The role of women in the Evangelical Movement of the 18th and 19th centuries
Ask few questions to the question/topic
1. What is evangelical movement?
2. What was the reason for that? Context
3. Who were the pioneers?
4. Were women active in the evangelical movements?
5. If yes, what were the influential factors?
6. What were the roles played by women in those movements?
During the Middle Ages, before to the Awakening, women were prohibited to speak in
public or preach.
It was through the awakenings that women got the opportunities toe express themselves
in public and involve in church ministry and in other social activities.
Impact of modern period on women (end of 15th century to the beginning of industrial
revolution-1760-1840)
Renaissance (The Renaissance was a fervent period of European cultural, artistic, political and
economic “rebirth” following the Middle Ages. Generally described as taking place from the 14th century
to the 17th century, the Renaissance promoted the rediscovery of classical philosophy, literature and art .)
Reformation: (The Protestant Reformation began in Wittenberg, Germany, on October 31,
1517, when Martin Luther, a teacher and a monk, published a document he
called Disputation on the Power of Indulgences, or 95 Theses.)
o “Priesthood of all believers,” “Justification by faith,” Primacy of scriptures,” all
these Protestant theological understanding ended up with no distinction between
clergy and laity.
o Salvation army- first female general
o Schools- insistence of female education gave women a dignified status. Education
was opened to the middle-class women too.
o Universities: - women got chance to do higher education.
Industrial revolution- in England and US (1760 to 1820 and 1840)
Pietism- impact on women (an influential religious reform movement happened a century after
the Reformation)
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By the beginning of the 17th century, Lutheranism had created a scholastic system useful
for contending with Roman Catholic and Reformed opponents but not for spiritual
nourishment.
Absolutizing the theology/Christianity
It was during this period that a society emerged in which religion was but one of many
interests.
Pietism emerged as a reaction to a complex of social forces that transformed western
civilization from Religion to secularism.
Pietistic movements have appeared throughout Christian history whenever religion
seemed to become divorced from experience.
It was a religious and spiritual movement that emerged in response to moral degradation
and low spirituality.
The word Pietism is derived from the word Pietas which means Piety, devotion and
religiousness.
It emphasized an internal, subjective and individual return to Bible and the
expression of true religion through good works
It emphasized personal faith against the main Lutheran church’s perceived stress on
doctrine and theology over Christian living
Pietism reasserted the power of Christianity to change the lives of people, and rescued the
church from the slump into which it had fallen.
Jacob Philip Spener (1635-1705) of German Lutheran church was the pioneer of the
Pietistic movement.
o He encouraged people to have encourage personal spiritual growth, prayer, and
Bible study
o Religiosity within the Christian tradition becomes meaningful by involving in the
complete religious renewal of the individual believer.
o Spener developed an interest in reforming Lutheran orthodox practice. In
particular, he objected to the rigidity of ecclesiastical structures and the lack of
moral discipline among the clergy.
Women played a major role in the Pietistic movement for the specific reasons; (Imchen)
o A leveling of the class and other traditional hierarchies
o Widespread apocalyptic fears which created an unusual situation
o A negation of women’s prohibition of public speaking to some extent
o A new emphasis on the direct revelation from God, as something available to
every human being who honestly sought it.
Women as religious leaders in evangelical movements
Johanna Eleonora Merlau Petersern (1644-1724) Frankfurt, Germany
An educated noblewomen became radical pietist, one of the important figures in this
mvmt.
Spread pietism and also responsible for spreading many of the theological ideas for
radical branch of movement
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She was acquainted with Spener and through him another Pietist lady Maria Julian Baur
Von Eyseneck- and started Bible study
In their bible study both women as well as men could offer interpretations of scripture
Her ideas were influential in the movements like the Quakers and the Philadelphians
She had written many books including her autobiography as “The Life of Lady Johanna
Eleonora Petersen, Written by Herself: Pietism and Women's Autobiography in
Seventeenth-Century Germany'
In a time when the Pauline dictum decreed that woman be silent in matters of the Church,
Johanna Eleonora Petersen (1644–1724) was a pioneering author of religious books,
insisting on her right to speak out as a believer above her male counterparts.
Publishing her readings of the Gospels and the Book of Revelation as well as her
thoughts on theology in general, Petersen and her writings created controversy, especially
in orthodox circles, and she became a voice for the radical Pietists—those most at odds
with Lutheran ministers and their teachings.
But she defended her lay religious calling and ultimately printed fourteen original works,
including her autobiography, the first of its kind written by a woman in Germany—all in
an age in which most women were unable to read or write.
Susannah Wesley
During the 18th century, the Protestant churches in the American colonies and Great
Britain were going through a situation of spiritual withering.
where sermons were just academic presentations and piety was missing
it was during this period that the people experienced general religious awakening in both
countries
during this time people like John Wesly was brining a change of religious revival in Great
Britain and that became known as the Wesleyan Revival
John Wesly acknowledged his mother’s formative influence on him personally
He called her a preacher of righteousness
She held meetings within her home, which grew in popularity with the number of
attendants increasing to two hundred
She is known as the mother of methodism; though she never preached a sermon
The example of faith and religious reverence she set for her children John and Charles
inspired them to become powerful spiritual leaders, and to launch the Methodist
movement.
Sarah Crosby, the Itinerant (traveling) Preacher
She was appointed by Wesley as leader of classes in Bristol and she had 200 students
under her
She was an English Methodist preacher, and is considered to be the first woman to hold
this title
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She is considered to be the busiest female Methodist preacher, as she preached up until
the day she died.
She travelled a lot, conducted public meetings, led classes and private meeting in
numerous number
She held four meetings a day with the first beginning at 5am
For more than 20 years she continued her ministry
She was actively involved in social actions like, orphanage namely cedar
The women at The Cedars helped to care for 35 children and 34 adults, most of whom
were dirty, unclothed, ill, and/or uneducated.
Lady Selina Countess of Huntingdon
Another area of influence of women in early Methodism is related to support and
protection.
Selina, with her wealth and influence helped establish Methodists on a secure footing and
provided a measure of safety to travelling preachers who were often hunted by officials.
one of the greatest contributions she made to Methodism was her sponsorship of
travelling Methodist preachers.
The Great Awakening and Women
about 1734, a great revival began at Northampton under the preaching of Jonathan
Edwards, and spread widely through New England (New England is a region comprising
six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New
Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont).
A few years later, the great Methodist preacher, George Whitefield made a tour to the
towns along the seaboard, and a general revival followed.
This awakening of the churches was the most extensive that had been known, and its
effects continued for a long time.
The second great awakening (1790-1835) offered women even greater opportunity that
they previously had, to actively participate on a lay level in revivalism.
Women began seeking lay ministries inside and outside the church.
Women were actively involved in ministries to the sick, poor, orphans, prostitutes and
prisoners
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