Prophetic Sisterhood: Liberal Women Ministers of the Frontier, 1880-1930

"Prophetic Sisterhood" documents the struggles of a courageous group of nineteenth-century women to find a place in the liberal denominations of American religion. They left the security of their homes and endured great hardships in fulfillment of their desire to minister to congregations on the western frontier. Their questioning of traditional ministerial roles led to the creation of a domestic ministry whose scope extended far beyond the pulpit to suffrage, social settlements, and the peace movement. But because they were women, they failed to gain institutional acceptance. "In "Prophetic Sisterhood", the conspiracy of forgetfulness around women in ministry is challenged. The book contains historical substance, readable stories, and methodological insights." - Barbara Brown Zikmund. "Cynthia Tucker's "Prophetic Sisterhood" fills a major gap in the study of women and religion in America. It is invaluable as the only documentation of a support system of female ordained ministers in the nineteenth century." - Rosemary Keller.