Raedorah C. Stewart

Instructor, Religious Studies
Department of Language, Literature, and Philosophy

Education

  • Doctor of Ministry,  Spirituality and Story;  Wesley Theological Seminary (Washington, DC)
  • Master of Arts, Christian Leadership; Fuller Theological Seminary (Pasadena, CA)

Research and Teaching Interests

World Religions, Disability and Faith, LGBTQ+ Theology and Ethics, Womanist Theology, Theopoetics,  Preaching and Public Rhetoric

rstewart

 

The Reverend Dr. Raedorah C. Stewart is the Faculty Director of the Writing Center and Adjunct Faculty at  Wesley Theological Seminary, and Associate Minister at Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ  in Washington, DC. She owns iWriteSolutions.com, a writing consulting firm that specializes in academic editing and dissertation completion; is a member of the  American Academy of Religion; is broadly published in peer-reviewed journals; and hosts the podcast  WGBD:  When God is Black & Disabled. Stewart holds a  Doctor of Ministry in Spirituality and Story from Wesley Theological Seminary and a  Master of Art  in Christian Leadership from Fuller Theological Seminary (Pasadena, CA).

Publications (selected, not exhaustive)

  • Doctor of Ministry Project Paper, “When God is Black and Disabled: Ontological Womanism and Disability Inclusion in the African American Church.” Lorena Parrish, PhD, reader. Wesley Theological Seminary, 2022.
  • Podcast, “WGBD: When God is Black and Disabled.”  www.WGBD.blog. 2020 Recipient of a Rapid Response Grant from the Henry Luce Foundation and Columbia University of New York.  https://carss.columbia.edu/content/carss-rapid-response-grants-program
  • Rhythms of Rest:  40 Devotions for Women on the Move. “Safe-Space Sisterhood: You Are My Friend.” Our Daily Bread Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI, Available September 2021.
  • Evolving Faith Podcast and Conference. Episode 17: Identity, Belonging, and Disability. “Re-Humanizing Disabled Humans.” October 2020.  https://evolvingfaith.com/all-podcast-episodes/ep-17
  • Theology Today. “Loop, Hook, Pull: Disabled by Design--Creating a Narrative Theology of Disability.” Sage Journals, Princeton Theological Seminary, July 4, 2020.  https://doi.org/10.1177/0040573620920673
  • Black Clergywomen in the Age of COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter Co-Pandemics. Live with Sujay (Ambassador Suzan Johnson Cook, host). Episode 3. June 10, 2020.  https://youtu.be/xX6bVMceETs
  • Tikkun Magazine,  Disability Justice Issue, “Made by God, Broken by Life: Developing an African American Hermeneutic for Disability.” November 7, 2014,  www.tikkun.org
  • International Journal of Black Theology, “Say Now, ‘Shibboleth’: Queer(y)ing Theological and Liturgical Language in Worship.” Vol. 10.3, 2013, Equinox Publishing, Sheffield, UK.
  • The African American Lectionary,  Mother’s Day Lectionary Commentary. Choreopoem: “When Mama Was God.” theafricanamericanlectionary.org, Sunday, May 10, 2009.
  • Deeper Shades of Purple: Womanism in Religion and Society  edited by Floyd­-Thomas, Stacey M. Choreopoems: “When Mama Was God” and “I’ve Been Mixed Like Cornbread.” New York University Press, Aug 2006.
  • Weary Throats and New Songs: Black Women Proclaiming God’s Word by Teresa L. Fry Brown. Interviewee. Abingdon Press, Jun 2003.
  • Precepts for Living  ­ The UMI Annual Sunday School Lesson Commentary. Urban Ministries, Inc. “More Light on the Text.” Chicago, 1997 to 2003

Professional presentations (selected, not exhaustive)

  • “But You Don’t Look Disabled: Microaggressions, Mistakes, and Misspeaks in the Academy.” American Academy of Religion, Religion and Disabilities Studies Group, San Diego, 2014
  • “Made by God, Broken by Life: Developing an African American Hermeneutic for Redressing Disability Language, Metaphor of Brokenness and Differentials in Wholeness.” American Academy of Religion, Religion and Disabilities Studies Group, San Francisco, 2011.
  • Choreopoem: “It’s Just Water Y’all.” Ain’t I A Womanist Too”: Third Wave Womanist Religious Thought Conference, Claremont School of Theology, Claremont, CA, 2010.
  • “Grapes, Watermelon, and Women:  Theopoetics and Lesbian/Womanist Erotica.”  American Academy of Religion, Lesbian­ Feminist Issues and Religion Group and Womanist Approaches to Religion and Society Group, Montreal CAN, 2009.
  • “Say Now “Shibboleth”—Queer(y)ing Black Homily,  Hymnody, and Hollah Towards a Radically Inclusive Prophetic Gospel.” American Academy of Religion, Black Theology Group, Chicago, 2008.
  • “Three Points and the Poem: Theopoetics and Non­Canonical Texts, Tones, and Tools of Black Preaching.” American Academy of Religion, Bible in Racial, Ethnic, and Indigenous Communities Group, Washington, DC. 2006.
  • “God­-Talk, God­-Thought, and Christian Iconography in In Too Deep, Training Day, and Shaft, and the Socio­Religious Fascination with Criminal Power in the Black Community.” American Academy of Religion, Black Theology Group, San Antonio, TX. 2004.

Classes taught at TSU

  • Introduction to Religious Studies (2022 to Present)

Current academic service 

  • Director of the Writing Center,  Wesley Theological Seminary (Washington, DC)
  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer,   Wesley Theological Seminary (Washington, DC)

Other accomplishments/activities 

  • Principal Owner, iWriteSolutions LLC  (academic writing consulting firm) (Washington, DC)
  • Associate Minister, Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ (Washington DC)