Liberal Christianity and Women's Global Activism

The YWCA of the USA and the Maryknoll Sisters

By Amanda Izzo

Rutgers University Press

Religiously influenced social movements tend to be characterized as products of the conservative turn in Protestant and Catholic life in the latter part of the twentieth century, with women's mobilizations centering on defense of the “traditional” family. In Liberal Christianity and Women’s Global Activism, Amanda L. Izzo argues that, contrary to this view, liberal wings of Christian churches have remained an instrumental presence in U.S. and transnational politics. Women have been at the forefront of such efforts.

Focusing on the histories of two highly influential groups, the Young Women’s Christian Association of the USA, an interdenominational Protestant organization, and the Maryknoll Sisters, a Roman Catholic religious order, Izzo offers new perspectives on the contributions of these women to transnational social movements, women’s history, and religious studies, as she traces the connections between turn-of-the-century Christian women’s reform culture and liberal and left-wing religious social movements of the 1960s and 1970s. Izzo suggests that shared ethical, theological, and institutional underpinnings can transcend denominational divides, and that strategies for social change often associated with secular feminism have ties to spiritually inspired social movements.

Amanda Izzo’s book is a revelation. Two intertwining stories--the Maryknoll sisters going from cold warriors to dissidents, and the YWCA as the target of anti-communist repression-- together demonstrate how faith in the power of love propelled Christian women’s political agendas on a world stage in the 20th century. Ann Braude, author of Sisters and Saints: Women and American Religion

In this crisply-written and illuminating account, Amanda Izzo tells the story of two women's associations, the Protestant YWCA and the Catholic Maryknoll sisters. Following dramatically different routes along the way, the groups' politics converged in the 1960s and 70s, becoming powerful forces for social justice at home and abroad. Izzo treats both strands of this important alliance with nuance and insight, suggesting how far creeds of Christian love took the American people – and how far we have to go. Jane Hunter, author of Gospel of Gentility: American Women Missionaries in Turn-of-the-Century China

Amanda Izzo's wonderful excavation of early twentieth century women's activism among liberal Catholics and Protestants casts new light everywhere. Izzo stresses liberalism's activist energy, Maryknoll and YWCA globalism, and, ultimately, the importance of women’s religious activism in the global human rights movement. Beautifully researched and even more beautifully written, Liberal Christianity and Women’s Global Activism illuminates the exceptional reach of women’s activism across religions and world borders. Jon Butler, Howard R. Lamar Professor Emeritus of American Studies, History, and Religious Studies Yale Univ.

Pg. 99: Amanda Izzo's 'Liberal Christianity and Women's Global Activism'' by Marshal Zeringue Campaign for the American Reader

The Author’s Corner with Amanda Izzo The Way of Improvement Leads Home

Weekly Book List, April 27, 2018' compiled by Nina Ayoub Chronicle of Higher Education

Izzo's work contributes to the ever-expanding history of feminisms, especially at the intersection of religious commitment and social justice activism. Izzo's effective use of sources and clear writing and organization makes this text a good choice for advanced undergraduate courses exploring women and religion, social activism and world Christianity, and gender, politics, and religion.' Journal of American History

Such an interesting book! The parallels and differences between the YMCA movement and the Maryknoll Sisters make for fascinating feminist history. Both organizations have had far wider and deeper impacts than their mere numbers would suggest. Both have shaped and empowered their members and the broader society. These groups incarnate justice and equality for women and BIPOC. This study captures their essences and displays their achievements in relief against formidable patriarchal odds. Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics, and Ritual

AMANDA L. IZZO is an assistant professor of women’s and gender studies at St. Louis University in Missouri.

Introduction 1
Part I: Women and Christian Fellowship
in the Early Twentieth Century 15
1 “Life More Abundant”: The YWCA
and the Social Gospel 19
2 “By Love, Serve One Another”: Foreign Mission
and the Changing Meanings of Evangelization 44
3 “Hidden and Effective Service”: The Maryknoll
Sisters Enter the Mission Field 66
Part II: From the Popular Front and
American Century to the New Frontier 89
4 “Dare We Be as Radical as Our Religion
Demands?”: Christian Activism
and the Long Red Scare 93
5 A “Fifth Column for God”: The Maryknoll
Sisters at Midcentury 124
Part III: “The Ferment of Freedom” 153
6 “We Choose to Identify with the Church of
the Poor”: Preferential Option in Action 159
7 “The Nuns Were Not Just Nuns”: Foreign
Mission and Foreign Policy 191
Epilogue 215
Acknowledgments 221
Notes 223
Selected Bibliography 257
Index 267

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