Presenter Information

Jacqueline Grey

Description

The ‘outback spirit’ is often considered the very backbone of Australian society, from the original inhabitants to contemporary ‘Aussie battlers.’ The ‘outback’ is both a literal desert and a mythical place in the Australian identity that represents unchartered opportunities, adventure, and unfamiliar threats. Those who live and exist in the outback thrive in a tough and isolated environment through resourcefulness and hard work. This spirit has generally been incorporated into the psyche of the Australian culture and has become synonymous with such characteristics as defiance, influence, resilience, courage, and ingenuity. This same ‘outback spirit’ is evident in the history of Australian Pentecostalism, which has had a distinctive emphasis on the empowerment of women. Through unyielding defiance against social marginalization, the majority of early Pentecostal churches were pioneered and pastored by women of significant influence. Post-World War II women demonstrated tremendous resilience in their missional endeavors, even amid gender discrimination and entrenched racism. Despite the pressure to capitulate to the patriarchal culture of the broader church, many women persisted in their missional calling. Yet, ironically as the broader society debated the empowerment of women as promoted by second wave feminism, key Pentecostal leaders in Australia, opposing this threat of hyper-feminism, still focused on equipping women in ministry. The remarkable ingenuity of Australian women has now launched them to global prominence in a rebranded twenty-first-century ‘hipster’ Pentecostalism. This chapter provides an overview of this progression and influence at work in the lives of some key Australian women Pentecostal pioneers.

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Jan 1st, 12:00 AM

“The ‘Outback Spirit’ of Pentecostal Women Pioneers in Australia”

The ‘outback spirit’ is often considered the very backbone of Australian society, from the original inhabitants to contemporary ‘Aussie battlers.’ The ‘outback’ is both a literal desert and a mythical place in the Australian identity that represents unchartered opportunities, adventure, and unfamiliar threats. Those who live and exist in the outback thrive in a tough and isolated environment through resourcefulness and hard work. This spirit has generally been incorporated into the psyche of the Australian culture and has become synonymous with such characteristics as defiance, influence, resilience, courage, and ingenuity. This same ‘outback spirit’ is evident in the history of Australian Pentecostalism, which has had a distinctive emphasis on the empowerment of women. Through unyielding defiance against social marginalization, the majority of early Pentecostal churches were pioneered and pastored by women of significant influence. Post-World War II women demonstrated tremendous resilience in their missional endeavors, even amid gender discrimination and entrenched racism. Despite the pressure to capitulate to the patriarchal culture of the broader church, many women persisted in their missional calling. Yet, ironically as the broader society debated the empowerment of women as promoted by second wave feminism, key Pentecostal leaders in Australia, opposing this threat of hyper-feminism, still focused on equipping women in ministry. The remarkable ingenuity of Australian women has now launched them to global prominence in a rebranded twenty-first-century ‘hipster’ Pentecostalism. This chapter provides an overview of this progression and influence at work in the lives of some key Australian women Pentecostal pioneers.