Breaking Free: The Story of a Feminist Baptist Minister

by Jann Aldredge-Clanton

Jann Aldredge-Clanton didn't start out as a reformer. When she was a pre-teen, she almost starved herself to death trying to fit into the culture's feminine mold. In high school she felt inadequate because she never won a beauty crown, even though she graduated at the top of her class. Slowly, she began waking up to her own voice, and became one of the first women ever to be ordained as a Baptist minister in the South.

It has not been an easy road. She almost lost her job as a professor at a Baptist university because she refused to sign a fundamentalist statement of beliefs. She was labeled a "heretic" for calling God "She" and "Mother." Others said she couldn't be an ordained minister because it would be "unbiblical." The controversy over women s roles in religion was just another example of the glass ceiling women too often face in American society.

Called "Waco's Give 'Em Hell Minister" for her outspoken opinions and action on social issues, Jann divulges in Breaking Free how she discovered her mission of freeing people, including herself, from sexism and other injustices. Breaking Free is a remarkable memoir that shows the liberating power of faith combined with feminism. It will inspire readers of all ages to find the freedom to become all God created them to be.

290 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2002

About the author

Jann Aldredge-Clanton is an ordained minister, author, teacher, and chaplain. She currently serves as adjunct professor at Perkins School of Theology and Richland Community College, Dallas, Texas. A native of Louisiana, Jann received the B.A. degree from Louisiana Polytechnic University, the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Texas Christian University, and the M.Div. from Southwestern Theological Seminary.

She is the author of Changing Church: Stories of Liberating Ministers (Cascade Books, 2011); Inclusive Hymns for Liberation, Peace, and Justice (Eakin Press, 2011); Seeking Wisdom: Inclusive Blessings and Prayers for Public Occasions (Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2010); Inclusive Hymns for Liberating Christians (Eakin Press, 2006); Breaking Free: The Story of a Feminist Baptist Minister (Eakin Press, 2002); In Search of the Christ-Sophia: An Inclusive Christology for Liberating Christians (Twenty-Third Publications, 1995; Eakin Press, 2004); Imagine God! A Children's Musical Exploring and Expressing Images of God (Choristers Guild, 2004); In Whose Image? God and Gender (Crossroad, 1990, 2001); Praying with Christ-Sophia: Services for Healing and Renewal (Twenty-Third Publications, 1996; Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2007); Counseling People with Cancer (Westminster John Knox, 1998); God, A Word for Girls and Boys (Glad River, 1993; Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2007). She has also published articles in The Journal of Pastoral Care, The Christian Ministry, and elsewhere.

Her lectures include The School of Theology for the Laity, Perkins School of Theology Women's Week, Texas Christian University Women's Week, United Methodist Fall University, Baptist Women in Ministry Annual Conference, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Annual Conference, Alliance of Baptists Annual Conference, American Association of Pastoral Counselors Conference, The Hymn Society Annual Conference, and Faith and Feminism/Womanist/Mujerista Annual Conference. Her diverse career includes serving as consultant in the internship programs at Perkins School of Theology and Brite Divinity School; Associate Pastor, St. John's United Methodist Church, Waco, Texas; Executive Director, Waco Conference of Christians and Jews; Pastoral Counselor, Samaritan Counseling Center of Central Texas; Chaplain, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, Texas; Chaplain, Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center, Waco, Texas; English professor, Dallas Baptist University.