Author Description

"Sarah Righter Major was famous in her own circles in the mid-1800s for being a woman preacher in a tradition dominated and controlled by men, but few people know much about her today. Frye provides many of the details, facts, and stories about the life of Sister Sarah, the first woman preacher in the Church of the Brethren. Frye places Sister Sarah in the context of the early 19th century and introduces us to the many women and men who influenced her life and supported her preaching ministry. Major's life is depicted through Frye's synthesis of many documents, including some written by Sister Sarah, such as this excerpt from a response to her critics in 1835: "I conceive it would be very inconsistent in an apostle, who had laid his hands on men and women, and pray'd over them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost, to quench the gift of the spirit of God because it was given to a woman--in answer to prayer--when at that time it may not be given in such measure to more mature Christians." Step into these pages to learn more about the life and thoughts of this uncommon woman."