Table of Contents
Foreword to the 20th Anniversary Edition Katie G. Gannon ix
Preface xiii
Introduction 1
Part I Sisters in the Wilderness
Chapter 1 Hagar's Story: A Route to Black Women's Issues 15
Motherhood: A Forced Condition 15
Survival, Quality of Life and God 19
Surrogacy Roles and Wilderness Experience 21
Homelessness and Economic Realities 27
Chapter 2 Tensions in Motherhood: From Slavery to Freedom 32
Tensions in the Community over Motherhood 37
"Mamma-Baby" in Blues Literature 39
Black Mamma, Black Preacher, Black Protest 42
Black Women Authors Differ 45
Motherhood in a Context of Resistance 51
Chapter 3 Social-Role Surrogacy: Naming Black Women's Oppression 54
Coerced Surrogacy Roles and Antebellum Realities 55
Voluntary Surrogacy and Postbellum Realities 64
The Black Mammy Memorial Associatio 66
Old Oppression, New Threat 72
Chapter 4 Color Struck: A State of Mind 75
National/Religious Arrogance and Racial Narcissism 79
The Impact of Aesthetic Values 80
The Impact of Religion 81
Economic Impact 82
Enter Statistics, Politics and Science 83
Terror and Poverty for Ex-Slaves 85
For Instance: Eugenics 91
Chapter 5 Sisters in the Wilderness and Community Meanings 96
"Wilderness/Wilderness-Experience" in Black and White 98
Intellectual Significance of Symbolism 106
Social Significance of Symbolism 108
Political Importance of Symbolism: Survival and Resistance 115
Black Women's Resistance Activity 120
Part II Womanist God-Talk
Chapter 6 Womanist God-Talk and Black Liberation Theology 127
Theological Methodology 127
Tile Bible and Black Liberation Theology 128
Black Experience, Wilderness Experience, Theological Task 136
Doctrine: Surrogacy and Redemption 143
Re-Enter Black Liberation Theology 148
Ethical Task, Ethical Principles 151
Chapter 7 Womanist-Feminist Dialogue: Differences and Commonalities The Differences 158
What Is Acceptably Female? 159
Scope and Definition of Patriarchy 164
Womanist/Womanist Dialogue in Hermeneutics 166
God and the Oppressed in History 174
There Are Commonalities 176
Chapter 8 Womanist Reflections on "The Black Church," the African-American Denominational Churches and the Universal Hagar's Spiritual Church 181
"The Black Church" Invisible 181
Then There Are African-American Denominational Churches 182
Background for the Universal Hagar's Spiritual Church 194
The Universal Hagar's Spiritual Church 199
Christ According to Father Hurley 202
Afterword 208
Notes 213
Index 255
