Synopsis:
Far too many African American women struggle with a deep division between the two fundamental pillars of their identity–spirituality and sexuality. The church tells them that to live “holy and sanctified” lives they must give up sexual activity outside the institution of marriage, and yet their bodies and souls cry out for a way to express and fulfill their natural passions. In this groundbreaking book, the Reverend Dr. Susan Newman, a nationally recognized minister and speaker, finally shows all women of faith how to find a healthy balance between their spiritual selves and their sexual needs.Dr. Newman opens with a simple but startling premise: You can love God and love sex at the same time. Though it may sound irreverent, this premise is actually the basis for an essential journey to self-knowledge and reconciliation. As Dr. Newman shows, this journey has been denied to women for centuries because of church traditions and doctrines going back to the Old Testament and to the teachings of Saint Paul. For African American women, the spiritual-sexual divide was compounded by slavery.
But women of faith do not have to live divided lives. Writing with passion, candor, and welcome humor, Dr. Newman opens new paths to healing and reconciliation. Here are frank, direct discussions about sex both inside and outside marriage; about being honest about your spiritual and erotic needs; about making personal choices; and about acknowledging the holiness of your body.
The goal, as Dr. Newman explains, is not to suppress or channel your sexuality, but to embrace sex as a wonderful gift from God. As a woman of faith–and as a woman–you deserve a healthy, satisfying life, a life open to passion and truly free of guilt and shame. The first book of its kind, Oh God! is a landmark achievement that will be welcomed by black women who want to live in wholeness of spirit and body.
From the Back Cover
“It is about time! Finally the discussion of human sexuality in the church is out of the proverbial closet! Susan Newman brings a much-needed discussion of sex and single women of African descent to the table. She is frank and Biblical. She is honest and spiritual. She has a firm grasp of what women are privately thinking and is bold enough to bring the discussion to a public forum. It is a great read for African American women, single and married, and perfect for women’s groups.”
–BISHOP VASHTI MURPHY MCKENZIE
Presiding Prelate, 18th Episcopal District of the
African Methodist Episcopal Church
Botswana, Mozambique, Lesotho, and Swaziland
“A woman cannot be free if her body and her spirit are at war. With this powerful book, Sister Reverend Dr. Susan Newman unlocks the chains of confusion and hands sisters the keys to their own personal liberation and spiritual healing.”
–DR. JOHNNETTA B. COLE
President Emerita, Spelman College
About the Author
The Reverend Dr. Susan Newman, an ordained minister for the past twenty-five years and a nationally recognized preacher/speaker, is the author of With Heart and Hand: The Black Church Working to Save Black Children. She makes her home in Washington, D.C.
