Changing Roles of Women Within the Christian Church in Canada

Front Cover
Elizabeth Gillan Muir, Marilyn Färdig Whiteley
University of Toronto Press, Jan 1, 1995 - Religion - 391 pages

Canadian religious history has been written with relatively little reference to the role of women. Throughout the years, the church itself has intensified this problem by restricting the options of women -- excluding them from the most valued roles and positions. In the past, Christian women were obliged to find alternative avenues for the expression of their faith and, as a result, their experience has been unusually rich and varied. This pioneering anthology traces the history of Canadian women in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Protestant traditions from the early days through the 1960s.

Seventeen Canadian scholars tell the stories of individuals who have worked in traditional and non-traditional roles, alone and as members of groups, both within and outside church structures. All of the articles present new or little-known material, relating the faith, determination, and inventiveness of women whose experience has so far been overlooked. The volume includes an introductory overview of women's church work as well as a comprehensive bibliography of papers and books published about women in the Christian church in Canada, both in English and French.

The incorporation of feminist analysis and an emphasis on gender issues set this collection apart from all other studies of Canadian church history. A unique and valuable book, it not only fills a void in the chronicles of religion, it adds an important new dimension to Canadian history.

 

Contents

LAURIE C C STANLEY
19
ELIZABETH SMYTH
38
MARLENE
55
H MIRIAM ROSS
77
JOHN WEBSTER GRANT
99
MARGARET WHITEHEAD
117
ROSEMARY R GAGAN
136
ELIZABETH GILLAN MUIR
161
MARILYN BARBER
219
MARY ANNE MACFARLANE
238
JAN NOEL
261
KATHERINE M J MCKENNA
284
SHARON ANNE COOK
299
DIANA PEDERSEN
321
RANDI R WARNE
338
BIBLIOGRAPHY
355

MARILYN FÄRDIG WHITELEY
183
IO HELEN G HOBBS
201

Other editions - View all

Common terms and phrases

About the author (1995)

Elizabeth Gillan Muir taught Canadian Studies at the University of Waterloo and Religious Studies at Emmanuel College, the University of Toronto, and served on the national executive staff of the United Church of Canada. Marilyn Färdig Whiteley is an independent scholar affiliated with the Centre for the Study of Religion in Canada, Emanuel College, University of Toronto.

Bibliographic information