A critique of the notion of 'purpose' from a black British woman's perspective

This study aims to explore “purpose” from a Black British Christian Woman’s perspective. The study comprises five chapters. The topic of purpose is first introduced in Chapter 1, including the rationale for this study. It contextualizes the discussion by identifying Black-led churches, in particular, the New Testament Church of God (NTCG), as a context, due to the predominance of Black Christian women. In Chapter 2 the critical literature review outlines the key writers about Christian purpose in this field. There is a dearth of writings about this notion concerning Black Christian women in the UK. It establishes that God is positioned as central, to the discovery of purpose. Moreover, although some of the literature incorporates the perspectives of Black women, the majority was found to be written from a male bias and Eurocentric lens. Chapter 3 employs both a Womanist and Psychoeducation paradigm as a culturally appropriate interpretative framework, relevant to Black Christian women. It sets out the methodology, highlighting the process of establishing the focus group interviews. Significantly, the chapter offers an insight into the key ideas deriving from the works of five Womanist thinkers: situating the interplay of race, class, and gender inequalities as central to these women’s contextual realities. Chapter 4 provides the findings and analysis of data, incorporating the voices of 14 Black British Christian women who participated in the Focus Group Interviews. The second part of the chapter is the Womanist practical application, entitled: ‘Purpose Re-Imagined – A Multi-dimensional Model’. This provides a graphical imagery, supported by a personal, spiritual, relational, and socio-political context. Finally, the conclusion summarises that Black British Christian women’s reliance on popular narratives, largely written from a male bias has limited the way they perceive and navigate the notion of purpose. Furthermore, attribute this to the dearth of scholarly writing which addresses the notion of purpose specifically and relevant to Black British Christian women’s context and as such a lack of their engagement. The study has also reinforced the uniqueness and value of Black British Christian women’s identities, their lives, and the phenomenal roles and contributions within the family, Pentecostal church, the Black community, and UK society, whilst navigating the interplay of race, class, and gender oppressions. Moreover, how a Black female lens, can be transformational for empowering these women for re-imagining purpose across their personal, spiritual, relational, and socio-political contexts.