Just a few random thoughts...

After weeks of publishing carefully thought out and researched articles, I thought I'd share a few of my thoughts on the subject of church history, and why I study it. Many people are drawn to the field of religious study as a whole because of their own faith. I'm not one of them. My interest in the Christianity is largely historical, and grew out of a strong interest in medieval art and thus, religion.

I suppose I should provide a brief introduction to my own scholarly background. My first love is art history, and I plan to eventually return to it. During the course of work on a M.A. in medieval art history I found that I was repeatedly drawn to the study of mysticism and women in the medieval church. When the time came to move on to a P.h.D. program, I found that I was unsure of my direction, and moved onto a M.A. program in religious studies. While I fully intend to return to the study of art history, I've found my work in the field of church history fascinating, and suspect that it will remain a lifelong interest.

The Christian church over the centuries has been responsible for many of the heights and the horrors of Western civilization. We marvel at the churches and shamefully remember the role of the Jesuits in the New World. We are moved by great works of faith, and yet realize that the same institution that drove this faith is also responsible for massacres. These paradoxes have always proven a fascinating field of study.

My particular scholarly interest would typically be defined as feminist, and I don't know that I'd argue that definition. I am especially concerned with the role of women in history, and with the interrelationship between women and social institutions. While women never held traditional power in the church, they did find means and ways of expressing themselves both within and without the accepted paths of the Christian church.

In future articles, I plan to further explore a number of issues that have come up in my own research, including the theology of women in the Reformation, the so-called Wildmen of Munster, and the interrelationship of religion and literature in late medieval England.

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