Riverside Book Club

Join the Riverside BookClub monthly for conversation around chosen books.

Join us online on Saturday, February 8, at 11:00 AM for the February Book Club discussion, led by Rev. Adriene Thorne, as we dive into God Is a Black Woman by Christena Cleveland.

In this compelling and transformative book, theologian, social psychologist, and activist Christena Cleveland shares her journey to dismantle the cultural “whitemalegod” and uncover the Sacred Black Feminine. She introduces us to a Black Female God who brings hope, healing, and liberation to those yearning for a more inclusive and affirming connection to the divine.

Cleveland, who once spoke widely about racial reconciliation in churches, justice organizations, and colleges, began to question the God she had been implicitly taught to worship—a white male God who seemed to prioritize white men while failing to advocate for or affirm Black women like herself. This crisis of faith sparked a profound intellectual and spiritual quest, leading her on a 400-mile pilgrimage through France to ancient shrines of Black Madonnas.

God Is a Black Woman chronicles her powerful transformation and critiques the harmful influence of white patriarchal Christianity on society. Through personal storytelling, womanist theology, and rigorous historical and social science research, Cleveland exposes how the image of God as a white man has perpetuated racial and gender oppression. She challenges us to reimagine the divine in a way that honors the sacredness of all Black people and offers a new, hope-filled path toward spiritual healing and liberation.

Don’t miss this timely and thought-provoking conversation!

CLICK HERE TO JOIN