The Feminist Theology of Florence Nightingale

Abstract

Book synopsis: The question "An age of faith or an age of doubt?" has become familiar to many of those studying the Victorian era, and the debate about the impact of science has assumed a central place in scholarly and popular literature. This volume does not ignore these important topics, but instead emphasizes questions about the kind of religion in the 19th century as opposed to the quantity of religion in the 19th century. This book aims to introduce the most important varieties of Christianity in the Victorian era and to consider their interactions with other aspects of western culture and society. Part one of this volume explores the main varieties of Christianity under the headings "transcendent" and "liberal", and discusses alternative forms of spirituality like Transcedentalism and theosophy in their relation to Christianity. Part two is concerned with the interactions between Christianity and literature, Christianity and gender, and Christianity and science. This book covers the reinvention of Christianity in Britain and North America and no attempt is made to cover Christianity in the rest of the world.