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Catherine Booth
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==Ministry== [[File:William and Catherine Booth, 1862.jpg|thumb|Catherine and William Booth]] Catherine began to be more active in the work of the church at [[Brighouse]]. Though she was extremely nervous, she enjoyed working with young people and found the courage to speak in children's meetings. During this period she discovered a model, American Wesleyan revivalist [[Phoebe Palmer]]. With William's encouragement, Catherine wrote a pamphlet, ''Female Ministry: Womanβs Right to Preach the Gospel'' (1859), in defense of American preacher Mrs. Phoebe Palmer's preaching, whose preaching had caused a great stir in the area where the Booths lived. ''Female Ministry'' was a short, powerful apology for women's rights to preach the gospel. The pamphlet identifies three major principles on which her convictions rested. First, Catherine saw that women are neither naturally nor morally inferior to men. Second, she believed there was no scriptural reason to deny them a public ministry. Third, she maintained that what the Bible urged, the Holy Spirit had ordained and blessed and so must be justified.<ref name=parkin/> She complained that the "unjustifiable application" of Paul's advice, β 'Let your women keep silence in the Churches' (1 Corinthians 14:34), has resulted in more loss to the Church, evil to the world, and dishonor to God, than any of [its] errors".<ref name=murdoch/> At that time, it was unheard of for women to speak in adult meetings. She was convinced that [[Christian feminism|women had an equal right to speak]]. In January 1860, following the birth of their fourth child, at [[Gateshead]], during William's sermon, she asked to "say a word". She witnessed to her timidity about claiming her calling, yet William announced that she would speak that night.<ref name=murdoch/> It was the beginning of a tremendous ministry, as people were greatly challenged by her preaching. She became a partner in her husband's work and soon found her own sphere as a powerful preacher. She also spoke to people in their homes, especially to [[alcoholic]]s, whom she helped to make a new start in life. Often she held cottage meetings for [[religious conversion|converts]]. She eventually began to hold her own campaigns. Many agree that no man of her era, including her husband, exceeded her in popularity or spiritual results. Her first written article, the pamphlet ''Female Teaching''<ref>{{cite book | title=2018 year book | year=2017 | publisher=Salvation Books | page=21 | isbn=9781911149408 }}</ref> was published in December 1859. Catherine Booth was eloquent and compelling in speech, articulate and devastatingly logical in writing, she had for over twenty years defended the right of women to preach the gospel on the same terms as men. At first, Catherine and her husband had shared a ministry as traveling evangelists, but then she came into great demand as a preacher in her own right, especially among the well-to-do. A woman preacher was a rare phenomenon in a world where women had few civil rights, and no place in the professions. Catherine Booth was both a woman and a fine preacher, a magnetic combination that attracted large numbers to hear her and made its own statement about the validity of women's ministry.<ref name=parkin>[http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/1990/issue26/2610.html Parkin, Major Christine, "Pioneer in Female Ministry", ''Christian History Magazine'', Issue 26: William and Catherine Booth: Salvation Army Founders (1990) Christianity Today]</ref> Amongst other activities, Catherine lobbied Queen Victoria to seek legislation for safeguarding females, in the form of the "Parliamentary Bill for the protection of girls"<ref>{{cite web | title=Personal papers | publisher=The National Archives, UK | url=http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/nra/lists/gb-2133-sa.htm}}</ref>
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