Kendra Weddle

Letha Dawson Scanzoni changed the landscape of American evangelicalism through her groundbreaking work on the gospel-based intersection of gender and LGBTQ justice. She coauthored two of the first books that support women's equality and LGBTQ rights with the Bible: All We're Meant to Be and Is the Homosexual My Neighbor? In all her work Scanzoni applies the liberating message of Jesus to women and to people who have been marginalized by church and society because of sexual orientation. Building Bridges combines an exploration of the life and work of Letha Dawson Scanzoni with stories of people she continues to empower through her writing and the Evangelical & Ecumenical Women's Caucus - Christian Feminism Today, an organization she cofounded. This book illustrates her growing influence as she continues her prophetic collaboration with new generations. In addition, it provides resources for churches as they build bridges for their ministries of liberation, justice, and peace. ""This book lifts up one of the most important feminists in the last fifty years. Through it we can trace how Letha Dawson Scanzoni challenged evangelicals' established and theologically legitimated roles for women and perspectives on LGBTQ persons, and then helped foster significant social change. It's not only the biography of a long neglected history changer, but a description of how one biblically literate scholar helped the church to think in new ways."" --Tony Campolo, author of Red Letter Christians: ACitizens Guide to Faith and Politics ""Building Bridges displays biography at its best, fully encompassing one life, yet written larger than life. The authors deftly set the narrative of Letha Dawson Scanzoni and her pioneering writings on sex and gender to showcase her pivotal challenge to the reigning contours of American evangelicalism. Scanzoni stands tall and courageous in this book, a prophet calling the American church to the biblical stance of justice for all."" --Priscilla Pope-Levison, Associate Dean and Professor at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University ""Many think of Letha Dawson Scanzoni above all as a feminist, and that is no doubt legitimate. But I think of her first and foremost as a courageous biblical interpreter, because when I was a young evangelical, I watched her take the same biblical texts that the (white male) evangelical gatekeepers used to oppress others and instead use them to liberate. I admired her courage to differ from the gatekeepers, having no idea that I would eventually walk that same path. This book tells Letha's story and celebrates her impact. I highly recommend it."" --Brian D. McLaren, author of The Great Spiritual Migration ""Jann and Kendra have produced a fitting homage to Letha and an excellent review and analysis of the Christian feminist movement. As a church historian, I value their insight into and accurateinterpretation of the pilgrimage of Christian women toward equality. I encourage anyone interested in the story of the intertwining of Letha Dawson Scanzoni's life with the development of twentieth-century Christian feminism to read this book. It is a fine addition to Christian feminist scholarship."" --Rosalie Beck, Associate Professor at Baylor University ""If time travel were possible, I'd set the dial back two thousand years and place this book in the hands of the early church. Then I would roll the dial forward, stopping every decade to make sure its lessons were remembered. Alas, now I can only hope its prophetic witness is not too late."" --Philip Gulley, Author of If the Church Were Christian ""Kendra Weddle and Jann Aldredge-Clanton's book Building Bridges provides an informative and inspirational story of the life and work of Letha Dawson Scanzoni. Letha's life paves a pathway for a new generation of feminist theologians. This thoughtful biography will stimulate future generations of feminist thinkers in their work and witness."" --Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Author of Embracin

Letha Dawson Scanzoni changed the landscape of American evangelicalism through her groundbreaking work on the gospel-based intersection of gender and LGBTQ justice. She coauthored two of the first books that support women's equality and LGBTQ rights with the Bible: All We're Meant to Be and Is the Homosexual My Neighbor? In all her work Scanzoni applies the liberating message of Jesus to women and to people who have been marginalized by church and society because of sexual orientation. Building Bridges combines an exploration of the life and work of Letha Dawson Scanzoni with stories of people she continues to empower through her writing and the Evangelical & Ecumenical Women's Caucus - Christian Feminism Today, an organization she cofounded. This book illustrates her growing influence as she continues her prophetic collaboration with new generations. In addition, it provides resources for churches as they build bridges for their ministries of liberation, justice, and peace. ""This book lifts up one of the most important feminists in the last fifty years. Through it we can trace how Letha Dawson Scanzoni challenged evangelicals' established and theologically legitimated roles for women and perspectives on LGBTQ persons, and then helped foster significant social change. It's not only the biography of a long neglected history changer, but a description of how one biblically literate scholar helped the church to think in new ways."" --Tony Campolo, author of Red Letter Christians: ACitizens Guide to Faith and Politics ""Building Bridges displays biography at its best, fully encompassing one life, yet written larger than life. The authors deftly set the narrative of Letha Dawson Scanzoni and her pioneering writings on sex and gender to showcase her pivotal challenge to the reigning contours of American evangelicalism. Scanzoni stands tall and courageous in this book, a prophet calling the American church to the biblical stance of justice for all."" --Priscilla Pope-Levison, Associate Dean and Professor at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University ""Many think of Letha Dawson Scanzoni above all as a feminist, and that is no doubt legitimate. But I think of her first and foremost as a courageous biblical interpreter, because when I was a young evangelical, I watched her take the same biblical texts that the (white male) evangelical gatekeepers used to oppress others and instead use them to liberate. I admired her courage to differ from the gatekeepers, having no idea that I would eventually walk that same path. This book tells Letha's story and celebrates her impact. I highly recommend it."" --Brian D. McLaren, author of The Great Spiritual Migration ""Jann and Kendra have produced a fitting homage to Letha and an excellent review and analysis of the Christian feminist movement. As a church historian, I value their insight into and accurateinterpretation of the pilgrimage of Christian women toward equality. I encourage anyone interested in the story of the intertwining of Letha Dawson Scanzoni's life with the development of twentieth-century Christian feminism to read this book. It is a fine addition to Christian feminist scholarship."" --Rosalie Beck, Associate Professor at Baylor University ""If time travel were possible, I'd set the dial back two thousand years and place this book in the hands of the early church. Then I would roll the dial forward, stopping every decade to make sure its lessons were remembered. Alas, now I can only hope its prophetic witness is not too late."" --Philip Gulley, Author of If the Church Were Christian ""Kendra Weddle and Jann Aldredge-Clanton's book Building Bridges provides an informative and inspirational story of the life and work of Letha Dawson Scanzoni. Letha's life paves a pathway for a new generation of feminist theologians. This thoughtful biography will stimulate future generations of feminist thinkers in their work and witness."" --Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Author of Embracin

What if the women of the Bible told their own stories? Lady Midrash: Poems Reclaiming the Voices of Biblical Women brings to life alternative interpretations and forgotten female perspectives from the Hebrew Bible and New Testament. Following in the footsteps of Jewish midrash, a storytelling tradition that explores the gaps in scripture, these poems re-examine the experiences of Biblical women. Sidelined heroines are celebrated. Supposed villainesses get to speak for themselves. Lady Midrash reverses convention, probes familiar narratives, attends to small moments, highlights peripheral and silent characters, and names the nameless. The imagination of midrash provides the reader with a creative space to rethink assumptions and reconsider the accounts of women in the Jewish and Christian traditions. ""With creative imagination and careful scholarship, Elisabeth Mehl Greene reclaims the sacred value of biblical women. These compelling narrative poems give honor to the cursed, voice to the voiceless, names to the nameless, agency to the powerless, recognition to marginalized females and the Female Divine--thereby affirming all women in the image of Divine Wisdom. The enlightening foreword, introduction, and endnotes also make Lady Midrash ideal for church study groups, academic classes, and personal exploration."" --Jann Aldredge-Clanton, Chaplain; Teacher; Author of Seeking Wisdom: Inclusive Blessings and Prayers for Public Occasions and Inclusive Hymns for Liberating Christians ""In this accessible collection, Greene gives voices to women in the Bible who have been silenced for too long. Greene's well-informed poems bear witness to the ways women have contributed to God's grand story, while also challenging readers to see the Bible in all its complexities. Reading these poems has deepened my appreciation for scripture and for the women whose lives are inscribed there."" --Melanie Springer Mock, Professor, Department of English, George Fox University ""In Lady Midrash, Greene has written a series of poems that pique the reader's imagination and encourage us to learn and imagine more about women in the Bible. For study groups, these poems will stimulate spirited discussions and sacred contemplation as Ms. Greene's creativity and imagination open up the reader to new facets of well-known stories."" --Carol Blythe, Alliance of Baptists Elisabeth Mehl Greene is a writer and composer working in the Washington DC area. She is a visiting researcher at the Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University. Greene received her doctorate from the University of Maryland. Lady Midrash is her first book.