Theologian Selina Stone discusses womanist theology, reflecting on limitations of traditional theology, spirituality's role in well-being, evolving relationship with the Bible, and why she no longer attends church. Hosts reflect on their faith journeys and ponder womanism's role.
Womanist theology integrates personal experiences with faith, fostering critical thinking and diverse perspectives in religious discourse.
Black women identify with Jesus' experiences of injustice and liberation in womanist theology.
Churches often lack discussions on emotional well-being, leading individuals to seek supportive communities elsewhere.
Womanism promotes decentering white male perspectives, advocating for social justice and empathy through active engagement with marginalized voices.
Deep dives
Importance of Acupuncture in Healing Back Pain
Acupuncture played a vital role in treating back pain, allowing individuals like Anna to regain mobility and reduce reliance on medication. Despite initial challenges in accessing treatment due to travel, the positive effects of acupuncture were evident as individuals could resume daily activities with less discomfort.
Creative Workshops and Healing at Finding Flow Retreat
Finding Flow retreat in Cornwall introduced innovative workshops focused on creativity, collages, music, and meditation. The retreat fostered a sense of community among participants, highlighting the power of collective wisdom and the impact of engaging in artistic processes for personal growth and healing.
Challenges and Growth in Hosting Longer Retreats
Hosting a longer five-day retreat presented challenges that pushed the host to rely more on intuition and creativity, rather than overpreparation. The experience led to personal growth by adapting to the unique dynamics of each group and crafting bespoke activities, like a meditation session, tailored to participants' needs.
The Impact of Health Issues on Daily Life
Struggles with health issues within the Nash family, including stomach problems and difficulties sleeping, impacted their daily lives. Despite facing physical discomfort and disruptions, family members managed to persevere and maintain a sense of humor in coping with these challenges.
Exploring Womanist Theology & Personal Reflections
Selena Stone, a theologian, shared insights on womanist theology, reflecting on her upbringing in a Black Pentecostal church. Womanist theology provided a platform to integrate personal experiences with faith, encouraging critical thinking and a deeper understanding of diverse perspectives in religious discourse.
Black Women's Solidarity with Jesus
Black women find solidarity with Jesus as someone familiar with unjust systems, betrayal, and body shaming. They see Jesus as empowering and liberating, contrary to white feminist theology.
Challenges with Traditional Church Spaces
Traditional church spaces often lack discussions on emotional well-being and trauma processing, leading individuals, like the interviewee, to seek alternative supportive communities outside of church settings.
Impacts of Womanism on White Men
Womanism encourages white men to decenter themselves, listen to marginalized voices, and actively engage in understanding and respecting diverse perspectives, promoting a shift towards social justice and empathy.
Theologian Selina Stone joins us to share her experience of growing up in a black Pentecostal church, the questions and doubts she wrestled with, and the answers she found in womanist theology.
Among other things, Selina reflects on the limitations of traditional theology, the role of spirituality in fostering well-being, her evolving relationship with the Bible, and why she now no longer regularly attends church.
Following the interview Tim and Anna reflect on their own evolving faith journey, and ponder what role womanism might play in it.
