Tag: Historical Feminists
When Letha Dawson Scanzoni and Virginia Ramey Mollenkott Met Harvey Milk
... the story of how two Christian feminist leaders, my friends Letha Dawson Scanzoni and Virginia Ramey Mollenkott, co-authors of Is the Homosexual My Neighbor: Another Christian View, met and shook hands with Harvey Milk..
Mary E. Hunt’s Suggestions for the Synod of Bishops
Dr. Mary E. Hunt, a feminist Catholic theologian, has five suggestions for Pope Francis to make the upcoming Synod of Bishops mean something.
Heather Cox Richardson on the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution
August 26th is the anniversary of the day the Nineteenth Amendment (giving women the right to vote) was ratified. Read Heather Cox Richardson's historical report about the events leading up to it.
Matilda Joslyn Gage: The Coolest First Wave Feminist You’ve Never Heard Of
"She propelled women's rights, admired Indigenous societies and sought to impeach the US government. So why has history all but forgotten her name?"
Virginia Ramey Mollenkott, My Coauthor, My Friend: A Special Remembrance
"I remember feeling so thrilled to have such an intellectual friend whose memory could always pull up just the right quote at the right time. And once again I felt the same awe and admiration I had felt when I first began reading her books years before. "
I’m ceded, I’ve stopped being theirs
November 2019 Poetry Selection
The name they dropped upon my face
With water, in the country church,
Is finished using now...
The name they dropped upon my face
With water, in the country church,
Is finished using now...
Devotions from HERstory: 31 Days with Women of Faith
“Besides being well-structured for personal use, this book could also be used in group settings as a source of reflection and discussion. Further information is provided about the historical person at the end of each daily section, including additional resources. At the end of the book, there is a timeline of the featured historical women and a list of suggested readings on other inspiring women.”
The Care of the Self in Early Christian Texts
“By focusing on practices instead of on what we assume were their beliefs, Saxon’s research reveals a rich variety of early Christ movements. In particular, her research on the approaches to martyrdom in different communities dispels the false dichotomy of 'orthodox' versus 'heretics' or 'Gnostics.'”
Why Religion?: A Personal Story
"Why Religion?" should be of interest to people who are ready to give up on religion, wonder if, or why, religion matters, or, due to changing life experiences, seek new pathways, processes, or interpretations to sustain or renew their spiritual and religious practice.
A Politically Incorrect Feminist: Creating a Movement with Bitches, Lunatics, Dykes, Prodigies, Warriors, and...
"...reading the first few chapters left me wishing I had been part of the early second wave feminist cultural phenomenon. Chesler’s stories give a clear impression of the excitement and energy surrounding the efforts to define reality and create sweeping changes."
A History of the World in 21 Women
Jenni Murray's book 'History of the World in 21 Women' provides a look at several women, each of whom has, as Murray puts it, 'faced seemingly insurmountable obstacles to achieve her ambition...'
She Flies On: A White Southern Christian Debutante Wakes Up
Carter Heyward uses the brilliant tactic of discussing Trinitarian language to illustrate the effects of patriarchy on one individual female life and collective humanity. God is defined throughout as “the Spirit moving within us with an impulse to connect.”
Feminism Is — Christina Rossetti: 19th Century Spiritual Poet
December 11, 2017
"Rossetti wrote hundreds of haunting, wistful, mystical, and spiritual poems in English and Italian. In 1862 her collection, Goblin Market and Other Poems,...
Four Women Doctors of the Church
These four women taught by precept and example not only that mysticism, or direct communion with God, was for all believers. They also taught by example that Christian mysticism is anchored in the Church with its creeds and rituals.
Feminism Is: Kate Millett — Revolutionary Wordsmith
September 8, 2017
This week we lost one of the most influential second-wave feminist thinkers, Kate Millett.
Millett was the author of the groundbreaking feminist book,...
Lesbian Power Couples Who Changed History!
September 5, 2017
From Autostraddle comes an interesting post about a few historical feminists, all of whom were in relationships we might label as same-sex...
Wait a minute! Whose idea was that?
July 31, 2017
From the Huffington Post comes this interesting slideshow/article listing eleven "women who did groundbreaking things that men got the credit for."
Read about Rosalind Franklin, Alice Guy, Dr....
Mother Goose, Mother Jones, Mommie Dearest: Biblical Mothers and Their Children
... the contributors of this volume delve into topics such as the problematic aspects of the relationship between Jesus and his mother, the Bible being read as a Mother Goose tale, whether working mothers are “wrecking” their children, and the response of people of faith to the reality of incest and the sexual abuse of children within their congregations.
Ora et Labora (Prayer and Work): A Sermon of Mary and Martha
Women are forced to partake in ferocious competition for limited resources instead of being immersed in a faithful community where there is not only enough for all but in which all are valued.
Feminism Is: Dorothea Dix — Mental Health Champion
May 19, 2017
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and here on the Link of the Day blog we're featuring relevant content.
"During the 19th century,...
New Box of First Wave Feminist Letters Found
April 3, 2017
The year is 1869. The issue is whether to support a proposed 15th Amendment to the US Constitution giving black men the...
Was Esther a Post-Colonial Feminist?
Esther was in the same situation that many women in the postcolonial world are in; and in the end, like her, they do what they need to do in order to survive.
American Jezebel: The Uncommon Life of Anne Hutchinson, the Woman who Defied the Puritans
As an evangelical feminist, I found fascinating the details of the religious controversies in which [Hutchinson] participated. Are believers “elect” from the beginning of time? Can we know whether we are one of the elect—or whether someone else is? Does sanctification (the outward appearance of grace) prove we are saved, or are outward appearances simply “works,” not evidence of a heart that is right with God?
Salty Wives, Spirited Mothers, and Savvy Widows: Capable Women of Purpose and Persistence...
In addition to Spencer’s literary prowess and clever wordplays (why didn’t I think of an “ambushed Moses”?), his feminist intuitions are so spot-on we might call him an honorary female! His command of scholarly feminist literature is also remarkable—way beyond mine.
Bible Women: All Their Words and Why They Matter
One has the impression in reading Bible Women that the words of women are overwhelmingly (but not always) positive in their courage, spirit of enterprise, and profound spiritual insight.
Bible Women brings into focus how often the words of women change the course of events.
Progressive Evangelicals and the Pursuit of Social Justice
“Yet, humbling though parts of the story may be, this is a history that needs to be heard. It isn’t wholly a story of stumbles. It’s also a story of honorable words and courageous actions, often undertaken in the face of great hostility. For that, we can all be thankful. It’s also a non-static story of growth, evolution, and change. Again and again, you’ll find evidence of that Wind that blows where it wills.”
Back to the Well: Women’s Encounters with Jesus in the Gospels
Dr. Gench’s studies are accessible for lay readers, with in-depth analysis for pastors and teachers. She provides context and explanations of pertinent aspects of the Greek, and illuminates specific cultural and ritual elements that impact how one would view the text.
Helpmates, Harlots, and Heroes: Women’s Stories in the Hebrew Bible
People have been re-examining the stories of the Bible through the lens of feminism for years now, but Bellis is foremost – or she should be – among those scholars. Her writing is clear. Her logic is irrefutable, and she is extremely knowledgeable about the limits of a woman’s sphere in the time of the Hebrew scripture.
Feminism Is: Audre Lorde— Fighting Oppression with Poetry
Daughter of immigrants from Grenada, Lorde was born in Harlem in 1934, was married and bore two children before she became openly lesbian and radically womanist.
The Awakening
Well, as a feminist/humanist Christian I can only hope that Kate Chopin’s artistic inspiration carried her farther out and farther in than she herself realized. I also hope that many other feminists will read or re-read this amazing novel and will share their understanding of its significance with one another.
The Invention of Wings: A Novel
The combination of engaging fictional narrative with the outlines of the historical record provide an enjoyable means of learning more about the Grimké sisters, the early abolitionist movement, and the early women’s rights movements during this period.
The Gospel of Mary: An Inclusive Gospel
The spiritual path to authentic humanity is dramatically displayed in the central drama of Mary’s Gospel, a narrative often described as the ascent of the soul (Mary 15:1-17:7). The narrative relates Mary’s vision of a soul encountering (and overcoming) seven malevolent powers that seek to keep it bound and drag it down.
Remembering EEWC-CFT Member Marillia Hinds
Marillia Hinds was a woman ahead of her time. I remember her telling about injustices she became aware of through her reading, which prompted her to write to the CEO of the company or organization to share her opinion of the unfairness.
Vision – The Music of Hildegard Von Bingen
Hildegard's words are in Latin, and translated I can glimpse a little of her philosophical genius. But for me, I find the magic in her melody. It's a soft stream flowing over rocks and roots, carrying leaves and tiny insects along, sparkling in sunlight, reflecting the sky.
The Story of Ruth: Twelve Moments in Every Woman’s Life
This is a book of distilled wisdom. For me, the moment called "Aging" was especially poignant. It is certainly part of my life review at this period in my life. Reading and responding to the words here was invigorating. Also challenging.
A People’s History of Christianity
Providing a nuanced work, including persons (often women) usually overlooked and dismissed, Bass brings to light the ways in which these previously disregarded people were important shapers of Christian history and tradition.
My Life So Far
Finally, I love the way Fonda describes her conversion to Christianity and her hesitation once she comes up against “certain literal, patriarchal aspects of Christian orthodoxy.” She is reticent enough to avoid glibness, but outspoken enough to make clear her commitment to Christian feminism.
Out of the Depths: The Story of Ludmila Javorova, Ordained Roman Catholic Priest
Perhaps now that a woman has publicly claimed her priesthood, we will recognize ourselves within her story. Perhaps we will find each other and then, one day, like the walls of Jericho, and the Wall in Berlin, the wall between the men and women of the Roman Catholic Church will just come tumbling down.
Contemporaneity “the quality of belonging to the same period of time”
EEWC, with its mix of young and old and every age in between, and its sense of contemporaneity -- we're all in this together at the same time and place in history and each of us has something to contribute -- provides countless opportunities for demonstrating what it means to be a feminist and Christian at any age.
Remembering Mary Daly
My personal story points to the internal conflict many biblical feminists might have felt upon the passing of Mary Daly, the blazingly brilliant woman who moved further and further away from our theological territory with each book she published.
Mary Sidney
Her Psalms versions were famous during her own lifetime and are worth rediscovering today. They can work well for private devotional reading and even for reading aloud in public worship.3
Great Women in Church History
Central to all of these women's lives was their love for God, their devotion to Christ, and their compassion for others. Love. Christ commanded that we love God with all our heart. These women did so, often with an intensity and selflessness that affronts us the the post-Freudian, narcissistic world in which we live.
Clarina Nichols: Godly Woman – Revolutionary Voice
While some of the other women's rights leaders gave up on organized religion, Nichols did not, for she knew that many women would not support women's rights if they thought the Bible said otherwise.
The Christian Feminist Spiritual Practice of. . . Genealogy?
When in prayer I focused on the truth that God has created and known every person who ever lived, and every non-human being as well, my mind brushed up against some conceptualization of the magnitude of the Divine.
Bold Spirit: Helga Estby’s Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America
Years after her death, Helga has become a role model for tough, independent-thinking, risk-taking women everywhere. We would all do well to learn from her, and from Linda Lawrence Hunt who gave her story back to us.
Women Called to Witness: Evangelical Feminism in the Nineteenth Century
Women Called to Witness suggests that the American women who led the battles over temperance, female ordination, abolition, and woman suffrage in the 1800s were motivated by their evangelical Christian faith. In the Second Great Awakening revivals, which touched the lives of each of these female crusaders,
Latest Posts on CFT
Kind of Okay with It
November 2023 Poetry Selection
It’s the age
of kind of knowing:
As in, I kind of know
what a partridge is...
It’s the age
of kind of knowing:
As in, I kind of know
what a partridge is...
