God Is a Black Woman

Written by Christena Cleveland

Narrated by Robin Eller

In this timely, much-needed book, theologian, social psychologist, and activist Christena Cleveland recounts her personal journey to dismantle the cultural “whitemalegod” and uncover the Sacred Black Feminine, introducing a Black Female God who imbues us with hope, healing, and liberating presence.

For years, Christena Cleveland spoke about racial reconciliation to congregations, justice organizations, and colleges. But she increasingly felt she could no longer trust in the God she’d been implicitly taught to worship—a white male God who preferentially empowered white men despite his claim to love all people. A God who clearly did not relate to, advocate for, or affirm a Black woman like Christena. 

Her crisis of faith sent her on an intellectual and spiritual journey through history and across France, on a 400-mile walking pilgrimage to the ancient shrines of Black Madonnas to find healing in the Sacred Black Feminine. God Is a Black Woman is the chronicle of her liberating transformation and a critique of a society shaped  by white patriarchal Christianity and culture. Christena reveals how America’s collective idea of God as a white man has perpetuated hurt, hopelessness, and racial and gender oppression. Integrating her powerful personal story, womanist ideology, as well as theological, historical, and social science research, she invites us to take seriously the truth that God is not white nor male and gives us a new and hopeful path for connecting with the divine and honoring the sacredness of all Black people.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Feb 8, 2022
• ISBN: 9780062988812

Christena Cleveland

Christena Cleveland Ph.D. is a social psychologist, public theologian, author, and activist. She is the founder and director of the Center for Justice + Renewal as well as its sister organization, Sacred Folk, which creates resources to stimulate people’s spiritual imaginations and support their journeys toward liberation. An award-winning researcher and. A former professor at Duke University’s Divinity School, Christena’s work has appeared in magazines ranging from Essence to Christianity Today. She lives in Boston, Massachusetts. 

Reviews for God Is a Black Woman

[Tom Thompson · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was a good read but some of the parallels were off base.

[therese atkinson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow. Just wow. I have so much to unlearn and biases that need breaking down. This book was beautiful and hard to hear in some aspects. But so worth it.

[Jessica Wilson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Joining Christina on her journey to the sacred black feminine has been a privilege. I have encountered so many healing messages and been restored by her bravery to share her story in dismantling the power of white-male-god in her life. Blessings to all who are open to the adventure.

[Chandra Kamaria · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is such a riveting and honest work. Throughout the text, the author metaphorically and brilliantly connects the lived Black woman experience with the spiritual and sacred component of Black femininity. I'm inspired.

[river ash · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

this book has filled me with courage, and tenderly held me like a mother. It has emboldened and sharpened my spirit. This book is a life saving work of art.

[sharby · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A must read for anyone seeking to begin or evolve their journey awake from the harmfulness of evangelicalism. Poignant. Timely.

[kaulsu · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

My disappointment was my own fault: I made a cross-stitch of the Polish Black Madonna and posted it on FaceBook. In all humility, it is absolutely stunning, and I received a gazillion comments from friends. One, my mentor from the days of my internship at a retirement community, recommended this book. I thought he said that Cleveland had visited Black Madonnas all around the world. In reality she visited 18 statues in France. Fair enough, but she did not write much about their histories except for the Madonna of the Rock.One reason why I did not like the book is that she wrote extensively about her anger with, and dissatisfaction with, what she termed the "angry white male God." I gave up my childhood belief in a "male" God, or any other type of human god decades ago. Every time she said this it jerked me back. Another reason was personal sadness about Cleveland herself: she was abused, physically and emotionally, by her parents, perhaps especially by her father. I hope that writing this book helped her heal from this.I listened, rather than actually read, this book. I would recommend actually reading it: my French is nearly non-existent, and I could not quite catch the names of the villages which house these statues.