The women of WIT have wanted to take note of the couple requests we’ve received recently from graduate student women at various institutions about joining the WIT blog. Let us just say first how grateful and excited we are that other women in theology would want to be in conversation with us. When we started this blog, we did not know for sure that it would be so appreciated, so we are thrilled at the interest it seems to have generated.
Second, we discussed these requests somewhat at length among ourselves, and we’ve decided for various reasons to leave the authorship of the WIT blog the way it is, with the nine of us, for the foreseeable future. In complex ways, this blog reflects real-life personal relationships that we have with each other, and we have found that these real-life connections help us preserve a certain atmosphere of friendship and collegiality on the blog that we greatly value. In this way, then, we are remaining loyal to the original vision we initially had regarding the blog as a place where we could speak passionately as a particular community working for shared commitments.
But, even more importantly perhaps, we hope that we can encourage other women hungry for more theological discussion to band together and form other women’s theology blogs, framed by their own particular flavoring, intellectual commitments, and friendships. In light of the still-current fact that most women in theology just don’t blog, it would be so refreshing to see lots of women’s theology blogs sprouting up! Why are we women so reluctant to speak up?
So we’re here to tell you that it’s really not that difficult to set up a WordPress account, some kind of “mission statement,” and a kind of loose schedule for posting (if it’s a collective blog). And, most importantly, it’s not that difficult to relinquish those ever-present fears of intellectual inadequacy that tend to stop many of us from pushing forward and speaking our minds and hearts. If you have thoughts, frustrations, and hopes, and wish to express those openly, then have courage and start something up! In fact, if this idea appeals to you and you have questions, you should feel free to contact us, and we can help you with anything, including logistics. And, in the long run, we would love to be in conversation with you; in particular, we would be happy to post features of other women’s blogs and even do interviews of other women in theology on our own blog. Let the conversations between different women’s blogs begin.
Ultimately, though, if starting your own blog isn’t in the stars for you right now, then we warmly welcome you to comment freely and actively on our material. We would really like to get to know our readers!
Sincerely,
The Women of WIT
WIT 
You might consider splitting the difference by accepting submissions for guest posts. Just a thought. 🙂
Keep up the good work!
Thank you for the suggestion but that is an idea we have already discussed as a group–again, these discussions happened at great length. For now, the decision has been to stick with what we have presented here in order to maintain group cohesion (which with 9 contributors trying to work moderately together–we all communicate behind the scenes, we don’t just randomly post things) and to see women’s voices arise elsewhere. We would also like to see more engagement and dialogue happening before we make the step to have somebody guest post.
I actually think this is a really good idea–right now the blog has a “voice,” and while it’s one I’m not always 100% in agreement with, it’s part of the reason I check the updates so frequently and read so closely. As much as might be gained from including guests or other posters, I can’t see how that voice wouldn’t be at least diluted. I think you really have something here, and should see where it takes you as it is. (And, you know, if that takes us to arguing in comments threads, so be it!)
Yes! As a group we certainly welcome lively discussion in comments. Speaking for myself, I’m a little discouraged that we don’t currently have more women commenting (of course, we are happy to have men comment as well!)– given that some women have asked to join the blog, we know they’re reading us, but it would be wonderful to have more discussion of ideas that we put out there rather than our individual posts simply being an exercise in narcissism or (maybe worse in my own perspective) attempts to prove our perspective to the male dominated blogosphere.
I really hope that there are more theology blogs with women’s voices. Right now, in the theo-blogosphere, the voices of men are deafened to the concerns of gender and race.
Great decision! I think maintaining an identity at this point is important. I love what you are doing and the voice that this blog has…I would love to see some guest posts on women in ministry (women educated in Theology who also work in minsitry to be precise) because ultimately women in ministry are often the midwife of how these ideas play out in the lived reality of the church.
Peace and all good to you!!!
I suppose an important caveat to add is that, in the future, some of us could encounter in real life another woman in the academy whom we would like to add to the blog. Okay, all is covered now.
Or in ministry?
Most def!
Hi girls,
I’ve just discovered your blog and will join my voice to the multitude of others thanking God for it.
I really appreciated your comment above about the real relationships behind the blog conversations. I think that is something that women tend towards recognizing this importance of sooner than men and it makes a real difference to the words as they end up on my particular computer screen in my particular context and network of relationships and theological discourses.
I started my own blog this year as I make my way through a masters of theology and I’m encouraged to keep going with it having read WIT.
Thanks,
Chelle
, “It’s not the Bible’s authority that I qiestuon, but man’s ability to interpret it.” And think the same will be true for future generations.But if we accept that, maybe we’ll approach the Word less dogmatically and more fervently in the search.