The shooting of 15-year-old Malala Yousafzai on a Pakistani school bus in 2012 was a shocking reminder that not everyone supports the idea of female education. While few modern Christians would oppose the general idea, some believe it should have limits.
Transformed Wife blogger Lori Alexander argues that women should not attend seminary and Christian author Aimee Byrd’s contribution to a debate over the Trinity drew significant fire from some who thought she, as a woman, should steer clear of theological judgments.
A history of bookish women
There is, in fact, a long tradition of bookish Christian women. Anna Maria van Schurman was born into a 17th century Europe where Protestantism was newly established, with its insistence on literacy as a means by which ordinary people might access God’s Word. The question of whether women should receive a theological education, and what that might entail, was far from settled.
Born in Cologne in 1607, van Schurman was unusual in receiving a thorough education alongside her brothers. Her aptitude was immediately clear - she mastered Greek, Hebrew, Chaldean, Arabic and Syriac, in addition to Latin and Dutch. Anna wrote poetry, practised calligraphy and was an accomplished artist. As a teenager she was corresponding with poets and scholars and by the 1630s was regularly writing to the theologian Andre Rivet whose encouragement led to her logical exercise entitled Whether the study of letters is fitting for a Christian woman.
Anna’s very existence was proof that it was. Later in life, van Schurman was something of a celebrity, receiving visits from the queens of Poland and Sweden and even the philosopher Descartes, although one source records that an impious comment from him led her to break off the association. The letters she left behind point to a whole network of godly women across Europe, encouraging one another in their intellectual pursuits.
The wider influence of such women is being uncovered by recent scholarship. Anne Lock was a spiritual mentor to the Scottish Reformer John Knox; Anne, Lady Bacon provided the first English translation of John Jewel’s Apologia (a Calvinist defence of the recently established Elizabethan Church of England); Mary, Lady Vere was a patron of Puritan clerics and writers. They were far from alone in engaging with the theological conversations and spiritual experiences of the Puritan world.
This points to a rich heritage which should be a source of inspiration for modern Christians. Theological engagement and understanding is not simply for men, any more than singing, praying, giving praise or testimony. The 17th century poet Julia Palmer wrote disapprovingly of the "sinful modesty" that caused some women to hold back in their active contribution and women’s duty of "Spiritual discourse".
It is all too easy to justify our own lack of learning and reading. Van Schurman was having none of it! She argued that that women have both intelligence and reason, and learning leads to moral virtue. She saw that reading prevented one from making mistakes out of ignorance, and that developing reason is necessary to avoid heresy. To the objection that women’s weaker minds are not fit for the study of letters, van Schurman had a rye response. “A heroic mental ability is not always precisely necessary for studies,” she countered, “since we see a number of learned men gathered indiscriminately from among the average”.
By reading we all learn to discern - often in church communities, book groups or friendship circles where discussions about the ideas we read can be critiqued and tested as well as in more formal theological settings. Books can encourage us, challenge us and enable us to reach back in time and learn from the saints who have gone before us.
Should Christian women be educated? Certainly. How are we educated? By reading…
Catherine is part of Passion for Evangelism (PfE). In their twice yearly book clubs, PfE members love to read books that empower, equip and encourage women in evangelism. Join for four weeks as they read at their own pace, discuss on our PfE App and meet the author live for a Q&A.
