She Lives! (description of blog)

Growing up in the Baptist tradition, I learned from memory the hymn “He Lives.” I loved singing this hymn to a lilting tune, increasing in volume along with everyone in the congregation as we came to the refrain after each stanza: “He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today! You ask me how I know He lives: He lives within my heart.”

It would not be until many years later that I could even imagine singing or saying, “She lives.” I had learned to worship a God who was named and imaged as male. But while studying in a conservative Baptist seminary, I was surprised to find Her. I discovered female names and images for the Divine in the Bible and in Christian history. After graduating from seminary and being ordained as a minister, I began researching, writing, preaching, and teaching to persuade people that we need to include female divine names and images in worship if we are to have social justice, peace, and equality.

The title of my latest book comes from my continual discoveries of Her, living and working in all creation. She Lives! Wisdom Works in the World features one of my favorite female names for the Divine, found in the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures and in many spiritual traditions. I continually see Wisdom working in our world and the great need for more of Her works. “Wisdom Works” then plays on the word “works” as both noun and verb. Wisdom works within, around, and among all creation to bring abundant life, new creation, justice, peace, liberation, love, hope, and joy.

This blog will continue to highlight the works of Wisdom in our world. It will include stories of people who join Wisdom in working for gender equality, racial equality, marriage equality, care of creation, economic justice, nonviolence, interfaith collaboration, and other works of justice and peace. In this blog you will also find Her works highlighted through worship resources, articles, videos, and information about feminist faith communities.

I’d like for this to be an interactive blog. I’d love to hear from you about Wisdom’s works that you see in the world and about people who are engaged in them. Also, please send me locations and information about feminist emancipatory faith communities and worship rituals that include female divine names and images. I’m drawing from Marjorie Procter-Smith use of  “feminist emancipatory” in her book The Church in Her House: A Feminist Emancipatory Prayer Book for Christian Communities (http://www.amazon.com/Church-Her-House-Emancipatory-Communities/dp/0829817018/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415132115&sr=1-2). Dr. Procter-Smith explains her use of this term: “By ‘feminist’ I mean to place women at the center, to make women visible, audible, and active. By ‘emancipatory’ I mean being oriented toward the freedom of all people, recognizing the intersection and interrelationship of multiple forms of oppression.”

My vision is that this blog will be a great resource to help people find feminist emancipatory faith communities and to provide worship rituals for creating more of these communities around the world. You can respond to this post and other blog posts on my website by clicking “leave a comment” at the end of posts and/or through clicking “Contact” under “Lectures” on my website.

I invite you to join the adventure of creating rituals that include the Female Divine and to join communities that celebrate Her, affirming the sacred value of all people and all creation. Together we can change our world through joining with Wisdom in Her works of justice, peace, life, and love!