Women in God’s Army

Andrew Mark Eason

Description

The early Salvation Army professed its commitment to sexual equality in ministry and leadership. In fact, its founding constitution proclaimed women had the right to preach and hold any office in the organization. But did they?

Women in God’s Army is the first study of its kind devoted to the critical analysis of this central claim. It traces the extent to which this egalitarian ideal was realized in the private and public lives of first- and second-generation female Salvationists in Britain and argues that the Salvation Army was found wanting in its overall commitment to women’s equality with men. Bold pronouncements were not matched by actual practice in the home or in public ministry.

Andrew Mark Eason traces the nature of these discrepancies, as well as the Victorian and evangelical factors that lay behind them. He demonstrates how Salvationists often assigned roles and responsibilities on the basis of gender rather than equality, and the ways in which these discriminatory practices were supported by a male-defined theology and authority. He views this story from a number of angles, including historical, gender and feminist theology, ensuring it will be of interest to a wide spectrum of readers. Salvationists themselves will appreciate the light it sheds on recent debates. Ultimately, however, anyone who wants to learn more about the human struggle for equality will find this book enlightening.

Sujets

• Religión
• Religion
• History

Informations

• Publié par: Wilfrid Laurier University Press
• Date de parution: 22 octobre 2009
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781554586769
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Studies in Women and Religion / tudes sur les femmes et la religion : 7
S TUDIES IN W OMEN AND R ELIGION / TUDES SUR LES FEMMES ET LA RELIGION
Studies in Women and Religion is a series designed to serve the needs of established scholars in this new area, whose scholarship may not conform to the parameters of more traditional series with respect to content, perspective, and/or methodology. The series will also endeavour to promote scholarship on women and religion by assisting new scholars in developing publishable manuscripts. Studies published in this series will reflect the wide range of disciplines in which the subject of women and religion is currently being studied, as well as the diversity of theoretical and methodological approaches that characterize contemporary women s studies. Books in English are published by Wilfrid Laurier University Press.
Inquiries should be directed to the series coordinators, Eleanor J. Stebner (Faculty of Theology, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg) or Tracy J. Trothen (Queen s Theological College, Queen s University, Kingston).
C OORDINATORS
Eleanor J. Stebner
Faculty of Theology,
University of Winnipeg,
Winnipeg
Tracy J. Trothen
Queen s Theological College,
Queen s University, Kingston
C OORDINATRICE
Monique Dumais
Universit du Qu bec, Rimouski
A DVISORY B OARD /C OMIT DU C ONSEIL
Monique Dumais
Universit du Qu bec, Rimouski
B OARD M EMBERS
Anne Marie Dalton
St. Mary s University
Monique Dumais
Universit du Qu bec, Rimouski
Mavis L. Fenn
St. Paul s College, Waterloo
Pamela Klassen
University of Toronto
Jackie Kuikman
University of Regina
Marilyn J. Legge
Emmanuel College, Toronto
Pamela Milne
University of Windsor
Eva Neumaier-Dargyay
University of Alberta
Marie-Andr e Roy
Universit du Qu bec, Montr al
Randi Warne
Mount St. Vincent University
Pamela Dickey Young
Queen s University
S TUDIES IN W OMEN AND R ELIGION / TUDES SUR LES FEMMES ET LA RELIGION
V OLUME 7
Women in God s Army
Gender and Equality in the Early Salvation Army
Andrew Mark Eason
This book has been published with the help of a grant from the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, using funds provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program for our publishing activities.
National Library of Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Eason, Andrew M. (Andrew Mark), 1966- Women in God s army: gender and equality in the early Salvation Army / Andrew M. Eason.
(Studies in Women and Religion ; 7) Co-published by the Canadian Corporation for Studies in Religion. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-88920-418-7
1. Women in the Salvation Army-Great Britain. 2. Sexism in religion-Great Britain. I. Canadian Corporation for Studies in Religion. II. Title. III. Series: Studies in women and religion (Waterloo, Ont.) ; 7.
BX9721.3.E28 2003 287.9 6 0820941 C2002-905579-2
2003 Canadian Corporation for Studies in Religion / Corporation Canadienne des Sciences Religieuses
Cover design by PJ Woodland, using a photograph entitled Female Salvationists at a Training Depot in Tring, Hertfordshire, c. 1890. Courtesy of The Salvation Army International Heritage Centre, London, England
Order from: Wilfrid Laurier University Press Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3C5 www.wlupress.wlu.ca
Every reasonable effort has been made to acquire permission for copyright material used in this text, and to acknowledge all such indebtedness accurately. Any errors and omissions called to the publisher s attention will be corrected in future printings.

Printed in Canada
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written consent of the publisher or a licence from The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (Access Copyright). For an Access Copyright licence, visit www.accesscopyright.ca or call toll free to 1-800-893-5777 .
Contents
Acknowledgements
Preface
1 Gender, Stratification and the Sacred
2 An Ambiguous Heritage: The Salvation Army s Victorian and Evangelical Roots
3 William Booth and Women: Settled Views?
4 A Gendered Geography: Male Salvationists and Women
5 Catherine Booth: A Public and Domestic Legacy
6 Public and Domestic Service: The Experiences of Female Officers
Epilogue
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgements
I OWE A DEBT OF GRATITUDE to the numerous people who assisted me in the completion of this book, which began as a thesis a number of years ago while I was a student at the University of Windsor in Ontario, Canada. At each stage of my work I benefited immensely from the constructive criticism that I received from the members of my thesis committee: Professors Maureen Muldoon, Dorothy Sly and Jacqueline Murray. Each of these scholars guided my intellectual development and encouraged me to explore my chosen topic in much greater detail than I had anticipated. Even when the size and scope of this project became quite ambitious, they continued to offer enthusiastic support as each chapter slowly unfolded. Mention should also be made of Professor Pamela Milne, who also teaches at the University of Windsor. I have been the fortunate recipient of Pam s encouragement, friendship and assistance over the last few years, and for this I have been truly blessed. My gratitude must be extended as well to Professor Elizabeth A. Johnson, whose work as a Catholic feminist theologian provided me with the initial stimulus I needed to pursue my work on women and equality in the Salvation Army. I was privileged to take a course from Professor Johnson at the University of Notre Dame in the summer of 1995, and through her engaging lectures and ideas I quickly discovered the possibilities of scholarship from a feminist perspective.
My profound appreciation is also extended to those who helped me to locate the primary and secondary sources found within this book. First and foremost, I must acknowledge the kind assistance of the Salvation Army, which was always willing to honour my incessant requests for material over the last few years. A number of Salvationists deserve special thanks. Much time and energy was expended on my behalf by the staff of the George Scott Railton Heritage Centre and the Salvation Army Training College Library in Toronto, especially Major Ira Barrow, Major David Pitcher, Major Florence Curzon, Karl Larson and Bill Porter. The George Scott Railton Heritage Centre is truly a world-class facility for anyone interested in studying the early history of the Salvation Army. Additional research assistance was provided by Gordon Taylor, the Archivist and resident expert at the Salvation Army s International Heritage Centre in London, England; and Envoy Dr. George Hazell, Coordinator of the Salvation Army s Heritage Centre in Sydney, Australia. Both of these skilled archivists helped me to locate some of the information that went into the statistical tables in chapter 6 of this book. Rebecca Hine, a researcher at the International Heritage Centre, was also gracious in her assistance during the final stages of my work. I would also like to thank the interlibrary loan departments at the University of Windsor and the University of Calgary. Given the rarity of many early Salvation Army books and periodicals, the services and expertise of these departments were called upon countless times. Finally, I must not forget the warm and expert assistance I received from the staff at the British Library in London, especially from those associated with the Manuscripts and Humanities Reading Rooms.
Thanks are also extended to Professor Marilyn Legge, the past coordinator of the Studies in Women and Religion series of the Canadian Corporation for Studies in Religion. It has been a pleasure to work with her on the lengthy journey from thesis to book, and I have appreciated her encouragement and patience throughout the writing and funding process. This book has been published with the help of a grant from the Humanities and Social Sciences Federation of Canada, using funds provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. I also owe a word of thanks to the gracious and competent team at Wilfrid Laurier University Press: Brian Henderson, Carroll Klein, Jenny Wilson and Leslie Macredie. Their collective expertise skilfully guided the book through the various stages of the editing and publishing process.
The visuals found throughout this book were generously provided by the Salvation Army s archival facilities in London, Toronto and Alexandria, Virginia. Special thanks are extended to the staff at these centres for this privilege, especially Gordon Taylor, John Hughes, Major Ira Barrow, Major David Pitcher, Susan Mitchem and Scott Bedio.
Most importantly, this book is dedicated to my parents, Ruth and Lloyd Eason, who from birth have showered me with love and support, not to mention a passion for the history of the Salvation Army. As a child growing up in a Salvationist family, I fondly recall the numerous times I accompanied my father when he made audiovisual presentations on the beginnings of the organization in Britain. With such a stimulating and nurturing environment, it is not surprising that I turned to the Salvation Army as a subject for study. While not afraid to be critical of this organization, I continue to have a profound respect for both the work that it does and the history that it