CATHERINE in one of her letters to William booth just before she became his wife, wrote again about her beliefs in women and their place in the kingdom of God. Though her writings was in the style of the 19th century her ideas are still sound and good for today: 'if indeed there is in Christ Jesus "neither male nor female" {Galatians 3:28, RSV} but in all touching his kingdom "they are one", who shall dare thrust woman out of the church's operations, or presume to put any candle which God has lighted {see Matthew 5:15.16] under a bushel?'
In 1855 William and Catherine were married. At first William, who by now had become a minister,worked as a traveling evangelist. In the year 1856 their first child, William Bramwell, was born. He was the first of eight children William and Catherine were to have. Although the coming of her family brought many extra duties to Catherine, she still found time to help William in his work.
By 1859 William was in charge of a church at gates head-on-Tyne, in the north England. The leaders of the branch of the Methodist church to which he belonged had asked William to take charge of the church. William really preferred the work of a traveling evangelist, but he did as he was asked, hoping soon to return to the work he loved. Catherine had not herself at that time started to preach, but she pent two nights each week knocking on doors at the homes of the people who lived near the church but never came there. This was a work Catherine had felt specially called by God to do.
About this time William and Catherine were interested to hear of some special preaching that was being undertaken at Newcastle, just across the river, by a visiting American evangelist, named Palmer. Mrs Palmer was a good woman, and it was said of her that she 'with striking originality and power preached the way of holiness' Catherine was indeed glad to hear this news and William was interested, but another minister, the Rev Arthur Augustus Rees, was very displeased. Quickly he wrote a book in which he said a woman had no right to preach. The Scriptures, he said, taught this.
When Catherine read the minister's book she felt she must do something about it. Again Catherine took up her pen this time to show, to all who could read, that women, led and taught by the spirit of God, could share with men 'the testimony of Jesus'.
we are expressly told in the Acts of the apostles, wrote Catherine, 'that the women were assembled with the disciples on the day of Pentecost....and the Holy Ghost filled them all and that they spoke as the spirit gave them utterances....The spirit was given alike to the female as to the male disciples, and this is cited {mentioned} by peter.
Catherine believed that the time must come when the churches would allow women to speak in them. 'Whether the church will allow women to speak in them. Whether the Church will allow women to speak in them. 'Whether the church will allow women to speak in them. 'Whether the church will allow women to speak in her assemblies can only be a question of time, Catherine wrote.... Then, when the true light shines, and God's word takes the place of mans traditions, the doctors of divinity who shall teach that Paul commands women to be silent when God's spirit urges her to speak, will be regarded much the same as we should regard an astronomer who should teach that the sun is the earth's satellite.
Catherine's writing was published as a 32-page booklet under the title, Female ministry. Not long afterwards Catherine herself was strongly urged by God's spirit, and so began her own public ministry in her husband's church. But could her husband approve?
The interesting thing is that while Catherine had been preparing her reply to the Rev Arthur Rees she had been doing a great deal of extra study and research. She did not want there to be any weakness in the arguments she used; and so she discussed the whole subject closely with William. As they thought and spoke together concerning this matter (which Catherine for a long time had felt was so important ) William came completely to take the view Catherine had earlier adopted. it was these talks that they shared together, and the reasoning that took place between them, that finally convinced William.
Later, their son, Bramwell, wrote: 'from that time no serious question arose in either of their minds as to the equality of woman with man.
Because of this agreement many salvationist women, as well as others, have found opportunity to speak for God in public. They owe a great debt to the Army's founders, and perhaps especially to Catherine
William and Catherine granddaughter also named Catherine has summed up Catherine Booth's viewpoint well: "The Army mother never took the line that all women, in the sight of God, was equally a moral being with man; but not that woman's power were identical.Her aim in opening the door to women in public ministry was that through their witness to the love and power of Christ more souls might be brought to God.
