well. Cooper’s analysis is based around three concepts, the merging of the Barbaric with Christianity, the Feudal system, and the regeneration of the black woman.
Although the purpose of the Bible is to teach us the right way to live with its numerous rules, the book “The Year of Living Biblically” by A.J. Jacobs, exposes the less publicized rules and how contradictory some of them can be. The main propose of the author of this book is not to criticize or make fun of religion in his quest to “follow the Bible as literally as possible”, but to demonstrate that he enjoys the learning experience. A.J. Jacobs suggests that people claim to be religious when in fact, they only take the rules and ideas they want, this is the reason why I think gender inequality continues to penetrate society today.
In the opening paragraph of her article "Depatriarchalizing in Biblical Interpretation," Phyllis Trible says that the task she has set before herself, that of relating the words of Hebrew Scripture to the ideology of the Women's Liberation Movement, is considered by many to be "impossible and ill-advised." (Trible, "Depatriarchalizing," 30) Some would suggest, she supposes, that "[t]he two phenomena have nothing to say to each other." (Ibid.) She then quotes Kate Millet expressing one of the more radical views of feminism: that much of the body of scripture in question was written with the express intent of turning the female gender into scapegoats for the ills of the world.
... This would be no small feat since Christians had for generations practiced and defended not just slavery, but the hatred and demise of anything black or African. Cone's mission was to bring blackness and Christianity together.” # In 1969, Cone published Black Theology and Black Power. In this book, Cone brought attention to racism in theology and proposes a theology addressing black issues, this theology would provide liberation and empowerment of blacks and “create a new value structures so that our understanding of blackness will not depend upon European misconceptions.”
Women in the biblical bible represent a transitioning and evolutionary turn for women in the future. Biblical women have open doors of opportunities that allow women to become more independent, confidents and sophisticated. History has shown how women first were seen as a typical care taker or protector compared to a “provider,” which was more associated with men. However, over the century, there has been a chain broken and opportunities released that allowed women to become more like men to a certain degree. There has been a change in status, roles, and education. Biblical women have allowed women in the twenty-first century the chance to obtain a higher status role such as, a provider for their family. Therefore, allowing women to stand up for their rights and what they believe in using sexual techniques. Such as, manipulating men, using their body as a weapon and the power of “sisterhood” to get what they want.
The retrenchment of African American women’s freedom was arguably one of the most polarizing events of the 1880s that caused moral and ethical dissent between black men and women. The lack of leadership roles given to women in various religious, and political groups, led to the creation of the Black Women's (convention) Club Movement. With men in control of the religious sphere, the convention allowed women to attempt to do a better job than the men. The intersectionality of gender and religion by means of analysis provides the patriarchal notions of masculinity a multi-faceted platform to analyze Marcus Garvey, Father Divine, and the role women played in each of their strategies. In the analysis of these two characters it becomes clear that they are not as different as they may initially seem, ultimately not undermining Deborah Grey’s notion that .
The number of feminist scholars critically assessing Biblical narrative has risen since the second feminist movement of the 1970s (Scholz 2014). A common theme of their scholarship has been to what extent the Bible may be seen to favour men. Some feminist scholars may not be able to legitimately assess the Bible and remain faithful to it because of such outdated views on women in a time when women’s equality is encouraged. I will firstly discuss the difficulties of being a feminist scholar and a Christian or Jew with particular reference to belonging to men, being of less value in society, and finally with a focus on key issues arising from Genesis 2 and 3 whereby gender roles and woman’s blame for the Fall of Man have been central to feminist interpretations. I will then assess ways in which such difficulties may be overcome with a different interpretation, beginning with refuting claims concerning the Creation story. This will be followed by analysing how the Bible is read and the value of historical context when doing so. By discussing these aspects, I will reach a conclusion as to how far you can be both a feminist scholar and a faithful Christian or Jew.
The stories about women in the bible illustrate the importance of their role and contribution to society. Women were slaves, concubines, and child bearers; they were also wives, matriarchs, and prophets. Although, some women had less important titles than others each served a purpose. Even if the Bible does not explain God’s relationship with women as with Moses and other prophets, it illustrates the love and dedication women had for Him. The scriptures describe brave, nurturing, and God fearing women whose decisions impacted the existence of the Israelites.
Rachel often addresses her thoughts to God. How does she imagine Him? or it is)? Does Rachel's concept of God change during the course of the A novel or a novel? Explain the adage of Rachel Cameron, the heroine of "A Jest of God", is not simply an.