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| Bronze Statue @ Massachusetts State House in Boston |
Anne Hutchinson would not be silent when culture, courts and threat of death demanded. She followed her heart's desire to share her faith as a Puritan Preacher even after she was excommunicated from the Anglican Church, banned from New England and forced to flee for her life. She was a student under her father first, who educated his daughters passing on his contempt for authority and questioning nature to Anne, and then under her mentor, John Cotton. She was a leader in her home and in her communities. She served others well, building relationships through midwifery which developed into home talks and studies where even the husbands attended. Anne is greatly honored today as a force in civil liberties and religious tolerance.
Resources and further reading:
50 Women...Learning from Heroines of the Faith by Michelle DeRusha
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Hutchinson
Joan's Reflection:
From grade school I recall hearing God's voice. Sometimes it was a stirring in my spirit that carries me away. Other times it was an audible voice when I walk alone in the woods. And on other occasions his voice is a whisper, a thought, an arrow that points. My father also taught me as Anne's did, to listen and believe God speaks to all his children, not just the boys and men. I am grateful that I am able to share this without fear of banishment or threat of being burned at the stake as a witch.
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