Dr. Renita J. Weems is a nationally-renowned theologian and
an ordained elder in the African
Methodist Church
whose scholarly insights into modern faith, biblical texts, and the role of
spirituality in everyday lives have made her a much sought after author and
speaker. Dr. Weems, formerly a member of the faculty of Vanderbilt Univeristy
and Spelman College,
has been celebrated by Ebony Magazine as one of America's top 15 preachers.
She is founder of Something Within, a consulting service
providing guidance for women of faith interested in connecting with their inner
wisdom as well as interested in balancing faith and work, and their values with
their vocation.
Dr. Weems is a popular radio and television personality,
regularly providing expert commentary on religion, gender, race, and sexuality.
A guest speaker for numerous national gatherings of religious, civic, and sorority
organizations, local churches, community wide events, and radio and television
programs, Dr. Weems is in much demand as a speaker, preacher, and workshop
leader. Ebony Magazine named her one of America's top 15 Her work as a scholar
and a religious thinker has led to invitations to serve as a panelist for Bill
Moyer's 1995 PBS award-winning Genesis Project, for various A&E, BBC,
National Public Radio, the Michael Baisden radio show, and Hallmark cable
programs on topics as wide ranging as miracles in the Bible, women, violence,
and spirituality, and male-female relationships. She appeared on
"FlashPoints" with Bryant Gumbel and Gwen Ifill to discuss matters
related to religion and public life.
Dr. Renita Weems is the author of several widely acclaimed
books on women's spirituality and wholeness: Just A Sister Away (1987) and I Asked for Intimacy (1993), Showing Mary: How Women Can Share Prayers,
Wisdom, and the Blessings of God (2003), and, more recently, What Matters Most: Ten Passionate Lessons
from the Song of Solomon (2004). Her special talent is in drawing
life inspirational wisdom from stories in the Bible about the triumphs and
failures of ordinary people. A former contributing writer to Essence Magazine
back in the late 80's, she has recently renewed her relationship with Essence
with an article appearing in the December 2004 issue entitled "Sanctified
and Suffering."
Dr. Weems writes a popularly bi-monthly e-column for www.beliefnet.org which focuses on matters of love and
relationships. She has been particularly active lately speaking to professional
women's organizations about women's spiritual values and support systems,
juggling family and work, work and love, and women finding a balance between
their spiritual values and their professional aspirations.
She taught from 1987-2004 on the divinity faculty at Vanderbilt
University in Nashville,
TN as a professor of Hebrew
Bible. She served in 2003-2005 as the William and Camille Cosby Professor of
Humanities at Spelman College in Atlanta,
Georgia.
Ordained an elder in the AME tradition, Dr. Weems has
written about the waxing and waning of faith all believers endure on the
spiritual journey. Her 1999 book Listening for God: A Minister's Journey
through Silence and Doubt (Simon & Schuster) won the Religious
Communicators' Council's prestigious 1999 Wilbur Award for excellence in
communicating spiritual values to the secular media. She earned her
undergraduate degree from Wellesley College in Wellesley, Massachusetts,
and her Master and Ph.D. degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary
in Princeton, New Jersey.
Finally, Dr. Renita Weems lives in Nashville, TN
with her husband and daughter. Her readers can keep up with Dr. Weems by
visiting her her blog, SomethingWithin.com, which allows her to keep in touch with
readers interested in exploring women's values and interested in conversations
about faith, love, values, and inner wisdom, and other topics of interest to
what Dr. Weems likes to call "thinking women of faith."