Eleventh International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

One area in which non-canonical religious writings can play a significant role is in developing and deepening spiritual communities and relationships. In eighteenth-century Newport, Rhode Island, in the American colonies, two female friends produced a collection of letters significant enough to warrant publication of the correspondence several years after their deaths. Sarah Osborn and Susanna Anthony, both evangelical Protestant Christians, communicated by letter for almost forty years on topics such as their faith, their families, and the joys and tragedies that befell them. Published as a collection in 1807 by the wife of their pastor, their letters reveal the intimacy, support, instruction, and encouragement that can be offered through shared letters within a religious society. Once the letters became public through publication, their influence extended even to the larger Protestant community. The advertisement for the collection notes the goal of the publication: “They [the letters] expect not the attention of the Learned, nor the notice of the Gay. If they obtain the approbation of the Pious; and, in any degree, promote the Redeemer’s Interest; the end of their publication will be answered.” This paper looks at how Osborn and Anthony created spiritual community and friendship through their non-canonical familiar letters.

Presenters

Lisa Smith
Assistant Professor of Teaching of English, Humanities and Teacher Education Division, Pepperdine University, California, United States