This workshop is the third meeting of the series In Spirit and In Truth: Race, Christian Worship, and Public Witness. The first workshop, Health and Transformation in Afro-Christian Worship, was held in July 2003. The second workshop, Afro-Christian Worship and Social Transformation, was held in July 2004. The focus of this third workshop will be the study and celebration of African-American female preachers and worship leaders in the United States. As with the other workshops in this series, we seek to bring together scholars and practitioners of Afro-Christian worship for a week of intense discussion, practice, and study.
Specifically, this workshop will explore: 1) how the scholarship of Afro-Christian women has been instrumental in shaping the voice and vision of social change and social justice; 2) the social-historical place, impact, and influence of Afro-Christian female preachers and worship leaders in the United States; 3) the intersection of womanist perspectives and Christian theology and its implications for Afro-Christian women in ministry; and 4) the connections between Afro-Christian women worship leaders and the development of "women composers" in the gospel music genre.
This workshop will not only lead participants in a scholarly exploration of the leading and defining of worship and preaching among Afro-Christian women, but will also engage participants in active worship.
