Writer Cole Arthur Riley's path to God was long and winding. She explored many religious traditions, but God eventually used the written word—a medium near and dear to her heart—to draw her to Him. Founder of the creative community Black Liturgies, Cole shares why stories touch us like nothing else, and why God has always used them to shape our understanding of Him.
Quotes
"I think our humanity demands the creative, and I think good spirituality asks a kind of artistry in each of us." —Cole Arthur Riley
"The Christians that I had encountered up to that point were all very intense, and frankly, made me believe that God was a white man with blue eyes, which created some dissonance in me as a Black woman." —Cole Arthur Riley
"I like to think that God knew that I, whose identity was so situated within books and reading, that that God used the one thing that I felt safe in to draw me into the divine." —Cole Arthur Riley
"I know a God who sees me in the fullness of who I am, who sees me in my Blackness and sees beauty amplified in my Blackness and doesn't ask me to diminish it in order to find belonging." —Cole Arthur Riley
"It all began with the Word. You know, Christ Himself likened to a word. So it's no surprise to me that our faith leads us to revere them and to revere stories." —Cole Arthur Riley
Cole's Links
Cole's website
Resources Mentioned in This Episode
Cornell University
Connect with Sally Lloyd-Jones
Jesus Storybook Bible Facebook
Jesus Storybook Bible Instagram
*Episode produced by Four Eyes Media*
