Jacquelyn Grant (born 1948) is an American theologian, a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

minister. Alongside

Katie Cannon Katie Geneva Cannon (January 3, 1950 – August 8, 2018) was an American Christian theologian and ethicist associated with womanist theology and black theology. In 1974 she became the first African-American woman ordained in the United Presbyt ...

Delores S. Williams Delores Seneva Williams (November 17, 1934 – November 17, 2022) was an American Presbyterian theologian and professor notable for her formative role in the development of womanist theology and best known for her book ''Sisters in the Wildernes ...

, and

Kelly Brown Douglas Kelly Brown Douglas (born 1957) is an African-American Episcopal priest, womanist theologian, and former interim president of Episcopal Divinity School. She was previously the inaugural Dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Se ...

, Grant is considered one of the four founders of

womanist theology Womanist theology is a methodological approach to theology which centers the experience and perspectives of Black women, particularly African-American women. The first generation of womanist theologians and ethicists began writing in the mid to ...

. Womanist theology addresses theology from the viewpoint of

Black women Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

, reflecting on both their perspectives and experience in regards to faith and moral standards. Grant is currently the Callaway Professor of Systematic Theology at the

Interdenominational Theological Center The Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) is a consortium of five predominantly African-American denominational Christian seminaries in Atlanta, Georgia, operating together as a professional graduate school of theology. It is the largest ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

Biography

Grant was born December 19, 1948, in

Georgetown, South Carolina Georgetown is the third oldest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina and the county seat of Georgetown County, South Carolina, Georgetown County, in the South Carolina Lowcountry, Lowcountry. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census ...

. She was one of nine children born to her father, the Rev. Joseph J Grant, a pastor, and her mother, Lillie Mae Grant, a cosmetologist. Grant grew up interested in

religion Religion is a range of social system, social-cultural systems, including designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics in religion, ethics, or ...

, attending

Catholic school Catholic schools are Parochial school, parochial pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest parochial schools, religious, no ...

at a young age and graduating from the local Howard High School in 1966. A graduate of

Bennett College Bennett College is a private university, private historically black colleges and universities, historically black liberal arts college, liberal arts Women's colleges in the Southern United States, college for women in Greensboro, North Carolin ...

and Turner Theological Seminary, she became the first black woman to earn a doctoral degree in

systematic theology Systematic theology, or systematics, is a discipline of Christian theology that formulates an orderly, rational, and coherent account of the doctrines of the Christian faith. It addresses issues such as what the Bible teaches about certain topics ...

Union Theological Seminary Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York (shortened to UTS or Union) is a Private college, private ecumenical liberal Christian seminary in Morningside Heights, Manhattan, affiliated with Columbia University since 1928. Presently, Co ...

. Her doctoral thesis was titled "''The development and limitations of feminist Christology: toward an engagement of white women's and black women's religious experiences.''" At Union, she worked under professor

James H. Cone James Hal Cone (August 5, 1938 – April 28, 2018) was an American Methodist minister and theologian. He is best known for his advocacy of black theology and black liberation theology. His 1969 book ''Black Theology and Black Power'' provided ...

, who is known as the father of

black theology Black theology, or black liberation theology, refers to a theological perspective which originated among African-American seminarians and scholars, and in some black churches in the United States and later in other parts of the world. It contex ...

. Grant was ordained by the

African Methodist Episcopal Church The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the AME Church or AME, is a Methodist denomination based in the United States. It adheres to Wesleyan theology, Wesleyan–Arminian theology and has a connexionalism, connexional polity. It ...

in 1974. In 1976 and 1980, Grant wrote and presented position papers at the denomination's General Conference titled "The Status of Women in the AME Church" and "The AME Church and Women," respectively. She founded the denomination's Women in Ministry organization, which later became the Commission on Women and Ministry. In 1977, Grant became involved with

Harvard Divinity School Harvard Divinity School (HDS) is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school's mission is to educate its students either in the religious studies, academic study of religion or for leadership role ...

's Women's Research Program. Her involvement with this program led to the creation of the Women's Studies in Religion Program, in which she worked for two years. In this capacity: In 1981, Grant founded the Center for Black Women in Church and Society at the

in Atlanta in 1981, where she holds the title of Professor. The center's programs included The Womanist Scholars Program (WSP) and the Black Women in Ministerial Leadership Program (BWML). Grant was the assistant minister at Flipper Temple African Methodist Episcopal Church from 1980 to 1982, and later the assistant minister at Victory African Methodist Episcopal Church in Atlanta. She is now the Fuller E. Callaway Professor of Systematic Theology at the Interdenominational Theological Union in Atlanta. She is the widow of the Rev. Dr. John W.P. Collier, Jr., who worked as the executive secretary for the AME Church's Department of Missions.

Achievements and contributions

Grant is known for her commitment to building stronger communities and churches. In her professional capacities, she mentors numerous students, particularly women of color. Grant was featured as a contributor in the 1983 April issue of ''

Ebony Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus '' Diospyros'', which also includes the persimmon tree. A few ''Diospyros'' species, such as macassar and mun ebony, are dense enough to sink in water. Ebony is fin ...

'' magazine to the article "School of Religion for Men Behind Bars" and to the article "Gifts of the Spirit" in the 1992 December issue. Grant was the recipient of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Ministry Award in 1986 and has been nominated as the Woman of the Year in Religion by the

Iota Phi Lambda Iota Phi Lambda Sorority Inc. () is an African American business sorority. It was the first Greek-lettered business sorority established by African American women. It has established more than 100 chapters in the United States. It is a member of ...

sorority. She has appeared in the ''Who's Who Among African Americans''. Grant currently has a research project that examines

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

understanding of the divine through black theology and black art. Grant has been professionally involved with a range of international and national organizations, including the

World Council of Churches The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a worldwide Christian inter-church organization founded in 1948 to work for the cause of ecumenism. Its full members today include the Assyrian Church of the East, most jurisdictions of the Eastern Orthodo ...

, the

National Council of Churches The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, usually identified as the National Council of Churches (NCC), is a left-wing progressive activist group and the largest ecumenical body in the United States. NCC is an ecumenical partners ...

, the

Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians The Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians (EATWOT) is a network of theologians coming primarily from Africa, Asia, and Latin America and interested in creating theology that is relevant for their contexts. The group tended to critique tr ...

, the

American Academy of Religion The American Academy of Religion (AAR) is the world's largest association of scholarly method, scholars in the List of academic disciplines, field of religious studies and related topics. It is a nonprofit member association, serving as a profess ...

, and the Society for the Study of Black Religion.

As a womanist theologian

Theologian Jacquelyn Grant's scholarship "distinguishes between the remote and heavenly Christ worshipped in mainline white churches and the immanent and intimate Jesus whom black women recognize as their friend".Grant, J. (1989). ''White Women's Christ and Black Women's Jesus: Feminist Christology and Womanist Response''. Atlanta, Ga.: Scholars Press. Grant illuminates how many black women share a commitment in using their faith to avoid construction of stereotypes. Grant also examines how black women are the vast majority of active participants in their churches and that their work tends to be undervalued.Jacquelyn Grant, ''Black Theology and the Black Women'', (NY: Orbis Books, 1993), 325. The professor and former pastor argues that women serving as

activists Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...

for the

black church The Black church (sometimes termed Black Christianity or African American Christianity) is the faith and body of Christian denominations and congregations in the United States that predominantly minister to, and are led by, African Americans, ...

are sometimes put into institutional categories for their political expression by the black church itself. Grant expounds on this and similar notions in her writings. She explains while it may sound like a compliment that black women are called the "backbone" of the church, in fact the author chides "the telling portion of the word backbone is 'back'. It has become apparent to me that most of the ministers who use this term have reference to location rather than function. What they really mean is that women are in the 'background' and should be kept there." Grant, alongside

and

Delores Williams Delores Seneva Williams (November 17, 1934 – November 17, 2022) was an American Presbyterian theologian and professor notable for her formative role in the development of womanist theology and best known for her book ''Sisters in the Wildernes ...

, represents the first generation of womanist theologians. She differs from earlier black theologians such as

, whose work Grant did not think adequately addressed the lived realities of black women. Grant highlights this critique of Cone's work by pointing out that "Black women have been invisible in theology including

and

feminist theology Feminist theology is a movement found in several religions, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Sikhism, Jainism, Neopaganism, Baháʼí Faith, Judaism, Islam, Christianity, and New Thought, to reconsider the traditions, practices, scri ...

".Jacquelyn Grant, "Black Theology and the Black Women," in James H. Cone and Gayraud S. Wilmore ed., Black Theology: A Documentary History, Volume I, 1996-1979, (NY: Orbis Books, 1993), 326. Grant also notably argues that the oppression of black women is different to that of black men. She also advances the idea that black women are more oppressed and ultimately need liberation more than white women and black men. Grant and Cone both influenced scholar

, who produced a commonly-referenced definition of womanist theology:

Book reception

Jacquelyn Grant is widely regarded as an important "womanist theologian." Her 1989 book ''White Women's Christ and Black Women's Jesus: Feminist Christology and Womanist Response'' was a best seller. The text lays out the complex relationship between

Christology In Christianity, Christology is a branch of Christian theology, theology that concerns Jesus. Different denominations have different opinions on questions such as whether Jesus was human, divine, or both, and as a messiah what his role would b ...

and

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

. In it, Grant centers the voices of black women and the intersections between Christology and womanist theology, addressing the historical and modern-day experiences of black women. Grant's work in ''White Women's Christ and Black Women's Jesus: Feminist Christology and Womanist Response'' conveyed the "tri-dimensional reality render ng Black women'ssituation a complex one. One could say that not only are they the oppressed of the oppressed, but their situation represents the 'particular within the particular,'"Joan M. Martin, "The Notion of Difference for Emerging Women Ethics." as author Joan M. Martin points out in ''The Notion of Difference for Emerging Women Ethics''. By exploring the relationship between black women and Jesus as a "divine co-sufferer", Grant's contribution to

provides meaningful examples and a theoretical framework to fuel conversation and research on an assortment of topics dealing with black women's experiences.

Publications

*''White Women's Christ and Black Women's Jesus: Feminist Christology and Womanist Response'' (Atlanta, Ga.: Scholars Press, 1989. American Academy of Religion academy series). *(co-ed. with Randall C. Bailey) ''The Recovery of Black Presence: An Interdisciplinary Exploration : Essays in Honor of Dr. Charles B. Copher.'' Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1995. *'' Perspectives on Womanist Theology.'' Atlanta: ITC Press, 1995. *"Black women and the church" in Hull, Gloria T., Patricia Bell-Scott, and Barbara Smith (eds), ''All the Women Are White, All the Blacks Are Men, but Some of Us Are Brave: Black Women's Studies.'' Old Westbury, N.Y.: Feminist Press, 1982.'' *"The challenge of the darker sister" in Soskice, Janet Martin, and Diana Lipton. ''Feminism and Theology.'' New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Grant, Jacquelyn 1948 births 20th-century African-American writers 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American Methodist ministers 20th-century American Protestant theologians 21st-century American women writers 21st-century American Methodist ministers 21st-century American Protestant theologians Academics from Georgia (U.S. state) Academics from South Carolina African Americans in Georgia (U.S. state) African Americans in South Carolina African Methodist Episcopal Church clergy African-American Methodist clergy African-American theologians American women academics Bennett College alumni Christians from Georgia (U.S. state) Christians from South Carolina Interdenominational Theological Center alumni Interdenominational Theological Center faculty Living people Methodist theologians People from Georgetown, South Carolina Clergy from Atlanta Religious leaders from South Carolina Systematic theologians Union Theological Seminary alumni Womanist theologians Women Christian theologians Writers from Atlanta 20th-century African-American women writers 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American academics 21st-century American academics