Ida Gage1 Comment

Ida Gage’s Life: As Told by Her Grandson Glenn V. Tingley

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Over the past month I have made some amazing discoveries about both Clara Wetherald and Ida Gage and for the next few posts I’m going to share more of their stories. The more I find out about these women the more humbled I become. They were amazing, amazing people. Ida Gage converted to Christianity when she was 23. She had married Charles Gage before she became a believer; by 25 she felt a call to preach. What first attracted me to Ida Gage was her address at the 1890 Free Methodist General Conference. She wasn’t even a delegate, just attending … Continue reading Ida Gage’s Life: As Told by Her Grandson Glenn V. Tingley

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Ellen Stowe Roberts: Co-Founder of Free Methodism

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Benjamin Titus (B.T.) Roberts is known as the founder of Free Methodism. Yet, standing quietly beside him was his wife Ellen Stowe Roberts. While B.T. Roberts was traveling, preaching, dedicating new churches and attending annual conferences his wife Ellen was back at home at Chili Seminary. While she traveled with him sometimes, her impact on Free Methodism rests in her gentle spirit and quiet witness. I firmly believe that when we note who founded Free Methodism both B.T. and Ellen should be given credit in the same breath. Ellen helped shape B.T. Roberts theology through her connections to Phoebe Palmer … Continue reading Ellen Stowe Roberts: Co-Founder of Free Methodism

Free Methodism, Gender Norms in Christian Co-CulturesLeave a comment

Debating Biblical Gender Roles Then and Now

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It’s easy to believe that the debates about gender roles in evangelical culture are a recent development. Yet, looking through Free Methodist Magazine archives from over a hundred years ago, it’s clear that the debate on Biblical gender roles goes back centuries. Perhaps, I can justify the tension regarding women’s roles the nineteenth and early twentieth century Free Methodist Church somewhat, but I cannot justify nor understand why this debate still continues. As is always the case we too often forget history and do not learn from the past. In the early twentieth century America was in the midst of … Continue reading Debating Biblical Gender Roles Then and Now

Clara Leffingwell2 Comments

Clara Leffingwell: A Free Methodist Trailblazer

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Clara Leffingwell was born in 1862 in New York. The youngest of ten children, her mother died when she was very young, and she was raised by two of her older sisters. In her biography Clara Leffingwell: A Missionary, written by Walter Sellew, she is described as a very devote, spiritually sensitive child. Sellew, who is the bishop who wrote “Why Not?” in favor of ordaining women, is attempting to create a picture of Clara as a woman of faith. While there is some literary license in the biography, Clara’s story is remarkable and humbling. As a single woman, by … Continue reading Clara Leffingwell: A Free Methodist Trailblazer

Feminism and Christianity, Free Methodism, Gender Norms in Christian Co-Cultures2 Comments

What Makes a Free Methodist Feminist?

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I’m re-posting this entry since I now have more readers than I did when I originally posted it. It’s my manifesto for what I believe and what I research. Occasionally I’m asked why I call myself a feminist. Now that my blog is getting a few readers I’m getting this question more often. The concept of a “Free Methodist Feminist” seems like an oxymoron. Yet, I stand by this term. I am a feminist.  While there are definitely some feminists who distance themselves from organized religion and view organized religion as just another way to enforce patriarchy, I don’t see … Continue reading What Makes a Free Methodist Feminist?

Free Methodist Women, Ida Gage2 Comments

The Continued Hunt to Discover Who Ida Gage Really Was…

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I have been obsessed with Ida Gage for two weeks now. My husband is telling me I have to stop digging. I am never going to uncover every fact about this woman’s life, and what is more important is to construct her rhetorical history through her sermons and speeches at conferences. Yet, these early Free Methodist women keep pulling me back into their history, their lives. They have become my friends and my heroes, who I really wish I could meet. Archival research is very complex, especially when you are trying to piece together the lives of women who have … Continue reading The Continued Hunt to Discover Who Ida Gage Really Was…

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Ida Gage’s Ministry

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Information on Ida Gage and her personal life are difficult to come by. I hope as I do archival research in Wood County, Ohio, next week that I will find out more about her Bowling Green Circuit. I am also hoping that the Free Methodist Magazine archives will shed light on Ida’s personal life. The magazine certainly helped outline Clara Wetherald’s ministry and life, and I’m very hopeful that information on Ida will also be forthcoming. She was prolific in ministry, and as both her and Clara were gifted public speakers there is a record of their various places they … Continue reading Ida Gage’s Ministry

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Cultural Influences in the 1890 General Conference Debates

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Sometimes even Christians are wrong. Shocker! Christians can have wrong opinions? Yes, we’re only human, and in the case of the 1890 Free Methodist General Conference some of the denomination’s Godly leaders were wrong. I’ve struggle the past few months with how to critique the debate on women’s ordination in the denomination, particularly the 1890 General Conference when the debate was incredibly heated and intense. Yet, I don’t want to say that these men, who were clearly dedicated to their faith and had a heart for service, were evil men. They weren’t evil. What I’ve come to see is that … Continue reading Cultural Influences in the 1890 General Conference Debates

Feminism and Christianity, Monsterous Regiment of Women2 Comments

The Monsterous Regiment Attacks Women in Ministry

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In The Monstrous Regiment of Women the Gunn brothers attempt to evoke the language of the Old Testament prophets and warn America of impending doom if they do not return to the gender roles that are laid out in a literal interpretation of the Bible. The film repeatedly references specific God-ordained gender roles that are not open for interpretation. Women are mothers and homemakers and husbands earn money and lead the family – no negotiation.  Even Christian ministry is considered a role that women cannot fulfill. According to the Christian patriarchy movement a woman’s home is her ministry and anything … Continue reading The Monsterous Regiment Attacks Women in Ministry

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A Closer Look at The Monsterous Regiment of Women

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The Christian patriarchy movement does not hide the fact that they believe they are the keepers of the Christian faith and are upholding a Biblical worldview for family and society that has been rejected by mainstream Christian culture.  Documentaries such as the Gunn Brother’s The Monstrous Regiment of Women present the world as a place filled with feminists and socialists who are out to destroy the stay at home mother. The sacred duty of motherhood is stressed in the film as the only Biblical model a Christian woman can follow. The documentary creates a fantasy that seems plausible and spiritual … Continue reading A Closer Look at The Monsterous Regiment of Women