The Dance of the Dissident Daughter: A Woman's Journey from Christian Tradition to the Sacred Feminine - Spiritual Transformation Book for Women's Empowerment & Feminist Theology | Perfect for Book Clubs & Personal Growth

The memoir, The Dance of the Dissident Daughter, details the powerful faith journey taken by Sue Monk Kidd, who begins by questioning the status quo of patriarchy that is embedded in most Christian traditions. However, when the misogynist forces rear their ugly head to menace her teenage daughter, the overwhelming emotions as mother tigress kicks in. Monk takes us on her seven year quest of discovery, and the process evolves in precise movements. We travel through her experiences of Awakening, Initiation, Grounding, and Empowerment, all the while celebrating her awareness of the Divine Feminine, and reclaiming Her as our own along the way.For those of you who are not familiar with this feminine expression of God, The Divine Sophia emerges in the Hebrew Scriptures as Ruach ~ Shekhinah ~ Chokmah, translated as the Breath of God, the Presence of God, and the Wisdom of God, all of which have been with God since the beginning of Creation. This feminine aspect of God, which would have been well-known by the ancient Jews, Jesus and his followers, and those in the early Christian movement, was diminished to the point of non-existence in theology and doctrine of the Orthodox Church. The great thinkers of the early Church could not reconcile the greatness of the Holy Spirit/Divine Wisdom with the inferior, insignificant, weak idea of anything related to the Feminine. However, these feminine names for God represent an inclusive view of God, the possibility of what God “is”.By reflecting on the Divine Sophia as the Holy Spirit, we could begin to deconstruct our terminology, our language of God, to highlight and define the holy feminine within the Trinity. We could begin the process of reclaiming Sophia as a divine symbol, acknowledging the feminine in God in addition to the masculine, how God and the Christ and the Holy Spirit are both male/female, all of the same substance, representing all of humanity. The Holy Spirit is probably the most difficult concept for people to grasp, and can be uncomfortable for those that prefer all-male terminology for God, Christ and the Holy Spirit. However, this establishes the basis for reclaiming ourselves, reflecting on women’s stories of wisdom and spirituality within our Traditions, and encouraging us to explore the divine in our lives today.Overall, The Dance of the Dissident Daughter is an essential read for anyone who questions whether women can image God or the rightful place of women in our faith. Historians, theologians, archaeologists, and feminist scholars alike, all attest to this most basic of assumptions: women were present in all forms and all places: as apostles, disciples, deacons, leaders of house churches, teachers and evangelists. We have the information to redirect the conversation and make substantial changes in the education of our congregations and schools, changes within the clergy and the laity, which includes women in authority and decision-making positions in every aspect of the Church.