PW: Your new book, God's Leading Lady, promises to help women emerge "out of the shadows and into the light." Why did you write it?
TDJ: I wanted to provide women with tools to fortify themselves spiritually as they embark on new territories, whether in their public or private lives. This book focuses on the tremendous opportunities that are available to women today, and helps them to maximize those opportunities and live life to its fullest.
PW: How does this book relate to your previous titles for women?
TDJ: It continues in the tradition of Woman, Thou Art Loosed!, which focused on healing from tragedies. This book is almost like a graduation for women who have already been healed, who understand where they have been and who are going forward with a tenacity that has been fueled by their past experience. The book's title is meant to imply that a woman is significant in her own right, and that her role is more than a supporting player for other people's dreams.
PW: In the book, you talk about how some women have been held back by obstacles such as racism or sexism.
TDJ: It is certainly very difficult to negotiate and navigate those issues. As an African-American, I deeply relate to that, and I understand the stereotypical limitations that some people place on others. But it's important that in spite of adversity, we do not allow the environment in which we've been placed to enslave us. One thing I'm most proud of in the book is that by extracting various heroines from the Bible, we see how God has always empowered women. This book helps to challenge the stereotypes in Christian culture that women have only ever been in the domestic sphere. Many women in the Bible held property or had important roles in society. I think that both tasks—family and work in the public arena—are equally important. This book is a clarion call for women not to fit their dreams into anyone else's stereotype, but to forge ahead and allow their God-given talents and abilities to determine their own specific destinies.
PW: Were you surprised at all by the outpouring of response to your other books for women?
TDJ: It totally amazed me, and I have grappled with the reason for it for years. More than it being a result of my ability to articulate the issues, it points to the need for materials that speak to the challenges women encounter in the workplace and in the family. The demands on women have increased so much. These books do for a woman spiritually what taking a day off at the spa might do for her emotionally and physically.
PW: You've been in the spotlight quite a bit yourself recently. How did it feel to find yourself on the cover of Time magazine last fall?
TDJ: That was an amazing moment for me. First, I was honored and quite honestly flabbergasted that gospel preaching would be recognized at all in a secular magazine. But more significant was the timing, because the magazine came out just a few days before September 11. Because of that article, I received invitations to do many TV shows and interviews, and got to help counsel people in dealing with the tragedy. Also, shortly after September 11, I was invited with a small delegation of religious leaders to meet with President Bush. It was a diverse quorum ethnically, and very ecumenical theologically. In spite of our diversity, there was such a strong sense of unity as we galvanized around the threat that was against us. Each of us used our own expressions of faith to comfort each other.
