Do Black Lives Matter to God? A Theological Exploration of Evil, Suffering, Resistance, and Divine Accountability
With Naomi Washington-Leapheart
April 26 - 28, 2024
This retreat asks the question: If God is benevolent, just, and powerful, how can (does) evil persist in the lives of Black people living in the United States? In this retreat that will include both you and students from Rev. Naomi’s Villanova religious studies class by the same name, we will explore the theological implications of Black suffering and connect those implications to the call for justice and liberation most recently articulated by the Black Lives Matter movement.
As the centerpiece of the retreat, Villanova students will bring God to trial in the case of God vs. Black Lives. You will be the jury.
We will also engage in small and large group discussions and have time to rest, reflect, connect with like-hearted people, and listen for the perspective of the land.
Leader
Rev. Naomi Washington-Leapheart is a Black queer preacher, teacher, strategist, and justice advocate. She is an adjunct professor of theology and religious studies at Villanova University and the Government Fellow for Religion and Public Life at Harvard Divinity School. Rev. Naomi also serves as the first-ever Strategic Partnerships Director at Political Research Associates (PRA), a social justice research and strategy center that provides strategic insights and actionable research that identifies, disrupts, and competes with movements and institutions that undermine democracy, justice, and human rights. In 2021, Rev. Naomi founded Salt | Yeast | Light, an organization that develops spaces of…
Learn more about Naomi Washington-Leapheart