Customer Reviews

Daughters of Thunder: Black Women Preachers and Their Sermons, 1850-1979

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Ms. Collier-Thomas has written a flowing commentary on the tribulations of people called by God to preach and then battered in their odysseys to fulfill that calling because of their gender as well as their race. Ms. Collier-Thomas' prose is a joy to read. She sets the background in which each of these remarkable women worked, as well as recounting fairly and evenly the issues of contention they lived through. The book is worthwhile for the sermons alone -- the biographies and history make it a "must read" for feminists, historian, spiritual seekers, and Christians alike.

The African woman's American experience was born with the Atlantic slave trade. Bartered for cheap trinkets or outright stolen they were viewed as disposable commodities in the world of commerce. Their American experience effectively disintegrated their concepts of reality and rendered all chaotic. To survive in the Americas it was necessary to re-examine, re-construct and or replace their sacred cosmos which had given order and purpose to their lives. The Christianity that became their own allowed them identity and redefinition. It was this faith of compassion born of the experience of suffering that sustained and nurtured their souls. The response to the power of the Gospel was the ignition of a fire to preach. Historically, Black men who preached filled a role that was, at least a traditional male one, but Black women preachers experienced cultural conflict within their own black society. Mothers, wives, and bearers of the word, African-American women faced a hostile pulpit. Initially, their call to preach the gospel was not recognized by the churches they served.

Bettye Collier-Thomas presents in her work, Daughters of Thunder: Black Women Preachers and Their Sermons, 1850 - 1979, a remarkable account of both the historical/biographical struggles and the contextual content of the work of fourteen African-American women called to preach the gospel. These women address the social and theological concerns of a people mired in the degradation of racial and gender inequality. They exhort their listeners to hear the social gospel inherent in the good news. Many of the sermons concern themselves with the welfare of children, of the role of strong families in the community of faith and the role of women in the church. These sermons are timeless in their appeal to building a stronger community of faith. My only concern is that Collier-Thomas while giving an excellent overview of the history of African-American women and the call to preach and wonderful biographies of Black women preachers beginning in 1850 has no entries for the years of 1949 - 1978. Given the crucial years of the civil rights struggle in America I would liked to have heard contemporaneous voices.

My book was sent before my scheduled time. It was in excellent condition. I would purchase from this company again.

I enjoyed the book. Research appears to valid and upheld under further investigation. Easy to read and interesting.