Lottie Moon: Southern Baptist Feminist

Abstract

Charlotte Diggs “Lottie” Moon is widely acknowledged by Southern Baptists as a key contributor to the mass expansion of Southern Baptist missions during the 19th century. Though the missionary is celebrated for her fierce commitment to the mission field of China, the strides Moon made for Southern Baptist women in over 300 letters to the Foreign Mission Journal have yet to be recognized for their feminist qualities. This study aims to elevate this writer whose work has been undervalued for its contributions to Southern Baptist women. To do so, it examines the ways in which Moon was able to usurp the patriarchal authority of the Southern Baptist Convention while maintaining a good enough standing to remain the idolized figure she is today. Reclaiming the voice of a woman writer who is undervalued by the patriarchal system she existed in is imperative to the continuation of exploring and elevating marginalized voices in religious contexts.