Sophia speaker: Put more women in canon By John H. Adams The Presbyterian Layman Volume 33, Number 4 Posted August 4, 2000 LONG BEACH, Calif. – Delores S. Williams, a theology professor and leader of the ReImagining God movement, told Voices of Sophia June 27 that the Bible is not reliable and that the stories of today’s women need to be added to the canon. Calling for a “‘restorying’ of the liturgy,” Williams said women’s experiences – “what we believe to be Scripture” – must become part of a revised Bible. ... a demonic force of ultra-, ultra- conservatives [is] trying to pervert justice for women, blacks and homosexuals. Delores S. Williams She offered that conclusion after alleging that the Old Testament, the New Testament, the Apostle Paul, Tertullian, Augustine and Aquinas – among others – were oppressive to women. While women have made gains in the Presbyterian Church (USA), Williams said, there remain “principalities and powers controlling the church … a demonic force of ultra-, ultra-conservatives trying to pervert justice for women, blacks and homosexuals.” ‘Womanist’ theologian Williams calls herself a “womanist” theologian. She is on the faculty of Union Theological Seminary in New York. About 400 people attended the Voices of Sophia breakfast, including former PCUSA moderators Isabel Rogers and Benjamin Weir. Before Williams began her address, most of her audience stood to sing “the Sophia blessing” on her presentation. Sophia, the Greek word for wisdom, has been adopted for the name of the goddess worshiped by ReImagining God adherents. In 1994, the General Assembly of the PCUSA declared that the 1993 ReImagining conference included practices that were beyond the bounds of the Christian faith. Yet, through Voices of Sophia and other allied groups, the movement continues to proselytize Presbyterians. And that should continue, said Williams, because “the liberation of all women has not happened. The liberation of all blacks has not happened. The liberation of all homosexuals has not happened.” ‘Voice of Sophia’ She said the first ReImagining conference in 1993 began to change many women’s minds. “There, we discovered our own homophobia,” she said. “Blessed be the voice of Sophia for giving women a prophetic voice.” Once women broke their silence at the 1993 event, she said proudly, “all hell broke loose in the Church.”

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