A God who Sees and Hears

Summary

For the last 2 years, I’ve been part of a group of 10 women pastors from IN-MI conference and Central District conference, who get together about 4 times a year to discuss a book we’ve read. We have deliberately chosen to read theologians who are not white men. Some of our richest, and most challenging, conversations have been reading womanist theologians—black women theologians who articulate a feminist theology that takes race into account. Their critique of feminism is that it is largely white, middle class women, whose theology doesn’t quite fit for women of colour.

In May, we got together to discuss Delores S. Williams’ book, Sisters in the Wilderness: The Challenge of Womanist God-Talk. Williams looks at Hagar and her story through the eyes of African-American women coming out of a history of slavery. How has Hagar’s story been viewed and used by African slave women and African-American women? What does it have to say to women in situations where their choice and self-determination is limited? How might her story be a source of encouragement for all people who find themselves in situations where there appears to be no way out?