Despite their persistent presence on street corners and in churches, camp meetings, and public halls across the nation, the significant contribution of women evangelists to American religious life, past and present, has not been seriously considered. Simply put, women evangelists are a forgotten history. They are notably absent from histories of American evangelism, which routinely begin with Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) and then continue the male trajectory through each generation, from Charles Finney (1792-1875) to Dwight Moody (1837-1899) to Billy Sunday (1862-1935), to Billy Graham (1918 - ). One rationale for this well-worn path was suggested by a biographer of Billy Sunday; "But in each generation there were the special men of God, the towering religious figures around whom masses of people rallied."
This myopic view of evangelism must be broadened to acknowledge that during the lifetime of each “special” man, scores of women preached and built institutions to prosper evangelism.
This website is dedicated to an exhibition of women evangelists and their impact on American religious life from the nation’s infancy to the present. It features brief profiles of evangelists, a selective bibliography of secondary sources, and links to related informative sites.
For more on women evangelists, follow this link to my book on Amazon.
click image to buy at AmazonSex, Gender, and Christianity creates an atmosphere—sometimes playful, sometimes serious, always rich with intelligent inquiry and historical perspective—that will enliven classrooms, staff meetings, cohorts and cadres. Written by seasoned teachers from disciplines typically as distinct as health sciences and religion, literature and marriage counseling, this book provides perfect jumping-off points for rich discussions about topics that matter. Available on Amazon
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