Building Bridges

Praise for this book

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.

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.

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.

Mark McLeod-Harrison, Professor at George Fox University

Thanks to Weddle and Aldredge-Clanton for sharpening the lens on the ground-breaking work of Letha Dawson Scanzoni. Building Bridges documents an often-overlooked revolution in American evangelicalism. Christians seeking to build bridges today on pressing questions of gospel liberation and justice will find here a treasure trove of biblical resources and promising vision.

Amy Oden, Professor at Saint Paul School of Theology

I have known Jann Aldredge-Clanton and Kendra Weddle for many years, but I have not met Letha Dawson Scanzoni. After reading the book, I wish I knew her. All We're Meant to Be had a profound influence on my life, moving me toward Christian feminism at a time when that stance was not 'cool' on evangelical Christian university campuses. Reading this book reminded me of the journey Letha helped equip me for, and the journeys many women have taken into a worldview that sees people for who they are and values them regardless of race, ethnic identity, gender identity or color. 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 accurate interpretation of the pilgrimage of Christian women toward equality. I encourage anyone interested in the story of the intertwining of Scanzoni's life with the development of Christian feminism to read this book. Anyone searching for a good historical presentation of the development of Christian feminism should read this book. It is a fine addition to Christian feminist scholarship.

Rosalie Beck, Associate Professor at Baylor University

I am so honored to endorse Building Bridges: Letha Dawson Scanzoni and Friends, by Jann Aldredge-Clanton and Kendra Weddle. This important book places Letha Dawson Scanzoni where she belongs--as a founder of Christian feminism. The authors acknowledge her true context--the history of American religion, women in religion, and a branch of Christian feminism that dared to take on homophobia. This is a neglected story of personal and theological courage that helps us understand our current religious and theological struggles. I appreciate that the authors included some of Scanzoni's most important essays so that we can hear her voice afresh. Thank you also for lifting up her role as a mentor and friend to so many women theologians, expanding their horizons and multiplying their impact. As a leader in Metropolitan Community Churches for over four decades, I can personally attest to the powerful influences of Scanzoni and her friends, such as Nancy Hardesty and Virginia Mollenkott, on more than one generation of women and men of faith. We are ever in her debt.

Nancy Wilson, Former Global Moderator of Metropolitan Community Churches