| Christian theological education worldwide has been historically patriarchal and influenced by the West. Against this backdrop, this qualitative study explores the life experiences of racial/ethnic minority women faculty and administrators as they dance through the "spiral labyrinth" of leadership. Bringing them into the center of research, the study seeks to make meaning of their challenges, resources, and journeys in pursuing their vocation and calling as theological educators, scholars and leaders.;Using a pre-screening questionnaire to provide benchmark data, the study then depicts a rich array of 13 women's lives from Africa, Asia, North America and the West Indies/Caribbean, through portraits derived from semi-structured interviews in context. A case study of a collaborative inquiry -- a process of repeated cycles of action and reflection through which a group works together to answer a common question of compelling interest -- of four of these women and the researcher addresses how they made meaning of who they had become, and how they could pursue wisdom.;Interpreted through the lenses of intersectionality, wisdom, and leadership, the findings suggest there is no one particular model that these women can be pressed into, but a continuum of expressions, with regards to how they develop, practice and understand leadership. From "muddy waters to flora," challenges have provided sustenance for creativity, innovation and self-efficacy as they mature in knowing themselves and integrating the multiple identities they hold. A spiral labyrinth offers a way to characterize the ways of knowing and being engaged by racial/ethnic minority women, as they strive to be "comfortable in their own skin" and "find their voice," carving out spaces of community and support, and calling on mentors and advocates to step up for them when the time is right. This study thus provides deeper and richer insight into better serving current and future students, men and women, as a means to foster a more fair and just paradigm of global theological education. |
