American Religion Timelines
Women and Religion - Biographies By Last Name
Name | Introduction |
---|---|
Angelica, Mary | Mother Angelica (1923-2016) is the founder of the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN), the world’s largest religious broadcaster. |
Bailey, Alice | Alice Bailey (1880-1949) is considered by many to be the mother of New Age, popularizing the term in writings about her own mystical movement. |
Bakker, Tammy Faye | Tammy Faye Bakker (1942-2007) was a Christian television celebrity with her husband, Jim Bakker, and remained in the public spotlight even after their empire crumbled. |
Bradstreet, Anne | Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672) was one of early America's first noteworthy poets. |
Buck, Pearl S. | Pearl Buck (1892-1973) was an award-winning novelist, whose liberal views on theology and Presbyterian missions drew criticism from conservative Presbyterians. |
Burroughs, Nannie Helen | Nannie Helen Burroughs was an educator, missionary leader, writer and pioneer for the rights of African Americans, especially Black women. |
Cabrini, Frances Xavier | Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917) was the first American citizen to be named a saint by the Catholic Church. |
Crosby, Frances "Fanny" | Fanny Crosby (1820-1915) wrote thousands of famous hymns, including "Blessed Assurance," "Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross," and "To God Be the Glory." |
Daly, Mary | Mary Daly (1928-2010) was a radical feminist theologian at Boston College who viewed traditional (male) depictions of the Christian God as oppressive toward women. |
Day, Dorothy | Dorothy Day (1897-1980) was a Catholic activist, known for co-founding the Catholic Worker movement, leading anti-war and anti-nuclear proliferation movements, and promoting assistance to the poor. |
Drexel, Katharine | Katharine Drexel (1858-1955) founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, a religious order devoted to the education and assistance to racial minorities in America. |
Eddy, Mary Baker | Mary Baker Eddy (1821-1910) founded the Christian Science movement. |
Fearing, Maria | Maria Fearing emerged from slavery to become a self-financed missionary teacher, founding the Pantops Home for Girls in Luebo, Congo. |
Harkness, Georgia | Georgia Harkness (1891-1974) was one of the first influential female theologians in the United States. |
Hutchinson, Anne | Anne Hutchinson's (1591-1643) preaching and unorthodox theology posed a threat to colonial authority in Massachusetts. She fled to Rhode Island after being excommunicated. |
Lee, Jarena | Jarena Lee (1783-1855) was one of the first black female preachers in America. |
McPherson, Aimee Semple | American evangelist and gifted preacher, Aimee Semple McPherson (1890-1944) was the founder of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, a Pentecostal denomination. |
Mears, Henrietta | Henrietta Mears (1890-1963) reignited the popularity of Sunday schools through her high quality teaching methods and publications. |
Meyer, Joyce | Prosperity gospel evangelist Joyce Meyer (1943-present) leads one of the largest ministries in the world, Joyce Meyer Ministries, headquartered in Fenton, Mo. |
Moon, Charlotte "Lottie" | Charlotte "Lottie" Moon (1840-1912) was a Southern Baptist missionary known for her evangelistic work in China. |
Nettles, Bonnie Lu | Bonnie Lu Nettles co-founded Heaven's Gate, a new religious movement, with Marshall Applewhite. The movement is known for its mass suicide in 1997. |
O'Connor, Flannery | The American writer Flannery O'Connor (1925-1964) depicted fictional Southern characters confronting grace in depressing circumstances. |
O'Hair, Madalyn Murray | Madalyn Murray O’Hair (1919-1995) was instrumental in banning Bible readings in public schools and founded one of the largest organizations of atheists in America. |
Palmer, Phoebe | Phoebe Palmer (1807-1874) is considered the founder of the Holiness movement, initiating Spirit-led Bible meetings that linked Wesleyan revivalism with modern Pentecostalism. |
Prophet, Elizabeth Clare | Elizabeth Clare Prophet (1939-2009) established the Church Universal and Triumphant in 1974 as a liturgical craft for the teachings of the Ascended Masters. |
Schlafly, Phyllis | Phyllis Schlafly (1924-2016) was a conservative Catholic activist who strengthened the pro-life and religious right movements. |
Seton, Elizabeth Ann | Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774-1821) founded the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph and was an early promoter of parochial school and Catholic women's education. |
Smith, Amanda Berry | Amanda Berry Smith was a Methodist evangelist and missionary, author, founding member of the NAACP and founder of an orphanage for Black children in Chicago. |
Smith, Hannah Whitall | American evangelist Hannah Whitall Smith (1832-1911) was an important speaker and writer in both the Holiness and Temperance movements. |
Stanton, Elizabeth Cady | Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902) was a women’s rights advocate who pioneered feminist theology through her controversial biblical commentary known as the The Woman’s Bible. |
Stewart, Maria | Maria Stewart was an abolitionist and women’s rights advocate, known for one of the first recorded public speeches of any woman in American history. |
Tekakwitha, Kateri | Kateri Tekakwitha (1656-1680) was a Native American Catholic, known for her asceticism and chastity. She was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012. |
Tubman, Harriet | Harriet Tubman (1820-1913), known as the "Moses of her people," helped more than 300 slaves find freedom through the Underground Railroad. |
Wheatley, Phillis | Phillis Wheatley (1753-1784) became the first published African-American female poet. Most of her poetry contained religious themes. |
White, Ellen Gould | Ellen Gould White (1827-1915) was the co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. She promoted Saturday as the Christian Sabbath and advocated biblically-based health initiatives. |
Willard, Frances | Frances Willard (1839-1898) was a social activist who promoted temperance, women’s suffrage, labor reform and home-centered family life. |
Winfrey, Oprah | Billionaire media icon Oprah Winfrey (1954-present) has become the unofficial guru for millions of Americans seeking spiritual and moral guidance beyond traditional religious affiliation. |
Woosley, Louisa | Louisa Woosley (1862-1952) was the first female ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church. |