| Women in History-B |
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| Barry, Miranda Barry became a respected medical doctor in the early 1800s. She graduated from the prestigious medical school of the University of Edinburgh, then served in the Army Medical Service. Her service took her all over the world, from Africa to the Americas to Europe. In 1857 she was promoted to Inspector General for military hospitals in Canada. How had she managed all this? She pretended to be a man. She accomplished all of this as "James". It was only after her death, that her gender was discovered. Top  In 1935 bar was ordained at a United Free Church in Auchterarder, Perthshire, where she served until 1955 when she was called to be a minister at Central United Free Church in Glasgow. Just five years later she served as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. Of her ministry she wrote: As I look back over my ministry, I would say that any difficult situations were not due to the fact I was a woman." She went on to add, "Men or women, we must serve as best we can. One must realise that those who do not approve have their reasons and we would respect their opinions" (DP Thomson, Women Ministers in Scotland: Personal Records of Experience and Discovery. Perthshire, Scotland: St Ninian's, 1965, p. 3). Top Elizabeth Foster Baxter co-edited the Christian Herald, writing on holiness and healing. Elizabeth Baxter Christian "Heraldess" Top When Bonner was called to be a pastor at Langholm Congregational Church in Dumfriesshire in the 1940s she anticipated opposition; instead she found a 24 year home. "When I came here during the vacancy, I was warmed, before hand, that the Congregation was so conservative that they were most unlikely to choose a woman. However, they risked it, and when I said, almost two years ago, that I should like to retire, I was asked to stay on" (DP Thomson, Women Ministers in Scotland: Personal Records of Experience and Discovery. Perthshire, Scotland: St Ninian's, 1965, p. 5). Top Booth co founded the Salvation Army with her husband William. From a young age, she was interested in the Bible, even reading the entire Bible four times by the age of 8. She met her husband while he was preaching at her local church, then with his support she also began preaching. She wrote several articles defending women's preaching. Top During the Reformation a wide range of ideologies and religious innovations emerged. From this rich mixture of theological thought, emerged the works of Antionette Bourignon. Bourignon adopted many aspects of Reformed theology, but would not break with the Catholic church. She believed formation of a new church would prove as fruitless as the existing church. Both Catholic and Protestant churches relied on tradition for interpretation of Scriptures, though the tradition varied. Bourignon, however, felt true children of God would learn directly from their Union with God.  From The Light in the Darkness, 1703 Many of the doctrines she develop were unacceptable to both branches of the church. She dismissed the doctrine of atonement, indicating Christ came merely to provide an example of "love" to which humans could aspire. Because God is love, only love would be required to have a relationship with God. While this might have been accepted by certain parts of the Catholic church, the Catholic church could not accept her anti-church structure stance. She refused to accept the Catholic church's claims to authority in matters of revelation. She elevated guidance by the Spirit over the Scriptures. Scriptures, she felt, were the result of inspiration, and therefore could not be exalted over inspiration. She wrote a great number of letters which were published during her lifetime (Letter XIII). In fact, she wrote several books explaining her beliefs, which attracted a large following through out Europe. Unlike other leaders of her day, she did not found a separate church or order, as she felt that would, wrongly, make her own work the foundation of a tradition of interpretation that might come to be elevated over Scripture.   |
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