A Womanist Interpretation of the Lukan Parable of the Great Supper (Luke 14:15-24): Using the Amended Parable Theory of Octavia E. Butler

Richetta Najuma Amen

doi:10.7916/btpp.v1i1.480

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Published Dec 14, 2018

DOI https://doi.org/10.7916/btpp.v1i1.480

Richetta Najuma Amen

Lecturer, University of California, Santa Cruz

Abstract

For African American women and many others, Octavia Butler’s recontextualizations of biblical parables aid in the understanding of the biblical text. Additionally, her recontextualizations help African American women decode the oppressive reality of their own lives. As womanists, we believe that these stories of our lives have value for theological reflection. As an African American Christian womanist, I believe that my reflections lend value to the general discussion of womanist thought.

Furthermore, a womanist hermeneutic, an interpretive procedure that takes seriously the everyday experiences of being African American and female in the diaspora, says that the life and ministry of Jesus is central to the theology of African American Christian women. The parables of Jesus, the primary genre of his teaching in the gospels, compel African American women and hearers to come to a decision about the person and ministry of Jesus. These parables speak on two levels: the aspects of everyday life and the reign of God. The understanding of the relationship between these two levels is reflected in parable theories.

Author Biography

Richetta Najuma Amen, Lecturer, University of California, Santa Cruz

Rev. Dr. Richetta Amen holds a Ph.D. in Biblical Studies/New Testament, with a complementary concentration in Womanist Hermeneutics, from the Graduate Theological Union. She also holds a Master’s in Biblical Languages from the American Baptist Seminary of the West and a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of California at Berkeley as well as a Bachelor’s in Economics from Stanford University and a Bachelor’s in Computer Science and Mathematics from the University of California at Santa Cruz. Rev. Amen also serves as an Ordained Associate Reverend at Trinity Baptist Church, a multi-ethnic, open and affirming church, where she preaches an inclusive liberatory message.

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 1 (2015): Black Theology Papers 2015

Section

Black Theology and Sacred Texts

How to Cite

Amen, R. N. (2018). A Womanist Interpretation of the Lukan Parable of the Great Supper (Luke 14:15-24): Using the Amended Parable Theory of Octavia E. Butler. Black Theology Papers Project, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.7916/btpp.v1i1.480

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American Academy of Religion

Black Theology Unit

The AAR Black Theology Unit endeavors to advance the scholarship of black theology and to provide opportunities for transdisciplinary exchange with multiple perspectives in African diasporic religious thought and practice. Black Theology promotes innovative research that features black life and black religious experience as source and substance for theological method.

To learn more or to view our Winter 2020 Call for Papers for our annual conference, visit our web page.

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The Black Theology Papers Project

The Black Theology Papers Project aims to preserve and promote the intellectual heritage of black theology. The journal publishes one annual issue featuring papers presented by the Black Theology Unit of the American Academy of Religion.

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Stanley Talbert

Assistant Professor of Religion, Pepperdine University

Founding Editors

Andrea C. White, Associate Professor of Theology & Culture, Union Theological Seminary

Adam Clark, Associate Professor of Theology, Xavier University

Josef Sorett, Associate Professor of Religion and African American and African Diaspora Studies, Columbia University

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Abstract

Richetta Najuma Amen, Lecturer, University of California, Santa Cruz

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