Beyond Eden

Book excerpt: 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.