Introducing Womanist Theology

Preface ix Acknowledgments xii PART I Black Women: Race, Gender, and Class 3(22) Dynamics of Gender: ``Be a Lady'' 5(7) Dynamics of Race: ``But You Are Black'' 12(3) Questions of Class 15(4) Race with Gender with Class: Connecting the Dots 19(3) Becoming Womanists 22(2) Discussion Questions 24(1) Constructing Theologies 25(21) Contours of Theology 26(4) Dynamics of Theology 30(5) Defining Theology 35(3) Defining Liberation Theologies 38(4) Culture and Theology 42(3) Discussion Questions 45(1) Womanist Theology 46(21) ``Ordinary'' Theologies 46(3) Communal Dimensions 49(6) Constructing Womanist Theology 55(5) Defining Womanist Theology 60(4) Discussion Questions 64(3) PART II Womanist Constructions 67(19) Signal Texts 68(6) Distinctive Approaches 74(3) Developing Methods of Womanist Work 77(4) Continued Development of Womanist Theology 81(4) Discussion Questions 85(1) Dialogue and Womanist Theology 86(19) Womanist or Black Feminist? Naming Ourselves 87(4) Dialogue between Womanists and White Feminists 91(2) Afrocentricity and Womanist Theology 93(3) Black Theology and Womanist Theology 96(2) Black Religious Traditions 98(3) Dialogue with Students: Teaching Womanist Theology 101(1) Womanist Thought in the Diaspora: Global Dialogue 102(2) Discussion Questions 104(1) Womanist Theology, Constructed 105(19) Suffering and Salvation 106(7) Reconsidering Christology 113(4) A Word about Womanist Biblical Scholarship 117(1) Questions of God 118(3) Personhood 121(2) Discussion Questions 123(1) New Challenges, Lingering Questions 124(21) Pastoral Theology 124(5) Ecumenical Dialogue 129(3) Connections with Traditional African Religions 132(6) Theology of Sexuality 138(2) Ethnography and Art: Expanding Womanist Methods 140(3) Conclusion 143(1) Discussion Questions 144(1) Notes 145(16) Bibliography 161(12) Index 173