Georgia Elma Harkness (1891–1974) was an American

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

and

philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...

. Harkness has been described as one of the first significant American female theologians and was important in the movement to legalize the

ordination of women The ordination of women to ministerial or priestly office is an increasingly common practice among some contemporary major religious groups. It remains a controversial issue in certain Christian traditions and most denominations in which "ordina ...

in American Methodism. Harkness was born on April 21, 1891, in Harkness,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, a town named after her grandfather, to J. Warren and Lillie (''

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

'' Merrill) Harkness. In 1912, she completed her undergraduate education at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

, which had begun admitting women in 1872. At Cornell, she came under the influence of

James Edwin Creighton James Edwin Creighton (April 8, 1861, Pictou, Nova Scotia – October 8, 1924, Ithaca, New York) was an American idealist philosopher, Cornell academic, founding president of the American Philosophical Association, and president (1902) of the Amer ...

. She spent several years as a high school teacher before enrolling at

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

, from which she would receive a

Master of Religious Education The Master of Religious Education (MRE) is a terminal academic degree in preparation for professional teaching ministry, usually offered by Christian institutions. The curriculum includes two years of theological study and sometimes a thesis. Alt ...

degree and a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

degree in

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

in 1920. She completed her doctoral studies in philosophy at Boston University in 1923 with the submission of a dissertation titled ''The Philosophy of Thomas Hill Green, with Special Reference to the Relations Between Ethics and the Philosophy of Religion'', which was written under the supervision of the Boston personalist philosopher

Edgar S. Brightman Edgar Sheffield Brightman (September 20, 1884 – February 25, 1953) was an American philosopher and Christianity, Christian theologian in the Methodism, Methodist tradition, associated with Boston University and Liberal Christianity, liberal ...

. Harkness served on the faculty of

Elmira College Elmira College is a private college in Elmira, New York. Founded as a college for women in 1855, it is the oldest existing college granting degrees to women that were the equivalent of those given to men. Elmira College became coeducational in a ...

from 1923 to 1937 and of

Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College is a private liberal arts women's college in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It is the oldest member of the historic Seven Sisters colleges, a group of elite historically women's colleges in the Northeastern United States. ...

from 1937 to 1939. Professor of applied theology at

Garrett Biblical Institute Garrett may refer to: Places ;United States * Garrett, Illinois * Garrett, Indiana * Garrett, Kentucky (multiple places) ** Garrett, Floyd County, Kentucky, an unincorporated community ** Garrett, Meade County, Kentucky, an unincorporated commun ...

(1939–1950) and the

Pacific School of Religion The Pacific School of Religion (PSR) is a private Protestant seminary in Berkeley, California. It maintains covenantal relationships with the United Church of Christ, the United Methodist Church, and the Disciples of Christ, ensuring the schoo ...

(1950–1961), she was the first woman to obtain full professorship in an American theological seminary, and became a leading figure in the modern

ecumenical movement Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...

. She became the first female member of the

American Theological Society The American Theological Society, founded in 1912, is the oldest professional theological society in North America. It has met at least once each year in various locations on the East Coast of the United States, lately at Princeton Theological Semin ...

. Harkness had an affinity for ministry through poetry and the arts. Her theological interests centered on the influence of the ecumenical church,

eschatology Eschatology (; ) concerns expectations of the end of the present age, human history, or of the world itself. The end of the world or end times is predicted by several world religions (both Abrahamic and non-Abrahamic), which teach that negati ...

, 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 is the Christian doctrine that holds that humans, through the fact of birth, inherit a tainted nature in need of regeneration and a proclivity to sinful conduct. The biblical basis for the belief is generally found in Genesis 3 (t ...

, saying that "the sooner it disappears, the better for theology and human sympathy." Harkness died on August 21, 1974, in Claremont,

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

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Georgia Harkness: Chastened Liberal
- Biographical article from ''Theology Today'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Harkness, Georgia 1891 births 1974 deaths 20th-century American philosophers 20th-century American theologians 20th-century Methodists 20th-century Protestant theologians American Christian pacifists American Christian theologians American Methodist hymnwriters American people of Scotch-Irish descent American United Methodists American women non-fiction writers American women philosophers Boston University School of Theology alumni Cornell University alumni Methodist pacifists Methodist philosophers Methodist theologians People in Christian ecumenism Philosophers from New York (state) Women Christian theologians American women hymnwriters Mount Holyoke College faculty

Published works

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