When Jenny-Lyn de Klerk told people she was writing a book about Puritan women, she tended to hear one of two responses. One group had no idea who she was talking about; the other assumed that Puritan women were patriarchal “fun-killers.” But de Klerk, who first encountered theology in college and found great clarity and hope in Puritan writings, has a different perspective.
“I’m hoping my book can move readers past such stereotypes by helping them get to know a range of real individuals,” de Klerk said in an interview with CT. Rather than lumping Puritan women together as a monolith, de Klerk set out to understand five Puritan women—women who had much in common, to be sure, but also had their own nuances that many may find surprising.
Mary Rich, for example, sent her rules for holy living to the Earl of Buckley upon his request, seemingly unafraid of spiritual conversation between male and female friends. Anne Bradstreet wrote poetry about intimate love with her husband, something we may be quick to assume is outside of the bounds of Puritanism. But, according to de Klerk, it isn’t at all.
In the women she profiles, de Klerk highlights the praiseworthy qualities of these individuals who loved God and others deeply. “One benefit we get from reading about women in church history is celebrating Christian women while taking a breather from all the contentiousness.”
As we reflect on the Christian women of the past and those in our present lives, may we be slow to project our cultural assumptions and quick to agree with God in naming what is good, true, and beautiful.
