To Speak a Defiant Word: Sermons and Speeches on Justice and Transformation

In this noteworthy collection, Pinn (coauthor of A Master Class on Being Human), a professor of religion at Rice University, gathers theological writings from Pauli Murray (1910–1985), a feminist, activist, and lawyer who became the first Black woman ordained as an Episcopal priest, and whose thought sheds light on the “role of women in [American] religion.” Murray’s speeches and sermons are grouped into six sections, covering gospel exegesis; ways of “getting church right,” which Murray believed entailed ordaining more women; and the centrality of nonviolent activism to Christianity. In one sermon, Murray argues that scripture provides a basis for “symbolizing God as ‘Mother’ as well as ‘Father,’ ” particularly given God’s “life-giving power associated with birth” as seen in creation. She wrote about intersectionality before the notion was popularized, observing that certain activist groups “tended to concentrate upon a single factor of oppression without adequate consideration of the ‘interstructuring’ of racism, sexism, and economic exploitation,” and urging white women in particular to recognize “that racism is also a feminist problem and... to deal with it as a necessary development of feminist consciousness.” Contextualized by a thoughtful introduction from Pinn, these pieces make clear the range, depth, and prescience of Murray’s theological and activist ideas, and the inextricable links between the two. It’s a welcome reappraisal of a trailblazing yet underrecognized thinker. (Aug.)