Accidental Theologians: Four Women Who Shaped Christianity

by Elizabeth A. Dreyer

One might well be tempted to think that the history of Christianity, particularly its theology, has been largely shaped by men. This book dispels that notion to some degree by highlighting the four women Doctors of the Catholic Church (someone who contributes significantly to the formulation of Christian teaching): Hildegard of Bingen, Catherine of Siena, Teresa of Avila, and Thérèse of Lisieux. Though they did not intend to be theologians, their teachings about Christian belief and practice mark them as key figures in the history of Christianity.

While most of the books written about these four women deals mainly with their spirituality, Accidental Theologians shows how they came to know God, as well as how they changed and challenged the Church in their day. It looks at these women from several perspectives: their life and works, the times in which they lived, the core of their theology, and the implications of their theology for us. Cogent questions for reflection at the end of each chapter prompt readers to delve deeper into the significance of these women for their own lives, and a comprehensive resource list provides opportunities to learn more about these saints.

Genres: Religion, Theology, Nonfiction, Faith, Christian, Christianity, Catholic

168 pages, Paperback

First published August 19, 2014

Reviews

[Maribeth Barber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will do a full review of this one on my blog next month, but suffice it to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this one and have a new, deeply appreciative love for Hildegard, Catherine, Teresa, and Therese. They are my heroines and role models, and I am so thankful for them.

My biggest complaint about this book (and the only reason I’m not giving it 5 stars): in the last chapter the author (who had refrained from giving too much of her own commentary or opinions throughout the book) let loose some of her own very liberal theology, including using feminine pronouns for God.

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 4 out of 5]

An approachable, enjoyable introduction to the four female Doctors of the Church: Hildegard of Bingen, Catherine of Siena, Teresa of Avila, and Thérèse of Lisieux. I knew the least about Thérèse, so I enjoyed learning more about her.

Each chapter gives a biographical sketch of the subject's life, an overview of her written work, and a dive into a major theological theme (respectively, the Holy Spirit, the Incarnation, the human person, and the cross). Questions for reflection conclude each chapter, and they're good ones, too. This would be an ideal resource for a study/discussion group that wants to learn more about women in church history. (All of the women were in religious orders, so this isn't an introduction to average women in church history.)

I always treasure books that feel like a culmination of the author's life work. In this case, it's Dreyer's work on women's spirituality/theology in all of church history. She writes with elegance about each woman, because she knows each one so well. Her enthusiasm and knowledge are steady. In the final chapter, we learn more of Dreyer's own opinions about theology, and that should generate some good discussion in groups (as it did with me and the voices in my head).

My reading of this book was enriched by my February reading of In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden, a novel about life in a female religious order. That novel gave me an insider's grasp of life in a strict order, and thus helped me understand the context of each woman Dreyer looked at. I've been aching to re-read In This House of Brede since I first read it, and this only increased that desire.

Recommended to anyone wanting to learn more about the four women included, those who want to intentionally make space for half the church in their theological reading, and folks who enjoy learning about women in church history.

[Irene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dreyer presents the four Catholic women saints who have been named Doctors of the Church, summarizing their life and an aspect of their writings. Each chapter concludes with a reflection on what that saint might offer the contemporary western world and several questions for discussion. Although I would have brought out different elements at several points then Dreyer chose to present, this was a nice introduction to these four saints that might inspire readers to learn more about their legacy. 3.5 stars

[libremilia · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up. ;)

[Alyson Borowczyk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very well-researched and written in a scholarly manner, but it feels as though the audience for this book is a student taking Dr. Dreyer’s Intro to Theology class in college. Questions for reflection follow each chapter, and in many ways it reads like a textbook-style approach.

I also don’t agree with many opinions Dr. Dreyer shares regarding contemporary theology and its focus, especially when she says modern Catholic theology is no longer concerned with saving souls. I also don’t share her opinions regarding feminism in the Church and her thoughts on atonement theology, either. In addition, she appears to simplify certain ideas; the most glaring issue that I saw was her three paragraph explanation of St. Teresa of Avila’s thoughts on friendship. The Saint goes into this topic extensively in The Way of Perfection, and while I understand an in-depth treatment of this is outside the scope of this work, I feel as though her simplification of the topic almost approaches error.

Overall, I thought the book was a largely well-written introduction to the four female Doctors of the Universal Church, with the historical context of each saint’s respective era to be particularly valuable knowledge to have when one embarks on the actual source material. However, if you have never approached the works of the women discussed therein, I recommend you do so for yourself - in fact, so does Dr. Dreyer in her conclusion. Don’t take her opinion as gospel. Read the primary sources for yourself.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved so much about this book. I liked the clear structure and The brief history of each woman. I also loved how Dryer explained the theological work of each woman. Absolutely compelling look at the female
Doctors of the Church.

However.

What I didn’t like … some of Dryer’s commentary. I found her obsessive emphasis on girl power a little exhausting — I just wanted to dive deeper into the lives and works of these women. But her obviously lib-fem-ideology slipped through and muddied the content and sometimes seemed to simply oppose the beautiful work she was covering. Very frustrating.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️

I appreciate what this book was trying to do, but I don’t think it accomplished its goal.

It wasn’t engaging enough to get the reader excited about these four women, who blazed a trail and earned their places in Catholicism.
It was too dry & scholarly.
And I suspect that at less than 150 pages, it wasn’t scholarly enough for readers seeking that perspective.

So I finished, but without any real knowledge gained or fire kindled in me. That’s a disappointment.

[Deacon Tom (Feeling Better) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Theology for All

This wonderful book provides well written and throughly researched accounts of real women — the four Doctors of the Church. These 4 ladies were engaged in lifelong struggles within themselves and against forces in Church and society without formal academic training.

[Margaret D'Anieri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the idea of this book, but it fell short in 3 ways:
1) Couldn't quite decide who the audience is based on the back and forth between technical theological vocab and a desire to lay people
2) Too much emphasis on the RC "Doctor of the Church" stuff
3) Writing was just not clear in places

[Nancy Jurss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well researched, but not overly academic, Dreyer gave me a glimpse of each of the four women who have been named Doctors of the Roman Catholic Church. It wasn't until 1970 that the first women, Teresa of Avila and Catherine of Siena, were named doctors of the church, whereas men have been named since the 13th century. Dreyer goes on to explain why that was, talk about different forms of theology to complete that understanding, and how it relates to today's world. She gives the biography as well as the historical background of the time each of the women lived in. She makes me want to know more about several of them.

[Kate Hornstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Lenten reading! Very dense. Too short to give much detail on each of the four women. I also got the feeling that the author assumed we might already know something about them. There were some interesting ideas that prompted me to want to read more about them individually. Also attended a slideshow/discussion on Therese of Lisieux where a priest led us through some of her life's strangeness, enabling us to look at some of her ideas in a more modern way: that was helpful. Book is a good jumping-off point, not something to just read through at leisure.

[Joymhb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dreyer does a wonderful job of sharing each women's faith journey and their understanding of matters of faith, both as it applied in their time and in ours. Dreyer also explores how the definition of scholarly theology used to determine eligibility to be considered worthy of the title was broaden to include those who given the customs of the times would never be given the opportunity to attend university but whose contributions have profoundly added to our understanding of theology.

[Rachel Hafler · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved learning about the four women who are considered Doctors of the Church. But this book was just way too dry and dense. It read like a textbook and yet was much too short to go into any significant detail about these women.
Hildegard, Catherine, Teresa, and Therese are absolutely incredible, inspiring saints and I plan to seek out other resources that will give me a better understanding of their lives and teachings. 2.5 stars.

[Ted Hinkle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought provoking theological and biographical insights into four women Doctors of the Catholic Church (someone who contributes significantly to the formulation of Christian teaching): Hildegard of Bingen, Catherine of Siena, Teresa of Avila, and Thérèse of Lisieux. Informative and inspirational biographies of four prominant Saints of the Church.

[Carole Dunham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elizabeth Dreyer did a great job introducing me to these four Doctors of the church. This book along with an online expressive arts retreat gave me an appreciation for the contributions these women made in their day and how their theologies relate to current times. Highly recommend this book.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book for a women's prayer group as there are reflections and discussion topics after each chapter. It provided a high level view of the theology insights each woman shared with her peers and with us today.

[Sarah Butterfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very interesting summary of the theological contributions of four women, deemed "Doctors of the Church." I loved how the author explained their insights within each of their historical contexts. This was a bit of a dense read, but it was accessible and valuable!

[Ryan Harnedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great if you like theology, otherwise probably not great

An awesome overview of 4 very wise and very holy women theologians. Concise, informative and some great prompts to reflect on.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this for a book study. Sadly, what should have been thrilling and instructive was bland, whitewashed. Interested to learn more about these doctors of the church, but on my own.

[Jolanta Cerniauskiene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sunkokai skaitėsi,nemažai man nežinomų žodžių. Bet savotiškai įdomi

[Jacklyn Belcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would make a good textbook

[Harisa- EsquiredToRead · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall an interesting book but a bit dry and too academic for me. Took me way too long to get through this

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hildegard of Bingen
Teresa of Avila
Catherine of Siena
Thérèse of Lisieu

[Theresa Powers · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author is a professor who has done research on four doctors of the church in the Catholic faith. These women were declared doctors because of the lives they lead at the time in history. I enjoyed this book for it's historical, theological, and personal view of each saint. St. Teresa of Avila, St. Catherine of Sienna, St. Therese the flower are among the doctors mentioned in this biographical synopsis. The author condensed a lot of information in this treasure.

[Francine Apollo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book because I wanted one place to refer to 4 fabulous women (Doctors of the Church) who are of great interest to me and who, as the title refers "shaped Christianity".

This is easy and quick to read, yet you will want to go back to it time and again.

Great Bibliography and Notes.

Highly Recommended.

[Heartz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall this was a straightforward book to read to learn more about these 4 female Doctors of the Church. I found it went into enough detail to give someone a good foundation into their lives and theology. I enjoyed the reflection questions at the end as they offered an opportunity to connect each chapter to your own fishtail practices.

[Mills College Library]

currently-reading

[Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good read. It has a good overview of the four female doctors of the church.