The poet, literary giant and activist, Alice Walker, who is perhaps best known for her book-turned-movie, The Color Purple, said "womanist is to feminist as purple is to lavender. She is credited with coining the term, "womanist," in her 1983 critically-acclaimed work, "In Search of Our Mothers' Garden: Womanist Prose."
The term is derived from "womanish," a Black folk expression of mothers to female children suggesting being grown and responsible. It is in that thought, that womanist preachers seek to approach the homiletic text in a responsible manner, wanting to know more than what's on the surface, and to go in the deep exegetical work of looking at the biblical text through a lens of liberation. As more preachers, pastors and ministers of the word intentionally do the deeper exegetical work of interrogating the sacred biblical texts to raise up the muted voices of women, the theological landscape for womanism continues to expand. |
What Manner of Woman
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L-R: Rev. Dr. irie lynne session, rev. Kamilah hall sharp and rev. Yvette r. blair-lavallais, standing in the garden of womanist theology in dallas (2017)
The gathering: It BEGAN with preaching
the seven last words of Christ.
In an unprecedented and forward-thinking vision, seven women gathered on Good Friday, in Dallas, at the invitation of Rev. Dr. Irie Session, to reimagine Jesus's seven last words on the Cross, through womanist interpretation. Each of the seven women brought messages of hope, freedom, and healing, not just for the guests, but for themselves. You see, it is a rarity, even in 2017, for seven women preachers to be in one place, at one podium, on one preaching assignment. Those in attendance embraced this style of liberating preaching and inquired when and where would they be able to experience this again. That was the genesis of The Gathering.
Immediately following that authentic night of worship, Rev. Kamilah Hall Sharp and Dr. Session began having conversations, at the urging of her husband, Nakia Sharp, about creating a worshiping community that would offer womanist preaching, in Dallas, on a regular basis. They then invited Rev. Yvette Blair-Lavallais to the table. Clearly, God was doing a new and transformative work and was leading the way for the formation of this new faith community where all would be welcome to experience worship that is healing, authentic and necessary.
Immediately following that authentic night of worship, Rev. Kamilah Hall Sharp and Dr. Session began having conversations, at the urging of her husband, Nakia Sharp, about creating a worshiping community that would offer womanist preaching, in Dallas, on a regular basis. They then invited Rev. Yvette Blair-Lavallais to the table. Clearly, God was doing a new and transformative work and was leading the way for the formation of this new faith community where all would be welcome to experience worship that is healing, authentic and necessary.
what to expect at the gathering...
- Come prepared to spend one hour of worship where we will examine the text and do the deeper work of seeing the healing, restorative justice, and liberation in the Scriptures. Together, we will emerge less broken and ready to do the work that God is calling each of us to do in rebuilding God's beloved community! When God's preached word goes forth, it will convict us, challenge, and sometimes make us uncomfortable in those places where we have grown too comfortable. It's time to be liberated and set free! Expect Healing. Expect Authentic Worship. Expect it because it is Necessary.