Claiming the Call to Preach - Four Female Pioneers of Preaching in Nineteenth-Century America

Claiming the Call to Preach critically examines the dominant historical narrative that overtly or covertly has exercised its power to keep women from preaching. Donna Giver-Johnston here recovers the histories of four notable female preaching pioneers who affected change in the religious landscape of nineteenth-century America: Jarena Lee, Frances Willard, Louisa Woosley, and Florence Spearing Randolph. These women, diverse in religion, race, class, and culture each told their story of call in distinctive ways that articulated strong and effective rhetorical arguments for ecclesiastical sanction to give them a place in the pulpit.

List of contents

• I. The Call to Preach


• II. History and Theology of the Call: Text, Tradition, Trope, and Tactics


• III. Jarena Lee


• IV. Frances Elizabeth Willard


• V. Louisa Mariah Woosley


• VI. Florence Spearing Randolph


• VII. Theology and Practice


• Coda


• Appendix


• Bibliography

About the author

Donna Giver-Johnston is an ordained Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA). She has a PhD and MA from Vanderbilt University and an MDiv from Princeton Theological Seminary. Currently, she is on the faculty of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary where she serves as the Director of the Doctor of Ministry program.

Product details

• Authors: Donna Giver-Johnston
• Publisher: Oxford Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Release: 15.07.2025
• EAN: 9780197803059
• ISBN: 978-0-19-780305-9
• Illustrations: 4 illustrations
• Subjects: Fiction > Narrative literature > Letters, diaries; BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / General, RELIGION / Christianity / History, HISTORY / Women, Christianity, History of Religion, Religious aspects of sexuality, gender and relationships, Religious aspects of sexuality, gender & relationships