Jane Dempsey Douglass

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Jane Dempsey Douglass
Born
E. Jane Dempsey

(1933-03-22) March 22, 1933 (age 91)
Wilmington, Delaware, US
Other namesElizabeth Jane Dempsey Douglass
TitlePresident of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (1990–1997)
Spouse
Gordon K. Douglass
​
(died 2017)​
Academic background
Alma mater
ThesisThe Doctrine of Justification in the Preaching of John Geiler of Keiserberg (1963)
Academic work
Discipline
  • Theology
  • history
Sub-discipline
School or tradition
Institutions
Doctoral studentsHaruko Nawata Ward[1]
Notable studentsPaul C. H. Lim[2]

E. Jane Dempsey Douglass (born 1933) is an American Presbyterian theologian and ecclesiastical historian. She was a professor at Claremont Graduate School before becoming the Hazel Thompson McCord Professor of Historical Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary. Douglass served as the President of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches from 1990 to 1997, making her the first woman to head a worldwide communion of churches.

Early life and education[edit]

Born in Wilmington, Delaware, United States, on March 22, 1933,[3][4] Douglass is a graduate of Syracuse University (1954), Radcliffe College, and Harvard University.[5][6] She received her Doctor of Philosophy degree from Harvard in 1963 following the submission of her thesis The Doctrine of Justification in the Preaching of John Geiler of Keiserberg.[7] She was married to the economist Gordon K. Douglass until his death in 2017.[8]

Academic and ecclesiastical career[edit]

Douglass was professor of church history at the Claremont School of Theology, where she was the first female faculty member, and professor of religion at Claremont Graduate School.[9][10] She went on to serve as the Hazel Thompson McCord Professor of Historical Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary from 1985 until her retirement in 1998.[11][12] In 1983, Douglass was the first female President of the American Society of Church History.[13] 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.[14]

A Christian feminist,[15] Douglass challenged the dominant interpretation of John Calvin's view of the role of women, identifying certain aspects of his thought as protofeminist.[16] Calvin regards the apostle Paul's advice that women should remain silent in church as being adiaphoral, which Douglass argues leaves him open to the possibility of a broader role for women in the church in the future,[16][17] 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 [rather than divine law]. Such order can legitimately be adapted to changing circumstances."[18]

A ruling elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA),[19] Douglass helped draft A Brief Statement of Faith, which is part of the church's Book of Confessions.[12][20] She co-chaired the third round of the Lutheran–Reformed dialogue in North America from 1981 to 1983.[12] Douglass served as the President of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches from 1990 to 1997,[21] making her the first woman to head a worldwide communion of churches.[22][23]

Douglass has received honorary doctorates from Franklin and Marshall College, the University of St. Andrews, and the University of Geneva.[12] 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".[24]

Bibliography[edit]

  • Justification in Late Medieval Preaching: A Study of John Geiler of Keisersberg. Leiden, Netherlands: E. J. Brill. 1966. LCCN 67007504.
  • Women, Freedom, and Calvin. Philadelphia: Westminster Press. 1985. ISBN 978-0-664-24663-1.
  • Justification in Late Medieval Preaching: A Study of John Geiler of Keisersberg (2nd ed.). Leiden, Netherlands: E. J. Brill. 1989. doi:10.1163/9789004477728. ISBN 978-90-04-09047-7.
  • To Confess the Faith Today. Co-editor with Jack L. Stotts. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press. 1990. ISBN 978-0-664-25098-0.
  • Women, Gender, and Christian Community. Co-editor with James F. Kay. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press. 1997. ISBN 978-0-664-25728-6.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Haruko Nawata Ward (2001). Women and the Jesuits in the Christian Century (1549–1650) in Japan (doctoral dissertation). Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton Theological Seminary. p. 1. ProQuest 276243423.
  2. ^ Paul C. H. Lim (August 2017). "Paul Chang-Ha Lim" (PDF) (curriculum vitae). Vanderbilt University. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 14, 2023.
  3. ^ "Douglass, E. Jane Dempsey". German National Library. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  4. ^ "Douglass, E. Jane Dempsey". Library of Congress. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  5. ^ Stephanie English (March 1991). "On Our Short List". Syracuse University Magazine. Vol. 7, no. 3. p. 7. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  6. ^ Jane Dempsey Douglass (1990). "What Is 'Reformed Theology'?". The Princeton Seminary Bulletin. New series. Vol. 11, no. 1. p. 3.
  7. ^ "Women Th.D. and Ph.D. Graduates of Harvard University". Harvard Theological Review. 99 (4): 507. October 2006. doi:10.1017/S0017816006001386. ISSN 1475-4517. S2CID 232179816.
  8. ^ "Obituary: Gordon Klene Douglass". Claremont Courier. Claremont, California. August 3, 2017. Archived from the original on July 4, 2022.
  9. ^ Jane Dempsey Douglass (June 1984). "Christian Freedom: What Calvin Learned at the School of Women". Church History. 53 (2): 155–173. doi:10.2307/3165353. ISSN 1755-2613. JSTOR 3165353. S2CID 162078677.
  10. ^ "Our Story: The History of Claremont School of Theology at Willamette University" (PDF). Claremont School of Theology. 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 17, 2022.
  11. ^ Robert W. Edgar (September 10, 1991). Introduction of Jane Dempsey Douglass. Convocation of the School of Theology at Claremont (audio recording). 13:56–14:08.
  12. ^ a b c d James F. Kay (1999). "A Special Issue Honoring Jane Dempsey Douglass". The Princeton Seminary Bulletin. New series. Vol. 20, no. 1. p. v.
  13. ^ Paul C. H. Lim (2019). "2019 ASCH President's Report". American Society of Church History. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  14. ^ Jane Dempsey Douglass (1985). Women, Freedom, and Calvin. Philadelphia: Westminster Press. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-664-24663-1.
  15. ^ Julia Pitman (2011). "Feminist Public Theology in the Uniting Church in Australia". International Journal of Public Theology. 5 (2): 156. doi:10.1163/156973211X562741. ISSN 1569-7320.
  16. ^ a b Nico Vorster (2019). The Brightest Mirror of God's Works: John Calvin's Theological Anthropology. Eugene, Oregon: Pickwick Publications. ISBN 978-1-5326-6026-9.
  17. ^ Jane Dempsey Douglass (June 1984). "Christian Freedom: What Calvin Learned at the School of Women". Church History. 53 (2): 155–156. doi:10.2307/3165353. ISSN 1755-2613. JSTOR 3165353. S2CID 162078677.
  18. ^ Jane Dempsey Douglass (1985). Women, Freedom, and Calvin. Philadelphia: Westminster Press. p. 81. ISBN 978-0-664-24663-1.
  19. ^ Sharon Youngs (April 12, 2012). "220th General Assembly Committee Leadership Named". Presbyterian Church (USA). Archived from the original on March 24, 2021.
  20. ^ David Briggs (June 9, 1991). "Church Declares Sexual Equality an Article of Faith". The Sun. Baltimore, Maryland. p. 1B. ISSN 1930-8965. ProQuest 407145310.
  21. ^ Stephen Brown and Jerry L. Van Marter (September 6, 1997). "Taiwanese Theologian Elected as President of WARC, Kirkpatrick Elected to Executive Committee". Worldwide Faith News. Presbyterian News Service. Archived from the original on January 14, 2023.
  22. ^ Peter Steinfels (August 25, 1990). "Religion Notes". The New York Times. p. 1.10. Archived from the original on May 25, 2015.
  23. ^ Michael D. Schaffer (August 26, 1990). "New Calvinist Leader Faces a Balancing Act". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. B1. ISSN 0885-6613. ProQuest 1835487623.
  24. ^ "Back Matter". Church History. 58 (3): 432. September 1989. ISSN 1755-2613. JSTOR 3168517.
Religious titles
Preceded by President of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches
1990–1997 		Succeeded by
Academic offices
Preceded by Warfield Lecturer
1983 		Succeeded by
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