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120
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Philosophy
Date
Feb 20, 2024
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Uploaded by PresidentRainDugong13
4. Discuss the Christian Womanist Theology focusing on the contributions of
Jacqueline Grant and Katie Cannon. Assess the significance of the Womanist
Theology
Christian Womanist theology was first introduced in the 1980s and Jacqueline Grant
and Katie Cannon played a significant role in establishing the framework. Womanist
theology is an approach to theology that centers around the perspective of African
American women and their experiences with religion. This form of theology was first
created for Black women to express their experiences with racism, classicism, and
misogyny regarding religion and morality. Previous forms of theology such as Feminist
theology and Black theology still neglected certain aspects of Black women's
experience including the effect of race on women's lives or the effect of gender on
African Americans' lives.
Katie Cannon is considered one of the founders of Christian Womanist Theology and
she was the first African-American woman to be ordained in the Presbyterian Church in
1974. In 1985 she published "The Emergence of Black Feminist Consciousness," which
marked the official beginning of Womanist Theology. The essay was made to empower
and encourage Black Women to relate to religion in terms of their own experiences and
beliefs. She encouraged them to interpret the Bible in a way that liberated them and
empowered them. African-American women were often disregarded in other forms of
theology and this new method would eventually serve as a guide for generations of
women to come.
Jacqueline Grant is also credited as one of the earliest founders of Christian Womanist
Theology. She actively critiqued the work of other black theologists, claiming that, "Black
women have been invisible in theology including black theology and feminist theology".
She then went on to publish “White Women's Christ and Black Women's Jesus:
Feminist Christology and Womanist Response” in 1989, which further developed the
idea that black women could not directly relate to the struggles of either black men or
white women considering they were struggling with all aspects of racism, classicism,
and sexism combined. Grant believed that the suffering of black women was similar to
the suffering of Jesus during his time.
Overall, Womanist Theology has had a huge impact on African-American women in
terms of their religious beliefs. It has given many women a space to understand their
experiences and connect to their religion on a deeper level. It has allowed them to find
support and empowerment where there was previously no opportunity for them to do so.
The movement continues to grow and evolve today.
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