Customer Reviews

Making a Way Out of No Way: A Womanist Theology (Innovations: African American Religious Thought) (Innovations: African American Religious Thought)

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Being one who is new to both Womanist Theology and Process Philosophy, I appreciate Making a Way Out of No Way for its accessibility. Having read quite a few books on Whiteheadian theology, I realized that it is a rare quality among process thinkers to be able to express complex ideas in manageable and lucid doses. I am delighted that Dr. Coleman is among the talented few.

One of the greatest contributions of process philosophy is undoubtedly its ability to incorporate a myriad of human experiences into a unified whole. By bringing together the African Indigenous Spiritual Traditions, Womanist Theology and Process Metaphysics, Dr. Coleman took me on a spiritual journey like no other. Not only is this book true to the suffering of the world, it also offers reasonable and genuine hope for the future. Brutal honesty and hope always go hand in hand for any prophetic discourse. That is why I love this book so much! I highly recommend this book!

Making A Way Out of No Way is a versatile book that provides both a fresh look at feminist and womanist theology and new horizons for process thought, combining provocation with accessibility. I used this book in a college Christology class to stretch students' perspectives about what salvation can mean and how Christian theology can be in dialogue with other religions. Especially interesting are the two chapters which provide primers on womanist theology and African diaspora religion. Useful for constructive Christian theology are the focus on this-worldly salvation and salvific communities, and a Whiteheadian contruction of ancestor immortality that brings new insight to the Holy Spirit.
My open-minded students loved it, and all received new insight into Christian theological possibilities and the importance of religious community.

Making a Way out of No way was an excellent introduction into a black postmodern womanist appropriation of process theology.

While I myself do not prefer to use process categories and Whiteheadian metaphysics, I sympathize with Coleman's reconstruction of the Christian faith for the 21st century.

Theologically speaking, I have a few disagreements with Coleman since I am not a process theologian, but as a relational theologian working within the African American religious tradition, I would highly reocommend this work.

Monica A. Coleman's book, Making a Way Out of No Way, provides a carefully articulated theology that addresses theological issues facing us today. The book is well-written and useful for scholarship while also being less dense and confusing than many theology books. Coleman never becomes too heady, always bringing the questions back to concrete reality. This book effectively blends process theology with a womanist perspective in a way that speaks to one's understanding of the world today. I love Coleman's blog and knew I wanted to read her book. I was not disappointed and eagerly await more of her work. She is definitely a scholar to watch.

Monica Coleman's postmodern womanist theology sings by harmonizing the philosophy of organic process relationalism with personal and communal liberation, and the forces of identity formation. In the context of frustrations and gridlock in our political, economic, and ecological collective life that seem to manifest the shadow side of interrelationality, Coleman chooses to reflect instead on the powerful hope embedded in the truth of creative mutual transformation. The hope that 'makes a way out of no way' is the prescription we all require for 'survival, liberation, quality of life, and a salvation of wholeness.'

Making A Way Out of No Way is truly a remarkable work. The author unlocks the traditional Christian mindset and opens scholarly ideas relating to the social-emotional and political plight of Afro-American women in connection to their religious and spiritual outlook. This is an extraordinary view of how Christ and salvation is interconnected to what I call the Mother Principle but the author refers to as Womanist Theology. The author magnificently demonstrates the connection between the Afro-American Womanist Theology, aspects of salvation, and African Indigenous Spirituality. Making a Way Out of No Way: A Womanist Theology is a must read for women in seminary training. This is a timely book for my spiritual journey and I am very thankful for this brilliant contribution to the spirituality and theology fields. I am looking forward to future works of author, Monica A. Coleman.

This book is like a breath of fresh air. I have been a womanist all my life. My mother was a womanist. I have also studied theology. But, Monica A. Coleman actually has me very excited about learning all I can about womanist theology. This book is extremely insightful and inspirational. It is easy to read, entertaining and educational. The author is brilliant. I appreciate the introduction to my new path in life - to be a womanist theology scholar.

This is a fresh new voice, that shall continue to be heard within Theology and the Streets!!!!!