Elizabeth Jane Dempsey Douglass (born 1933) is an American

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

theologian and

ecclesiastical historian Church history or ecclesiastical history as an academic discipline studies the history of Christianity and the way the Christian Church has developed since its inception. Henry Melvill Gwatkin defined church history as "the spiritual side of the ...

. She was a professor at

Claremont Graduate School The Claremont Graduate University (CGU) is a private, all-graduate research university in Claremont, California, United States. Founded in 1925, CGU is a member of the Claremont Colleges consortium which includes five undergraduate and two grad ...

before becoming the Hazel Thompson McCord Professor of Historical Theology at

Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a Private university, private seminary, school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Establish ...

. Douglass served as the President of the

World Alliance of Reformed Churches The World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) was a fellowship of more than 200 churches with roots in the 16th century Reformation, and particularly in the theology of John Calvin. Its headquarters was in Geneva, Switzerland. They merged with the ...

from 1990 to 1997, making her the first woman to head a worldwide communion of churches.

Early life and education

Born in Wilmington,

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

, United States, on March 22, 1933, Douglass is a graduate of

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

(1954),

Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that was founded in 1879. In 1999, it was fully incorporated into Harvard Colle ...

, and

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. She received her

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

degree from Harvard in 1963 following the submission of her thesis ''The Doctrine of Justification in the Preaching of John Geiler of Keiserberg''. She was married to the economist Gordon K. Douglass until his death in 2017.

Academic and ecclesiastical career

Douglass was professor of church history at the

Claremont School of Theology Claremont School of Theology (CST) is a private graduate school focused on religion and theology and located in Los Angeles, California. It is one of the thirteen official theological schools of the United Methodist Church, and also has close r ...

, where she was the first female faculty member, and professor of religion at

. She went on to serve as the Hazel Thompson McCord Professor of Historical Theology at

from 1985 until her retirement in 1998. In 1983, Douglass was the first female President of the

American Society of Church History The American Society of Church History (ASCH) was founded in 1888 with the disciplines of Christian denominational and ecclesiastical history as its focus. Today the society's interests include the broad range of the critical scholarly perspecti ...

. In the same year, she delivered the Warfield Lectures at Princeton Theological Seminary in a series titled ''Christian Freedom in Calvin's Theology'', which led to the publication of her book ''Women, Freedom, and Calvin'' in 1985. A Christian feminist, Douglass challenged the dominant interpretation of

John Calvin John Calvin (; ; ; 10 July 150927 May 1564) was a French Christian theology, theologian, pastor and Protestant Reformers, reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of C ...

's view of the role of women, identifying certain aspects of his thought as

protofeminist Protofeminism is a concept that anticipates modern feminism in eras when the feminist concept as such was still unknown. This refers particularly to times before the 20th century, although the precise usage is disputed, as 18th-century feminism ...

. Calvin regards the apostle

Paul Paul may refer to: People * Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people * Paul (surname), a list of people * Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament * Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo ...

's advice that women should remain silent in church as being

adiaphora Adiaphoron (; plural: adiaphora; from the Greek (pl. ), meaning 'not different or differentiable') is the negation of ''diaphora'', 'difference'. In Ancient Greek philosophy In Cynicism, adiaphora represents indifference to the vicissitude ...

l, which Douglass argues leaves him open to the possibility of a broader role for women in the church in the future, writing: "Though Calvin sees strong biblical guidance for women's subordinate role in the public life of church and society, and though he finds it appropriate for his own society that women should be subordinate, he holds on principle that the order in which women are subordinate is one determined by human law, ecclesiastical and political ather than divine law Such order can legitimately be adapted to changing circumstances." A ruling elder in the

Presbyterian Church (USA) The Presbyterian Church (USA), abbreviated PCUSA, is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination, denomination in the Religion in the United States, United States. It is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States too. Its th ...

, Douglass helped draft

A Brief Statement of Faith The Brief Statement of Faith is a statement of faith adopted by the Presbyterian Church (USA) in 1991 as part of its ''Book of Confessions''. The statement was forged during the union of the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of Ameri ...

, which is part of the church's ''

Book of Confessions The ''Book of Confessions'' contains the creeds and confessions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The contents are the Nicene Creed, the Apostles' Creed, the Scots Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism, the Second Helvetic Confession, the Westm ...

''. She co-chaired the third round of the

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

–

Reformed Reform is beneficial change. Reform, reformed or reforming may also refer to: Media * ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang * Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group * ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine Places * Reform, Al ...

dialogue in North America from 1981 to 1983. Douglass served as the President of the

from 1990 to 1997, making her the first woman to head a worldwide communion of churches. Douglass has received honorary doctorates from

Franklin and Marshall College Franklin & Marshall College (F&M) is a private liberal arts college in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1787 as Franklin College and later merged with Marshall College in 1853, it is one of the oldest colleges in the United St ...

, the University of St. Andrews, and the

University of Geneva The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public university, public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by French theologian John Calvin as a Theology, theological seminary. It rema ...

. She is commemorated by the American Society of Church History with the Jane Dempsey Douglass Prize, awarded annually to the author of the year's "best unpublished essay on some aspect of the role of women in the history of Christianity".

Bibliography

* * * *
To Confess the Faith Today
'. Co-editor with Jack L. Stotts. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press. 1990. . *
Women, Gender, and Christian Community
'. Co-editor with James F. Kay. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press. 1997. .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Douglass, Jane Dempsey 1933 births 20th-century American academics 20th-century American theologians 20th-century American women writers 20th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians Historians from Delaware American Calvinist and Reformed theologians American feminist writers American Presbyterians American women academics Christian feminist theologians Claremont Graduate University faculty Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Living people People in Christian ecumenism Presbyterian Church (USA) Presbyterian religious workers Presidents of the American Society of Church History Princeton Theological Seminary faculty Radcliffe College alumni Syracuse University College of Arts and Sciences alumni Women Christian theologians Writers from Wilmington, Delaware World Alliance of Reformed Churches

Early life and education

Academic and ecclesiastical career

Bibliography

See also

References