Date of Award

Spring 5-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Sacred Theology (S.T.M.)

First Reader

Sarah Drummond

Second Reader

Joyce Mercer

Abstract

This paper uses womanist bioethics as a theoretical lens to explore how authoritarian leadership practices violate Black women's well-being and autonomy. Womanist bioethics uniquely centers Black women's lived experiences, integrating spiritual, historical, and social dimensions of justice that mainstream bioethics often ignores. The womanist bioethics framework is applied to critique religious authoritarianism and to propose alternative leadership models rooted in shared leadership and communal accountability. The discussion unfolds in four parts: (1) how womanist bioethics critiques the bodily and moral harm authoritarian leadership inflicts on Black women, (2) testimonials of Black women who resisted high-control church systems, (3) an exploration of shared leadership as a justice-oriented ecclesial model, and (4) the role of Black liberation narrative care in ministerial training to address religious authoritarianism. By calling attention to how Black women are both upholders and casualties of oppressive church structures, this paper advocates for transformative religious frameworks that prioritize healing, accountability, and equity.

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