Word, Like Fire: Maria Stewart, the Bible, and the Rights of African Americans

by Valerie C. Cooper

Maria Stewart is believed by many to have been the first Americanwoman of any race to give public political speeches. In "Word, LikeFire, " Valerie C. Cooper argues that the religious, political, andsocial threads of Maria Stewart's thought are tightly interwoven, such that focusingnarrowly on any one aspect would be to misunderstand her rhetoric. Cooperdemonstrates how a certain kind of biblical interpretation can be a Rosetta Stonefor understanding various areas of African American life and thought that stillresonate today.

Genres: History, Race, Gender

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 30, 2011

Reviews

[T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly helpful book.

[Chaim Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best for: Graduate-level study, American Christianity

Cooper compellingly illustrates how a biblical hermeneutic is both informed by and implicating of one’s cultural (and perhaps political) setting. Using Maria Stewart, a singular figure of merit in her own right, Cooper is a uniquely able interpreter who challenges the traditional tools of historical-cultural hermeneutics to examine their own values and paradigms within the guild. Also, Cooper is just a terrific writer, which makes this an accessible read.