Episode 20:The Black Madonna and the Intersectionality of the Divine

The divine is not limited to one specific gender or race…

But for most of us, we’ve been conditioned to believe that the only acceptable form of God is that of a white male. This limited patriarchal view of religion breeds misogyny and white supremacy. As a black woman, Christena Cleveland finds this to be very problematic. 

She started challenging the notion of an exclusively white God when her religious community didn’t seem to be bothered by Trump’s allegations of sexual assault. They also seem apathetic towards the Black Lives Matter movement. The conventional image of God didn’t inspire compassion for women or African-Americans—and Christena was both. These events prompted her to leave her church and to seek out the Black Madonna.

Learning more about the Black Madonna felt like an affirmation of Christena’s identity: that Black women are sacred and powerful too. Not only that, she was also able to overcome her struggles with food and exercise. For 30 years, Christena has been desperate to fit into the beauty standards set by the male gaze. By putting her faith in the sacred Black feminine, she no longer felt pressured to look a certain way because the Black Madonna welcomes intersectionality. 

Christena is a social psychologist, theologian, and activist. She is the founder and director of the Center for Justice + Renewal as well as its sister organization, Sacred Folk. Her Ph.D. in social psychology is from the University of California Santa Barbara while her honorary doctorate is from the Virginia Theological Seminary. As an award-winning researcher and author, Christena recently published her third book entitled, "God is a Black Woman."

What we discuss…

04:56 - White supremacy and misogyny from the patriarchal God 

12:53 - "Leaving the plantation on the prairie church"

16:57 - Developing a connection with the Black Madonna

26:11 - Christena's body journey

33:00 - The Black community's response to ‘God is a Black Woman’

43:45 - Christena's 400-mile walking pilgrimage

46:42 - Embracing the sacred masculine

53:10 - What's the message of the Divine Mother to us?

Learn more from Christena: 

Website: www.christenacleveland.com

Book: God is a Black Woman