Reclaiming the Body: A Womanist Theology of Belonging, Inclusion, and Grace
The Candler Foundry in partnership with Beulah Baptist Church
Course Information
Course Dates: March 12 - March 26, 2025
Course Time: Wednesdays, 7 PM - 8 PM EDT (online)
Course Description
This four-week course invites participants to explore the sacredness of the Black body through a womanist theological lens. Beginning with the concept of Imago Dei and embodiment in Genesis, we’ll discuss how the body serves as a site for divine revelation. We will explore the impact of respectability politics, Africana embodiment practices for body reclamation, and embracing an inclusive identity through belonging, grace, and empowerment. Join us for a journey into Bible, ethics, and theology that celebrates fullness, resilience, and spiritual liberation.
For more information, please email our Assistant Director of Community Learning & Partnerships, Donnell Williamson, at dwilliamson@emory.edu.
Access to Pitts Digital Essentials
Explore your theological questions
As a registered participant in the Courses in the Community program, you get 1 year of free digital access to the premier theological library in North America. You can use your digital account to research topics from this course, explore theological questions, and more! On the start date of your course, you will receive an invitation to set your password and gain access using the email you registered for the course with.
Please view the “Login Instructions” below for more information.
Meet the Instructor
Dr. Nicole Symmonds
Dr. Nicole Symmonds is assistant professor of Christian ethics at Columbia Theological Seminary. Her work sits at the intersection of Christian ethics and women, gender, and sexuality studies. She explores Black women’s embodiment, particularly the practices of liberative embodiment they craft as a method of resistance to domination and as a simulation of freedom. Dr. Symmonds’ research qualitatively engages issues around faith-based sex trafficking interventions and commercial sex work, Caribbean cultural practices such as Carnival masquerading and embodied celebration, and popular culture performances of race, sex, and sexuality.
She holds a Ph.D. from Emory University’s Graduate Division of Religion with a focus in Ethics & Society; a certificate from Emory’s Women’s, gender, and Sexuality Studies program, a Master of Divinity with an emphasis in theology and ethics from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University, and a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from Florida A&M University.
If you have any questions about the course, please feel free to reach out to Dr. Symmonds at
Tell Us How We’re Doing!
Your feedback is important to us! Throughout your time in this course, you are encouraged to let us know how we are doing. Please click on the button below to submit a short survey or submit any comments you would like to share with our team. We look forward to serving you!
Courses in the Community: On Demand
Please check this section regularly for your weekly course recordings and important updates. If you are experiencing any delays or issues, please email our Coordinator of Digital Initiatives, Cristha Lea at candlerfoundry@emory.edu.
