Mitzi J. Smith facts for kids

Mitzi J. Smith is an American Bible scholar. She is a professor of New Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary. She made history as the first African-American woman to earn a PhD (a very high degree) in New Testament from Harvard University.

Professor Smith writes a lot about "womanist biblical hermeneutics." This means she studies the Bible from the viewpoint of Black women's experiences. She looks at how race, gender, and social class connect with Bible studies. She sees her work as a way to promote social justice. This means she wants to bring attention to unfair treatment of groups who are often left out or treated differently.

Early Life and Education

Mitzi Smith grew up in Columbus, Ohio. Her parents were Flora Carson Smith and Fred Smith, Sr.

She earned a Master of Divinity degree from Howard University School of Divinity. This degree focuses on studying the Bible. She also received a Master's degree in Black Studies from Ohio State University. Before that, she earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Theology from Columbia Union College. She completed her PhD in 2006. Her main teacher for her PhD was François Bovon.

Career and Teaching

Mitzi Smith has been a Christian minister since 1982. She is an ordained elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. This means she is a recognized leader who can preach and perform religious duties.

In 2006, she became an assistant professor at Ashland Theological Seminary's Detroit Center. She later became an Associate Professor and then a full Professor there. She has mentioned several scholars who influenced her studies at Harvard. These include Francois Bovon, Allen Callahan, Cain Hope Felder, Katie Cannon, emilie townes, Clarice Martin, and Renita Weems.

Important Works

The Literary Construction of the Other in the Acts of the Apostles

In her book, The Literary Construction of the Other in the Acts of the Apostles, Mitzi Smith looks closely at the Bible's book of Acts. She suggests that the writer of Acts describes certain groups as "the other." These groups include charismatics (people who show spiritual gifts), Jewish people, and women. She argues that by making these groups seem different or less important, the book of Acts makes the male apostles of the early Christian movement seem more powerful and important.

How "Othering" Works

Smith explains that this process of "othering" helped to keep a certain order in the early church. It supported the idea that male apostles were in charge. It also kept a system where men held most of the power.

According to Smith, the book of Acts often shows the apostles as being "filled with the Spirit" and having special authority. But charismatics and Jewish people are shown as not having these qualities. This makes them seem like "external others." They are close to the apostles in some ways but are shown as being against them.

Women in the early Christian movement are also described in ways that make their roles seem smaller. They are often shown as being less important than Peter and Paul. Smith calls women "internal others" because they were part of the early Christian community but were still treated as less important.

Why This Matters

Smith believes that understanding this "othering" in the book of Acts is important. It helps us see how even sacred texts can sometimes treat groups unfairly. When a text is seen as perfect, it's easy to think that its descriptions of "others" are how things should be.

Professor Smith encourages her readers to use sacred texts like Acts to become more aware of how "othering" happens. She wants people to resist the urge to treat others as different or less important.