Georgia Elma Harkness was a Christian theologian

Christian theology

- Divisions of Christian theology :There are many methods of categorizing different approaches to Christian theology. For a historical analysis, see the main article on the History of Christian theology.- Sub-disciplines :...

 in the Methodist tradition. Born in Harkness, New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

, a town named after her grandfather, Harkness has been described as one of the first significant American female theologians and was important in the movement to gain ordination

Ordination

In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...

 for women in American Methodism

United Methodist Church

The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...

. Professor of applied theology at Garrett Biblical Institute (1939–1950) and the Pacific School of Religion

Pacific School of Religion

Pacific School of Religion is an ecumenical seminary located in Berkeley, California. It maintains covenantal relationships with the United Church of Christ, the United Methodist Church and the Disciples of Christ, providing all necessary expectations for candidates to their ordained ministries....

 (1950–1961), she was the first women to obtain full professorship in a U.S. theological seminary, and became a leading figure in the modern ecumenical movement.

Harkness had an affinity for ministry through poetry and the arts. Her theological interests centered around the influence of the ecumenical church, eschatology, applied theological thought and a desire for all persons to understand the Christian faith. She made clear a distaste for the doctrine of original sin

Original sin

Original sin is, according to a Christian theological doctrine, humanity's state of sin resulting from the Fall of Man. This condition has been characterized in many ways, ranging from something as insignificant as a slight deficiency, or a tendency toward sin yet without collective guilt, referred...

, saying that "the sooner it disappears, the better it is for theology."

Resources

• Beliefs That Count by Georgia Harkness
• Christian Ethics by Georgia Harkness
• The Gospel and Our World by Georgia Harkness
• The Providence of God (1960) by Georgia Harkness
• Grace Abounding (1969) by Georgia Harkness (ISBN 0-687-15659-9)
• The Ministry of Reconciliation by Georgia Harkness (ISBN 0-687-27048-0)
• The Modern Rival of Christian Faith: An Analysis of Secularism by Georgia Harkness (ISBN 0-313-20174-9)
• Prayer and the Common Life by Georgia Harkness
• Sources of Western Morality: From Primitive Society Through the Beginning of Christianity (1954) by Georgia Harkness (ISBN 0-404-10643-9)
• Toward Understanding the Bible by Georgia Harkness
• Understanding Christian Faith by Georgia Harkness (ISBN 0-687-42955-2)
• Understanding the Kingdom of God by Georgia Harkness (ISBN 0-687-42864-5)
• Women in Church and Society: A Historical and Theological Inquiry (1971) by Georgia Harkness (ISBN 0-687-45965-6)
• Georgia Harkness: For Such a Time as This (1992) by Rosemary Skinner Keller (ISBN 0-687-13276-2)
• Practical Divinity: Theology in the Wesleyan Tradition (1982) by Thomas A. Langford (ISBN 0-687-07382-0)

External links

• Georgia Harkness: Chastened Liberal - Biographical article from Theology Today