wfn.org | Johanna Van Wijk-Bos Addresses Voices of Sophia Breakfast

[PCUSA NEWS <pcusa.news@ecunet.org>]

GA99031 
21-June-1999 
 
                  Johanna Van Wijk-Bos Addresses 
                    Voices of Sophia Breakfast 
 
 
FORT WORTH-Baskets of hearty loaves adorned the tables at the Clarion 
Hotel, Monday, June 21, where the Voices of Sophia held their fourth annual 
General Assembly Breakfast.  In introducing the program, a member of the 
organization's central, cooperative team, announced that the bread was to 
be donated to the Presbyterian Night Shelter in Fort Worth for the evening 
meal, emphasizing effectively the group's commitment to justice. 
     In her address entitled, "Crying at the Crossroads," based on an 
exegesis of  Proverbs 8, Johanna Van Wijk-Bos, professor of Old Testament 
at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and author of several 
books, including "Reformed and Feminist," elicited an enthusiastic and 
decidedly boisterous response from the sold-out crowd of 300.  "A 
crossroads is a metaphor for a crucial or critical place," stated Bos. 
"Exactly there is where woman wisdom takes her stand."   
     She contended that those who stand at that crossroads are in a 
vulnerable place where "we can expect to receive some flak, get some 
backlash" in the pursuit of justice.  "Do we dare to stand there," asked 
Bos.  "Do we dare to stand there for what is bruised and broken?"   
     Bos also called for a sabbatical on "malespeak," challenging men on 
both sides of the feminist debate  to "learn and listen, listen and learn," 
and asserting that it is time for women's voices to be heard. 
     Formed five years ago in response to a dream of creating a community 
that would be a forthright voice for women in the church, Voices of Sophia 
is committed to working toward the transformation of the church into a 
discipleship of equals.  The group's name, Sophia ("Woman Wisdom") is taken 
from the Book of Proverbs, in which, according to the Voices of Sophia 
literature, "she is a personification of a divine element."  
     The breakfast was also the occasion for a tribute to Virginia West 
Davidson, who was honored by the group for her lifelong commitment to 
inclusivity in the church.  In responding to the tribute, Davidson 
remarked that Voices of Sophia "is about justice and love, but we are 
called to act into that, not reflect.  To cease the struggle," she added, 
"is to die." 
Emily Enders Odom 

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