God's willing workers : women and religion in Australia
Anne O'Brien (Author)
"God's Willing Workers examines the ways religious beliefs and institutions have shaped the lives of women in Australia over 200 years. It looks at Catholic nuns, Protestant missionaries, deaconesses and other laywomen. Importantly, it looks at women at home as they grappled with church teachings on sexuality, marriage, and family, gender roles, work and education. Anne O'Brien finds that women were able to use a theology of inclusion to empower themselves, even though the institutions they were part of often depicted them as a secondary sex." "This is the first book to look at women and the church over such a long period and across Australian society and culture. A history of the institutional church, as well as the beliefs and values that drove and at times divided it, Anne O'Brien's work shows that religious history is central to the history of women in Australia. The commitment and dedication of the women described, as well as the anger and anguish that often led to activism, make a compelling and powerful story."--Jacket
Print Book, English, 2005
UNSW Press, Sydney, 2005