Table of Contents

Contents Acknowledgments ix Introduction: Why Study Women in New Religions? 1 1. Mormonism: Gendering the Heavens 19 2. Seventh-day Adventism: Women's Changing Role in an Endtime Religion 49 3. The Family International: Sexualizing Gender 77 4. Wicca: Valuing the Divine Feminine 101 Conclusion 121 Questions for Discussion 131 Notes 135 Works Cited 169 For Further Reading 183 Index 185 About the Author 189

About the Author

Laura Vance is Professor of Sociology and Chair of the Division of Social Sciences at Brevard College. She is the author of Seventh-day Adventism in Crisis.

Reviews

InWomen and New ReligionsLaura Vance offers a creative strategy for furthering this work of integration.
*Nova Religio*

This second volume is particularly interesting because, while much has been written on European traditional religion, these newer denominations have not had as much neutral examination.
*Magistra*

This work emphasizes the necessity of examining gender in the quest to understand religions.
*Choice*

This is an important volume in the series onWomen in Religion. It is both engaging and insightful and offers critical information about new religions and the role and influence women have had in their developments.
*Catholic Book Review*

This book has much to offer in terms of both history and sociological frameworks for evaluation, and for that reason it should work well in classrooms that focus on topics including gender and religion, new religious movements, and American religion, among others.
*Sociology of Religion*

The new Women in Religions series from NYU Press offers accessible primers on ways women have shaped and been influenced by various religious traditions.
*Sojourner's Magazine*

Vance has offered an excellent introduction to the histories, theories, and practices of women in Mormonism, Seventh-Day Adventism, The Family International, and Wicca.
*Religious Studies Review*

Argues that religion is a site for both legitimating and challenging gender roles . . .The book would work well in undergraduate courses focusing on gender and religion, or new religious movements.
*Review of Religious Research*

Clearly the result of intensive research, this book offers invaluable insights into the differentand shiftingattitudes towards and experiences of women in four alternative religions. I recommend it most strongly not only to scholars interested in the study of gender and of new religions, but also to the general reader curious about the extraordinary variety of ways in which half the population can be viewed and treated according to widely differing perceptions of reality.
*Eileen Barker,author of New Religious Movements: A Practical Introduction*

"This engaging new book shows us why and how gender plays a powerful role in the formation and growth of new religions. Integrating gender and social theory with illuminating accounts of spiritual entrepreneurs both strange and familiar, this is a thorough, well-crafted, and eminently useful addition to an important field of study.
*Margaret Bendroth,Congregational Library*