Author Archives

I am a Lecturer at Baylor University and a registered architect in the State of Florida. My academic and professional career is interdisciplinary. I work between the fields of theology, ethics, and aesthetics, examining how they inform and shape each other and express various commitments of their communities.

• Exercising Women’s Religious Voice and Authority – Why is this Still an Issue? by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on March 14, 2019 • ( 14 )

  

  Over the past few days, I’ve been spending time at a church in Alexandria, Virginia conducting oral history interviews.  I’m doing research for a project about the arts and the church that has me diving deep into the church’s congregants’… Read More ›

• I Celebrate Love by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on February 14, 2019 • ( 12 )

  

  Happy Valentine’s Day!  I know, I know… so many of us do not like this holiday.  It’s too commercialized, we say.  We don’t need card-makers or florists to tell us how or when to show affection.  Some of us don’t… Read More ›

• “Do the Work Your Soul Must Have”: In Remembrance of Rev. Dr. Katie Geneva Cannon by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on August 19, 2018 • ( 13 )

  

  One of the things I love most about being an educator is introducing my students to the thinkers who have inspired me.  I am especially delighted when I can share things I’ve learned from meeting and hearing these scholars speak. … Read More ›

• Knowing my Voice through Writing by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on July 12, 2018 • ( 11 )

  

  Over the summer, I’ve been writing more than I do during the traditional academic year when other tasks consume the bulk of my workday.  I have spent more time experiencing the joy of creative discovery and production, but I’ve also… Read More ›

• The Blessing of Spiritual Direction by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on June 14, 2018 • ( 10 )

  

  Five years ago, I moved to Texas from California. In that time, my spiritual practice and my feminist and womanist worldview has grown through contemplative practices.  It’s ironic. “Everything’s bigger in Texas!” the saying goes, but in the presence of… Read More ›

• “Womenspiration” for International Women’s Day by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on March 8, 2018 • ( 5 )

  

  Happy International Women’s Day!  I hope it is a happy day for you as we recognize women’s achievements throughout the world.  Our FAR community is not only for or about women, but as feminists in some form or another, collectively… Read More ›

• Questions that Matter: What is Feminism? by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on February 8, 2018 • ( 13 )

  

  It certainly is a busy time of year for me, but I’m fortunate that many of the events I am participating in offer a chance to share what is important to me.  Next week, I’ll be speaking to a group… Read More ›

• Considering Our Spaces in the Pursuit of Justice by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on January 11, 2018 • ( 6 )

  

  This past summer, my friend and I were perusing the exhibits at the National Museum of African-American History and Culture when she urgently called for my attention.  “Psst… Isn’t this where you are from?” she asked, pointing at a placard… Read More ›

• Another Season of Reflection and Review by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on December 21, 2017 • ( 6 )

  

  I turn inward and become reflective at this time of year.  It’s the Advent season in the Christian liturgical year, which encourages practices of piety focused on preparation, examination, and hopeful longing.  It’s the end of a semester and a… Read More ›

• High Stakes for Women in Leadership: A Reflection and a Prayer by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on November 9, 2017 • ( 8 )

  

  A few weeks ago, I was asked to give the invocation for a luncheon at my university.  Baylor University was celebrating our presidential inauguration and there were several events leading up to the installation of the university’s 15th president. The… Read More ›

• “Queen Sugar:” Must-See Ecowomanist TV by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on October 12, 2017 • ( 13 )

  

  Have you been watching “Queen Sugar”?  It is a thoughtful, compelling, and gorgeous TV show that evokes ecowomanist sensibilities. “Queen Sugar” is a television drama in its second season on OWN, Oprah Winfrey’s network. It was created by celebrated filmmaker… Read More ›

• The Spirit and Jarena Lee: Inspiration to Break Boundaries by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on September 14, 2017 • ( 12 )

  

  I am so frustrated that we are still fighting to affirm women’s place in leadership.  I’ve been thinking about this struggle in the context of church ministries (especially preaching) and social activism, seeing a stark contrast between the way institutional… Read More ›

• Reclaiming My Time: A Meditation about Mindfulness and Faithfulness to One’s Purpose by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on August 10, 2017 • ( 11 )

  

  You may have seen the viral video of Congressional Representative Maxine Waters’ demands for “Reclaiming my time!”  Video was taken during a proceeding in which Representative Waters is questioning Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who responds with long-winded answers and indirect… Read More ›

• Mulling over Movies: Moana, Pt. 2 by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on July 13, 2017 • ( 10 )

  

  Every summer in the US, movie theatres show their newest big budget films, hoping to draw in large audiences. While I appreciate an air-conditioned theatre on a hot day, I love the opportunity to go to an outdoor movie screening…. Read More ›

• Mulling over Movies: Moana, Pt. 1 by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on June 8, 2017 • ( 7 )

  

  I love going to outdoor movie screenings.  Sitting outdoors on a summer evening with good company brings me joy.  Last week, I went to an screening of Moana, the Disney movie about a teenager who goes on a quest through… Read More ›

• Moonlight Reflections by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on May 11, 2017 • ( 11 )

  

  As I post this, May 10, a full moon, known as the “Bright Moon” or “Flower Moon” is in the sky. This full moon occurs during a season of transition when living thing things renew and bloom. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s spring, but another transition is already underway. For many of us, spring is nearing close to summer in temperatures; in plant, animal, and insect life; and in our schedules. I am concluding a long, demanding spring semester and yearning for summer. Even though I welcome the transition, I know that like all change, it holds both opportunity and challenge. The full moon prompts me to look at the upcoming summer with clear, examining eyes

• The Nature of Communal Pondering by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on April 13, 2017 • ( 9 )

  

  Last week, I listened to an episode of Krista Tippett’s series On Being that featured an interview with poet Marilyn Nelson.  I am not very knowledgeable about the world of modern poetry, but I am familiar with Nelson’s work.  A… Read More ›

• Doctrine and Fidelity by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on March 9, 2017 • ( 18 )

  

  This past week, I was listening to Krista Tippett’s podcast On Being as she spoke with Pádraig Ó Tuama.  He is a poet, theologian, and leader in the Corrymeela community of Northern Ireland. As he spoke about several things related… Read More ›

• A Gift Offered in Faith and Love by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on January 12, 2017 • ( 14 )

  

  “The day begins with the sun and ends with the moon and stars; what you do in between is your gift to the world.” – Reyna Craig The new year has begun, and many of us take this marking of… Read More ›

• Moving Forward and into a New Season by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on December 8, 2016 • ( 8 )

  

  It’s only been a month and I am still reeling from the US presidential election.  I feel like I’m just beginning to emerge from the sense of loss and futility that has cloaked me.  But I am beginning to move… Read More ›

• My Reaction to the Election Results by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on November 10, 2016 • ( 39 )

  

  I wanted to stay in bed yesterday morning.  I wanted to stay in bed for the whole day.  When I heard that Trump won the US Presidential election, I didn’t know how to deal with it.  How can I accept… Read More ›

• What My Mothers and Mentors Taught Me about Self-Care by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on July 14, 2016 • ( 17 )

  

  During another week of killings, war, protests, and debates about whether Black Lives Matter or Blue Lives Matter, I’m concerned about the toll it takes on those who are witnessing the violence and fighting for justice. I’m not on the… Read More ›

• What Traci West Taught Me about Dominant and Excluded Voices by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on June 9, 2016 • ( 6 )

  

  In my previous post, I mentioned a book I am writing about how theological and ethical considerations in architectural design can define good architecture.  In that post and in ones to follow, I am acknowledging the feminists and womanists and mujeristas… Read More ›

• What Dorothee Soelle Taught Me about Creativity by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on May 19, 2016 • ( 22 )

  

  I’m currently developing a book that considers how theological and ethical considerations in architectural design can define good architecture.  My book discusses five virtues related to the architectural design process that promote human participation in bringing out God’s intention of flourishing… Read More ›

• A Complicated History by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on April 14, 2016 • ( 14 )

  

  In my previous post, I wrote about my participation in planning a memorial event for the lynching of a man named Jesse Washington in Waco, Texas one hundred years ago. It prompted me to reflect on the challenge of faithfully… Read More ›

• To Work and to Pray in Remembrance by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on March 10, 2016 • ( 17 )

  

  One hundred years ago, Jesse Washington was lynched downtown in Waco, Texas. Next week, on March 20th, some of my colleagues and I are organizing a memorial service to remember this horrific event and pray for a better future for… Read More ›

• Seasons in Church and Life in the Company of Women by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on February 11, 2016 • ( 8 )

  

  This week, the Christian season of Lent began. Ugh. Lent can be so somber and serious and gloomy. Last year, I didn’t want to place myself in that frame of mind. I was experiencing grief and self-doubt and loneliness, and… Read More ›

• Wisdom Fiction (Part 2) by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on January 14, 2016 • ( 12 )

  

  “There are years that ask questions and years that answer.” from Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston In my previous two posts, I’ve discussed the wisdom that can be found in black women’s literature. Continuing this series,… Read More ›

• Wisdom Fiction (Part 1) by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on December 10, 2015 • ( 11 )

  

  “I was born in a strange little country town that may be like all other country towns, but I do not know. It was the world I was born to. The world is such a place that you need special… Read More ›

• Truth in Storytelling by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on November 13, 2015 • ( 6 )

  

  “[Shakespeare] was an alright writer.  I did not always understand him, but some things he said were beautiful and he made some things so clear the way he explained people.  But one thing he was wrong about.  That ‘To be… Read More ›