Online Lecture: Intersections and Singular Paths – An Introduction to Shaker Theology

We describe the Shakers as a Christian sect that developed into a celibate, pacifist communal group who seek salvation by living a pure life. Behind that apparently simple statement lie complicated questions (and answers) that were tested and modified over many years.

What were believers seeking when they heard Mother Ann Lee’s millennial message? Why was celibacy crucial? Did they use the Hebrew Bible and/or the New Testament? How did they come to believe in the dual nature of God as both female and male? Why did they reject the Trinity? Were their views radical or traditional? How do their ideas challenge thoughtful seekers today?

Jane F. Crosthwaite, Professor Emeritus of Religion at Mount Holyoke College, will discuss (some of) the theological issues raised by the unique challenges of the Shaker vision. The talk will be presented online.

Register online at Eventbrite.  To register offline, contact educator@shakerheritage.org, or call 518-456-7890, x 3.

There is no fee for this event, but donations would be appreciated: https://home.shakerheritage.org/donate-today.

Jane Crosthwaite is interested in the roles of women in American religious history and Shaker history and art. Her research is primarily directed toward a study of the drawings produced by the Shaker sisters during the mid-nineteenth century period known as the Era of Manifestations.

Her most recent publication is Shaker Visions of the Divine: Essays on their Sacred Art and Scripture (Richard Couper Press, 2022).  Dr. Crosthwaite’s biographical entries for R. Mildred Barker and Hannah Cohoon are included in the American National Biography project (Oxford University Press), and her reviews and articles are frequently published in scholarly journals.

She has received a teaching award from Mount Holyoke, inclusion in The Princeton Review’s 300 Outstanding Teachers, a Distinguished Alumni Award from Wake Forest University, and an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree, from Queens University of Charlotte.

Category: Online, Lectures