A Troubling in My Soul

by Emilie M. Townes

In A Troubling in My Soul, well-known womanist theologians explore the persistent question of evil and suffering in compelling new ways. Committed to an integrated analysis of race, gender, and class, they also address the shortcomings of traditional, feminist, and Black theologies in dealing with evil. Taking Alice Walker's definition of "womanist" as a framework, in Part I, "Responsible, in Charge, " Clarice J. Martin explores "If God exists, why is there evil?"; Frances E. Wood shows how Christianity's idealization of suffering has harmed African-American women; and Jamie T. Phelps recounts the historic exclusion of African-American women - and men - in the Roman Catholic church. Part II, "It Wouldn't Be the First Time, " includes Marcia Y. Riggs on the 19th century Black club women's response to moral evil; Emilie M. Townes on a womanist ethic based on the example of Ida B. Wells-Barrett; and Rosita deAnn Mathews on the role of chaplain-clergyperson as priest, prophet, and employee. Part III, "Love's the Spirit, " includes M. Shawn Copeland on the narratives of enslaved and/or emancipated women of African descent; Delores S. Williams on sin and suffering in Black Christian theology; Cheryl A. Kirk-Duggan on the spirituals as an Afrocentric Christian response to evil; and Karen Baker-Fletcher on the life of Dr. Anna Julia Cooper and the vitality of voice in womanist experience. In Part IV, "As Purple Is to Lavender, " Patricia L. Hunter exposes the cosmetics industry's impact on Black women's self-understanding as creations of God. There is also Jacquelyn Grant on how a theology of servanthood degenerates into an apologetics for exploitation; Katie Geneva Cannon on the African-America folk sermon as genre; and, finally, Cheryl Townsend Gilkes on how Alice Walker's observations that one "loves food, " "loves roundness, " and "loves oneself" stand in opposition to the dominant culture's dictum that one can never be too rich or too thin. Vigorous and forthright, A T

Genres: Theology, Nonfiction, Race, Gender, Womens

272 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1993

Reviews

[Jack Markman · Rating 5 out of 5]

'A Troubling in My Soul' is a fascinating book, both for what it is and what it isn't. This is a book written by theologians about evil and suffering, as the subtitle would suggest. What it is not is a book on the problem of evil, at least not as it is commonly understood. The problem of evil, or theodicy, does get mentioned as introduction to several essays, but none are interested in confronting the problem per se. Their far more interesting goal is to confront evil itself. This distinction may seem trivial to those not familiar with other writings in the field, but it is in my opinion the key distinction that makes the collection of essays so compelling.

The problem of evil, for those who missed the definitions included in this text, may be summarized as trying to resolve the question of how a perfectly good, powerful, and knowledgeable god permits the presence of evil in the world. It is a logical bind that generations of philosophers have wrestled with, proposing various loopholes, proofs, and workarounds. Of course, these writings have largely been those of white, wealthy men, carrying with them all the limitations and bias that demographic implies. Alternate voices are needed to bring new life and perspective to this discussion, and this book is an excellent collection of some of those voices. This collection delivers new womanist perspectives (14, counting all essays), but not in the way you would think. It departs from the traditional logical proposition of theodicy by inverting the formula: where a traditional theodicy presumes evil to consider God, this collection presumes God to consider evil.

This may feel like a semantic distinction, but it is essentially the soul of the authors' womanist theology. Privileged narratives for theodicy leave evil as a passive abstraction in the work of speculative philosophy. 'Evil,' in these analyses, is entirely secondary, instrumentalized in the desire to defend or dethrone God. The details of evil, the suffering and horror that it defines, are entirely incidental to these discussions. A womanist analysis does not have the luxury to be so blasé, and so each of these essays documents in detail what evil entails for the black women of God. They are brutal and raw and unwilling to take 'as given' the injustices and indignities that define their shared history. Insofar as God is a part of this narrative, she/he is the voice of liberation and consolation for the oppressed, and her/his voice, regardless of God's 'reality' or speculative form, is essential in the fight against evil. If the theodicy is interested in generalities, in the sum of all evil syncretized with the source of all good, this collection is more interested in the particularities of evil, as well as good, and how God empowers the lives and ideas of the women of color documented in this collection. For a field and subject that has calcified with age, this seems to me to be a vital turn and essential reading for the Christian faithful.

I would highly recommend this collection. It is eminently readable for both experts and novices alike, with different authors all writing in clear and accessible prose, grappling with the different faces of evil. For anyone interested in theology or the problem of evil, this book is a great addition to your study.