Beyond Eden - by Courtney Pace (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Rev. Dr. Prathia Laura Ann Hall (1940-2002) was a major figure in African American social justice movements and Black theological praxis and theory. Beyond Eden explores Hall's preaching and research, curating a collection of her work to expand scholarship on her influence on American religion and Black churches. Hall pioneered womanist preaching, embodying the necessary interconnections among theology, social science, history, and practical ministry. She was a master organizer, not only leading her congregation but facilitating collaborations among national, regional, and local organizations to serve Black churches and Black communities. The sermons and essays in this volume showcase Hall's womanist preaching brilliance, the seamless connection between church and the academy in her work, and her understanding of the gospel as Freedom Faith. A trailblazer in the womanist movement of the 1980s and 1990s, Hall's decades of civil rights activism and preaching merged Christian ethics with Black feminist thought. Although she had very few publications due to the demands of her multifaceted vocation, health limitations, and familial responsibilities, her extensive work has been transcribed from handwritten notes and audio recordings by editor Courtney Pace. Beyond Eden is aptly named, as Prathia Hall hoped to publish an anthology of her favorite sermons under this title. Pace has organized Beyond Eden with attention paid to Hall's own lists of possible book chapters and sermons"--

Book Synopsis

A major figure in African American social justice movements and Black theological praxis and theory, Rev. Dr. Prathia Laura Ann Hall (1940-2002) had not been the subject of a book-length critical study until Courtney Pace's Freedom Faith: The Womanist Vision of Prathia Hall was published by the University of Georgia Press in 2019. Now with the publication of Beyond Eden: The Collected Sermons and Essays of Prathia Hall, Pace provides a volume of seminal importance to the fields of womanist theology and ethics, Black church history, and African American history.

Beyond Eden explores Hall's preaching and research, curating a collection of her work to expand scholarship on her influence on American religion and Black churches. Hall pioneered womanist preaching, embodying the necessary interconnections among theology, social science, history, and practical ministry. She was a master organizer, not only leading her congregation but facilitating collaborations among national, regional, and local organizations to serve Black churches and Black communities. The sermons and essays in this volume showcase Hall's womanist preaching brilliance, the seamless connection between church and the academy in her work, and her understanding of the gospel as Freedom Faith.

A trailblazer in the womanist movement of the 1980s and 1990s, Hall merged Christian ethics with Black feminist thought during decades of civil rights activism and preaching. Although she had very few publications due to the demands of her multifaceted vocation, health limitations, and familial responsibilities, her extensive work has been transcribed from handwritten notes and audio recordings by editor Courtney Pace.

Review Quotes

Beyond Eden is a collection of Rev. Dr. Prathia Hall's sermons and research that will be an invaluable addition to the archives for future scholars.... This collection serves to provide further archival evidence of the brilliant contributions of Hall to the black church, the academy, and overall America.--Monique Moultrie "author of Passionate and Pious: Religious Media and Black Women's Sexuality"

About the Author

Courtney Pace is Prathia Hall Scholar in Residence of Social Justice History for Equity for Women in the Church. She is the author of Freedom Faith: The Womanist Vision of Prathia Hall (Georgia).