Description
Book SynopsisTracing two thousand years of female leadership, influence, and participation, Elizabeth Gillan Muir examines the various positions women have filled in the church. From the earliest female apostle, and the little known stories of the two Marys the Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene to the enlightened duties espoused by the nun, the abbess, and the anchorite, and the persecutions of female witches, Muir uncovers the rich and often tumultuous relationship between women and Christianity.
Offering broad coverage of both the Catholic and Protestant traditions and extending geographically well beyond North America, A Women’s History of the Christian Church presents a chronological account of how women developed new sects and new churches, such as the Quakers and Christian Science. The book includes a timeline of women in Christian history, over 25 black-and-white illustrations, a glossary, and a list of primary and secondary sources to complement the content in each ch
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations Acknowledgements Preface 1. Women in the Early Church: Part I 2. Women in the Early Church: Part II 3. The Rise of the Virgin Mary and the Devolution of Mary Magdalene 4. The Nun, the Abbess, and the Anchorite 5. La Papesse and La Pucelle 6. Woman as Witch 7. The Mystics 8. Women in Religious Communities before the Protestant Reformation The Cathars The Beguines The Humiliati 9. Women in Religious Communities in the Protestant Tradition The Waldensians The Lollards The Anabaptists The Moravians The Baptists The Church of the Brethren The Church of God (Anderson) 10. Methodism 11. Women Who Founded Churches under the Roman Catholic Church The Guglielmites The Ursulines Mary Ward and the English Ladies The Company of the Daughters of Charity 12. Other Women Who Founded Churches: Part I The Quakers The Shakers The Society of Universal Friends The Seventh Day Adventist Church The Salvation Army Christian Science 13. Other Women Who Founded Churches: Part II The Church of the Nazarene The Foursquare Gospel Church The Mita Congregation The Saint John’s Apostolic Faith Mission The Pillar of Fire The Lumpa Church The Yoido Full Gospel Church The Mai (Mother) Chaza Church Mother Leafy Anderson 14. The Missionary Impulse 15. Women in the Church Today Conclusion Appendix 1: Timeline Glossary Index Sources
