Join us for a yearlong celebration of the 70th anniversary of women's ordination in Methodism as each episode of "Un-Tied Methodism" features conversations centered on women who were changemakers in the denomination. From Susanna Wesley, Dorothy Ripley and Barbara Heck to Jarena Lee, Mary McLeod Bethune and Georgia Harkness, we explore the bold faith of women who became the backbone of the People called Methodists.
From Susanna Wesley to Dorothy Ripley: Women, calling and courage
Dr. Ashley Boggan welcomes historians Rev. Dr. Paul Chilcote and Rev. Dr. Donna Fowler-Marchant to look at the women who laid the groundwork long before ordination was possible.
From Susanna Wesley’s overlooked theological brilliance to the bold preaching of Sarah Crosby, Mary Bosanquet Fletcher, and dozens of other women, this episode explores how women in early Methodism claimed their call—often in defiance of church structures, social respectability, and outright opposition.
Podcast published Jan. 29, 2026.
LISTEN
Crossing oceans and confronting power: The audacious faith of Dorothy Ripley
Long before women’s ordination was formally recognized, Dorothy Ripley was already preaching in bold and radical ways. She crossed the Atlantic Ocean 19 times, chastised President Thomas Jefferson for being an enslaver and was the first woman to speak before Congress.
Dr. Ashley Boggan welcomes Duke University’s Dr. Laceye Warner to explore the remarkable life of this 18th-century evangelist, a woman who navigated institutional resistance and cultural expectations to become known at the time of her death as “perhaps the most extraordinary woman in the world.”
Podcast published Feb. 19, 2026.
LISTEN