Pen as Pulpit: Considering Harriet Beecher Stowe as a Public Theologian

Thanks to a grant from America 250 Ohio, this program is offered free of charge, however, there a limited number of participants.

In writings both personal and public, Harriet Beecher Stowe sought to reconcile her experiences of Jesus as friend with the doctrinal Calvinism into which she was born. From her first theological essay written at the age of twelve to her biography of Christ and essays about women in sacred history, Harriet rejected a Christianity focused on damnation and embraced an expansive view of God offering salvation to all of humanity, a position that often put her at odds with not only Christian leaders but also her own father. In works such as Uncle Tom’s Cabin, The Minister’s Wooing, and Oldtown Folks, Harriet used her pen as pulpit to support abolition, temperance, suffrage, and the Social Gospel. In this tour, we trace the development of her faith and theology from the uncertainty of her youth to her embrace of the Episcopal Church in the last decades of her life.

About the facilitator:

Rev. Dr. Aaron Maurice Saari is a public theologian, biblical scholar, pastor, and author. He has taught at Xavier University, Antioch University, and the University of Dayton, and pastored Presbyterian and United Church of Christ congregations. An expert on the historical Judas, Dr. Saari is currently working on a book about Harriet as theologian.

Host or Publisher Harriet Beecher Stowe House