Renita J. Weems | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 26, 1954 |
| Occupation(s) | Biblical scholar, ethicist, professor, author, ordained minister |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | womanist biblical studies, black church studies, feminist biblical criticism, prophetic religion, and black Religious Thought |
| Institutions | Vanderbilt University, Spelman college, American Baptist College |
| Main interests | Womanism, biblical scholarship, ethics and theology |
Renita J. Weems (born 1954) is an American Protestant biblical scholar, theologian, author and ordained minister. She is the first black woman to earn a Ph.D. in Old Testament studies in the United States. She is the Dean of Gammon Theological Seminary in Atlanta, Georgia. She was influenced by the movement in the last half of the 20th century which argues that context matters and shapes our scholarship and understanding of truth. She is best known for her contribution to womanist theology, feminist studies in religion and black religious thought. She is recognized as one of the first scholars to bring black women's ways of reading and interpreting the Bible into mainstream academic discourse. In 1989 she received a Ph.D. in Old Testament/Hebrew Bible studies from Princeton Theological Seminary making her the first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. in the field. Her work in womanist biblical interpretation is frequently cited in feminist theology and womanist theology.