Monday, December 22, 2008

Women


Found an interesting resource online for those of you who care about the history of women and their role in the Salvation Army: Women In God's Army by Andrew Mark Eason, check it out here.
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 realised 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.

1 comment:

Bernard Martin said...

Thanks for the pointer to this study, Danielle. Looks very interesting. I've made a mental note of it and added it to my list of books to hopefully read when time etc allows.

Regards

Bernard