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.

• 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 ›

• Reform? Progress? By Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on October 8, 2015 • ( 13 )

  

  In my class yesterday (a survey of Christian thought and practices), I was lecturing about monastic life in the Middle Ages. Among other points, I mentioned that medieval religious orders provided settings where women could be educated and assume leadership… Read More ›

• Feminist Interpretations by Elise Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on September 18, 2015 • ( 9 )

  

  I’ve written a few posts recently referencing biblical themes or stories. I’m not a biblical studies scholar; I’m an ethicist and theologian. So I know that ways I use the texts disturb some people who study them from a historical… Read More ›

• My Problem with the “Proverbs 31 Woman” by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on August 13, 2015 • ( 20 )

  

  In my home, in my journals and notebooks, and in my office, I display proverbs and quotes of all kinds around me to inspire me to live meaningfully. Proverbs and fables from around the world are stacked on my bookshelves… Read More ›

• Who Sits at the Center of this Story? By Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on July 9, 2015 • ( 16 )

  

  Have you ever heard of the Vitruvian Man? It’s an image from 1490 inked by Leonardo da Vinci that came to symbolize the centrality of the individual in the Renaissance. It is quite clearly a depiction of a muscular, European… Read More ›

• What’s Wrong with this Picture? by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on June 11, 2015 • ( 22 )

  

  On Monday, the picture was on my Facebook feed again: The picture of a girl lying face down in the grass under a police officer pressing his knee in her back. It was from the video of an African-American teenager… Read More ›

• The Importance of Rituals (Part 2) by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on May 14, 2015 • ( 4 )

  

  In my previous post, I wrote about the importance of rituals. The rituals of the Easter season helped me process some difficult emotions. The way that rituals mark time and demonstrate consistency has been a comfort for me when facing… Read More ›

• The Importance of Rituals by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on April 9, 2015 • ( 7 )

  

  My sister once said about me, “One thing you have to understand about Elise—she takes the ritual of whole thing very seriously.” My sister was right and her words helped me see this quality about myself. What ritual was she… Read More ›

• Role Play: In Search of the Authenticity of My Being by Elise Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on March 12, 2015 • ( 18 )

  

  “I stood in the authenticity of my being: Black, preacher, Baptist, woman. For the same God who made me a preacher made me a woman, and I am convinced that God was not confused on either account.” – Reverend Dr…. Read More ›

• Awake! Awake! A Reflection on the Awakening of Conscience and Advent by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on December 11, 2014 • ( 6 )

  

  ‘Tis the season to be…? For me, this has not been a season to be jolly. I teach at a university, and again, I’m in the midst of the most hectic time of year of grading and exams and wrapping… Read More ›

• Responding to Human Suffering by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on November 13, 2014 • ( 16 )

  

  In the past few weeks, there have been renewed debates throughout the US about death with dignity laws and the role of government is providing or securing access to health care. The tragic story of Brittany Maynard and the incessant… Read More ›

• Fannie Lou Hamer’s Commitment to Life by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on October 9, 2014 • ( 10 )

  

  A few weeks ago, I came across a postcard that I was given at a conference last year. I got the postcard (advertisement?) because it has a picture of Fannie Lou Hamer on it, and in my home and office,… Read More ›

• More than Individual Concerns by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on September 11, 2014 • ( 13 )

  

  Well, the fall semester of the school year has begun. I’m teaching undergraduate classes in Christian Ethics and Bioethics this fall. I’ve designed my classes so that they are much more discussion-based than they have been in previous semesters and… Read More ›

• Sleeping: Thinking about Bodily Practices, Pt. 2 by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on July 10, 2014 • ( 15 )

  

  As I mentioned in my previous post, I’ve been reflecting on bodily practices–especially those that are not typically associated with feminism and religion. Our lives as embodied persons are so multi-dimensional! There is so much we perceive and experience through… Read More ›

• Eating: Thinking about Bodily Practices, Pt. 1 by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on June 12, 2014 • ( 5 )

  

  I am currently preparing to teach a course on bioethics in the fall. I plan on combining some common, secular materials on biomedical ethics with some theological material and some feminist readings. After all, in a course that centers around… Read More ›

• Songs for the Soul by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on May 8, 2014 • ( 8 )

  

  During the Christian season of Lent, many Christians focus on spiritual practices or disciplines that bring them closer to God. This year, I did not really engage in this type of reflection until the end of Lent. I have been… Read More ›

• Gendered Imagery of God (Part 2) by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on April 10, 2014 • ( 12 )

  

  In my previous post, I shared some of the ways in which I’ve been wrestling with gendered imagery for God, the first person of the Christian Trinity often referred to as God the Father. In this entry, I’d like to… Read More ›

• Gendered Imagery of God (Part 1) by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on March 13, 2014 • ( 26 )

  

  I have been doing a lot of thinking about gendered imagery and language for God over the past few months. Honestly, a lot of this reflection was provoked by hostile comments I got from my college students at the end… Read More ›

• Love and Happiness by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on February 13, 2014 • ( 10 )

  

  As Valentine’s Day approaches, it seems normal to think of love, perhaps with cynicism or hope or a mix of conflicted emotions.  Last year, I wrote a post on this site about Valentine’s Day, and I’m happy to contribute this… Read More ›

• A Reflection on Leading Discussions about Difficult Ethical Issues by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on November 14, 2013 • ( 8 )

  

  I think classroom discussions can be a good forum for modeling the kinds of discussions students might have in their families, peer groups, faith communities, and political contexts.  But sometimes I really wish I wasn’t the one responsible for leading… Read More ›

• The Difference a Feminist Makes by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on September 12, 2013 • ( 7 )

  Of the many reasons I am grateful for feminismandreligion.com, I have to say that I am most grateful for the time it requires of me to reflect about feminism’s impact in my life, faith, and work.  I decided it was… Read More ›

• Women’s Christian Heritage by Elise M. Edwards

  By Elise M. Edwards on August 8, 2013 • ( 10 )

  

  It is difficult to carve out time in a course that covers Christianity from the past 2000 years to address material beyond the standard textbooks.  But yet, I must because the visual and material culture, the worship practices, and the… Read More ›