Womanish Theology : Discovering God through the Lens of Black Girlhood

Khristi Lauren Adams's faith was first shaped by her experiences as a Black girl--learning about Scripture from her grandmother, Mama Hattie; "playing church" with her seven cousins over summer vacation; and grieving the murder of her sixteen-year-old friend when she was just fifteen. In Womanish Theology, Adams reflects on those experiences, inviting readers to learn from a new perspective and guiding them to a deeper understanding of their own spirituality. This groundbreaking book introduces a new branch of theological thought Adams calls womanish, as a play on the womanist tradition (the theology of Black womanhood). "Womanish," remembers Adams, is a term Black mothers used for young girls as they grew more interested in doing grown-up things. Adams draws on her own life story as well as the life stories of other Black girls to explore theological concepts such as Scripture, theodicy, salvation, prayer, neighborly love, and the image of God. Through this journey, readers will learn that theology is for everyone and that the whole community of God can learn from the spiritual insights of Black girls.