Truth's Table: Black Women's Musings on Life, Love, and Liberation

Ekemini Uwan · Christina Edmondson · Michelle Higgins

Apr 2022 · Sold by Convergent Books

About this ebook

FINALIST FOR THE NAACP IMAGE AWARD • A collection of essays and stories documenting the lived theology and spirituality we need to hear in order to lean into a more freeing, loving, and liberating faith—from the hosts of the beloved Truth’s Table podcast

“The liberating work of Truth’s Table creates breathing room to finally have those conversations we’ve been needing to have.”—Morgan Harper Nichols, artist and poet

Once upon a time, an activist, a theologian, and a psychologist walked into a group chat. Everything was laid out on the table: Dating. Politics. The Black church. Pop culture. Soon, other Black women began pulling up chairs to gather round. And so, the Truth’s Table podcast was born.

In their literary debut, co-hosts Christina Edmondson, Michelle Higgins, and Ekemini Uwan offer stories by Black women and for Black women examining theology, politics, race, culture, and gender matters through a Christian lens. For anyone seeking to explore the spiritual dimensions of hot-button issues within the church, or anyone thirsty to deepen their faith, Truth’s Table provides exactly the survival guide we need, including:
 
• Michelle Higgins’s unforgettable treatise revealing the way “racial reconciliation” is a spiritually bankrupt, empty promise that can often drain us of the ability to do real justice work
• Ekemini Uwan’s exploration of Blackness as the image of God in the past, present, and future
• Christina Edmondson’s reimagination of what a more just and liberating form of church discipline might look like—one that acknowledges and speaks to the trauma in the room
 
These essays deliver a compelling theological re-education and pair the spiritual formation and political education necessary for Black women of faith.

Ratings and reviews

This is a must-read! There truly is no other book like this one out there. What stuck out to me was their individual and collective love for Jesus, themselves, Black women, and others in general. The authors have 3 distinctive voices and writing styles, yet they all flow together really well in the book and share that posture of love. There's so much grace in how they address those who have wronged them (much more grace and restraint than I would have). I just really love how the authors interweave their personal stories/experience & wisdom into each topic that will resonate with someone (Colorism, Protest, Decolonized Discipleship, Forgiveness, Singleness, Marriage, Divorce, Church Discipline, Justice, Resistance, and more). It is beautifully written & the authors touch on topics you don’t see addressed enough. There is both power and vulnerability throughout each page. Even if you’re not Christian or a Black woman, there is so much in this book that will grow you as a person. It makes me excited for all who will read this book and find healing and a warm embrace.

About the author

Ekemini Uwan is a public theologian, contributing writer for Hallmark Mahogany, and the Inaugural Theologian-in-Residence for the Black Christian Experience Resource Center. She has appeared on MSNBC and NPR. Her writings have been published in The Atlantic and The Washington Post. Her insights have been quoted by CNN, The New York Times, and The New Yorker.

Dr. Christina Edmondson is an educator. She holds a PhD in counseling psychology and an MS in family therapy. A certified cultural intelligence facilitator with experience in nonprofit, higher education, and corporate sectors, Dr. Edmondson often consults with organizations about diversity and equity, as well as mental health and faith issues. Her work and insights have been covered in The Atlantic, The Guardian, Essence, and CBS News.

Michelle Higgins is senior pastor of Saint John’s Church (The Beloved Community) in St. Louis, where she co-founded Faith for Justice, a collective of Christian activists, and serves as board chair of Action St. Louis, a political home for Black communities in the St. Louis region.

The Truth’s Table podcast won the 2021 Best Black Religion and Spirituality Podcast award from the Black Podcasting Awards and was named by The New York Times as one of its recommended “Race Related” podcasts. It has also received an Impact Award from the Institute for the Study of the Black Christian Experience, and has been ranked among Blk Pod Collective’s Top 40 Black Podcasts.