Sarah Osborn's Collected Writings

Brekus Catherine A.

Riveting and eloquent, the collected writings of a key figure – and one of the first female leaders – of the eighteenth-century evangelical movement.

Sarah Osborn (1714–1796) was one of the most charismatic female religious leaders of her time and one of relatively few colonial women whose writings have been preserved. This volume reprints selections from Osborn's fascinating manuscripts, including her memoir, letters, and diaries.

An evangelical Christian who led popular revival meetings at her own home, Osborn was also a gifted writer who recorded the story of her life. In thousands of pages of manuscripts, Osborn chronicled her personal struggles alongside the great events of her age, including the Great Awakening, the French and Indian War, the moral crisis posed by slavery, and the American Revolution. A rare opportunity to hear an early American woman speak about her faith and her religious leadership, this masterfully edited work is also an invaluable resource for understanding the rise of evangelical Christianity.

About the Author

Catherine A. Brekus is Charles Warren Professor of the History of Religion in America at Harvard Divinity School. She lives in Auburndale, MA.

Reviews

"Once you begin to read Sarah Osborn, you will find yourself carrying her voice with you. She is an incomparably humane and bracing observer of her changing world" – Kathryn Lofton, Yale University

"Osborn's compositions are both gripping and intellectually stimulating, and it is remarkable that they have never appeared before in this kind of scholarly volume" – Thomas S. Kidd, Baylor University

"Catherine Brekus introduces us to a disturbing, heartbreaking, and improbably inspiring life" – John G. Turner, Christian Century

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