In Whose Image?: God and Gender [Paperback]

Jann Aldredge-Clanton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2001

Aldredge-Clanton exposes the persistent sin of idolatry in limiting God to male and masculine language; she challenges faith to recover female and feminine speech in order to understand the God beyond male and female. In developing this thesis, Aldredge-Clanton has amassed an impressive array of documentation, beginning with Scripture, continuing through church history, and concluding with contemporary experiences of Christian people. An irenic spirit, clear writing, and passionate conviction unite to make this book accessible and instructive for all who have eyes to see and ears to hear?

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: The Crossroad Publishing Company; Rev Exp Su edition (January 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0824518810
• ISBN-13: 978-0824518813
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,313,915 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jann Aldredge-Clanton is an ordained minister, author, teacher, and chaplain. 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, 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, 2007); Counseling People with Cancer (Westminster John Knox, 1998); God, A Word for Girls and Boys (Glad River, 1993; Wipf and Stock, 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.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Detailed Images of God, March 17, 2004

By 

Christine Hargrove (North Reading, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Whose Image: God & Gender (Paperback)

Jann Aldredge-Clanton does an excellent job of laying out specifically the imagery of God presented in both Hebrew and Christian Scriptures (Old and New Testaments). Although most Christians are unaware, there are many masculine/feminine/gender neutral images of God in Scripture. This book feels to be an elaboration on The Divine Feminine, by Virginia Ramey Mollenkott. She methodically goes through Scriptural images and discusses the social implications of using unorthodox images in spiritual journeys. She emphasizes the healing possibilities for using alternative imagery with people who have difficulty connecting to God as Father/Judge/King. For example, God as Mother (common theme, though rarely discussed in Church) feels safer to many victims of rape, sexual abuse, or incest.
I absolutely loved this book. Because it was so technical, however, it did not seem accessible to the average layperson. Each chapter is dense, intellectually stimulating, and requires a great deal of writing in the margins. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone involved in the field of Christian feminist theology. However, for an introduction to Christian imagery, I recommend The Divine Feminine by Mollenkott or Sexism and God-Talk by Rosemary Radford Ruether. Both of these would be excellent to work into Sunday School, Bible Study, or personal quiet time sessions.