At Esther Press, we empower and equip women to courageously stand strong in the truth of who God made them to be. Let us do that for you today by sharing the story of Frances Willard.
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28
How do you respond when you feel strongly about an issue? Do you get involved with an organization dealing directly with that cause? Do you help to build awareness? Do you join a group that regularly meets to pray about that problem?
For Frances Willard, getting involved in the fight for what she cared about was as natural as breathing.
From Educated to Educator
Frances Willard was born on September 28, 1839, in Churchville, New York. Her father, Josiah, was a farmer, naturalist, and legislator, and her mother, Mary, was a teacher. Her mother’s two chief desires for her children were first, that they would be Christians, and second, that they would be educated well.
Frances was homeschooled by her mother until she was twelve years old, afterward attending different schools. Her family moved several times throughout her life. They finally landed in Evanston, Illinois, in 1865, where Frances and her sister, Mary, attended North Western Female College. After graduation Frances held many positions at educational institutions, including president of the newly formed Evanston College for Ladies in 1871. The college became the Woman’s College of Northwestern University in 1873, and Frances was appointed as the first dean of women. Due to conflict with the university’s president, the position was short-lived, but it made way for a new passion for Frances.
Passionate about Prohibition
Ever since Evanston’s founding in 1850, it had been a prohibition town, a community that chose to ban the sale of alcohol in order to promote moral behavior, protect families, and encourage a more orderly, God-honoring society.
When Frances was a teacher, she never mentioned complete abstinence to her students; she assumed they already abstained. In some ways, it was a natural next step for Frances to get involved with the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, an organization which advocated for total abstinence from alcohol. In 1874, during the WCTU’s first national convention, Frances was elected national corresponding secretary. Five years later, she became the organization’s national president.
As the Union gained influence, it expanded its mission to include women’s suffrage, prison reform, and public health as additional causes. Frances firmly believed that for women to stand a chance in the fight against alcohol, they needed the right to vote. And so, Frances’ work with the temperance movement broadened into advocacy for women’s suffrage.
She did not just seek to make a difference at home, but abroad as well. She helped to circulate the Polyglot Petition, which spoke out against the international drug trade, and in 1888 she founded the World Women’s Christian Temperance Union. She influenced similar organizations in Great Britain and Canada, her legacy extending into the present day.
Blazing a Trail
Frances Willard’s convictions were shaped by her understanding of Scripture. She believed the Bible teaches the equal worth of men and women and that husbands and wives should share responsibility in the home and society. Christians today continue to discuss how Scripture describes the roles of men and women. A complementarian view affirms equal value while seeing distinction in leadership roles. An egalitarian view emphasizes shared authority in home and church. Faithful believers can be found on both sides of this question, which has long been regarded as a secondary theological issue rather than a matter central to the gospel itself.
In her own day, Frances’ conviction that men and women ought to share responsibility for their homes and society as a whole was revolutionary. She wrote that “God sets male and female side by side throughout his realm of law.” In today’s world, this belief is not so radical; at the time, it was a bold expression of faith shaped by Scripture pioneered in part by people like Frances Willard.
Frances’ beliefs were the driving motivation of her life. In what ways can your faith inform your action? Is there a cause that you feel God pulling you to lend your voice to?
Prayer: Lord, help me to know what You want me to be involved with. Please guide me by Your Word to the places where I can make a difference for Your Kingdom. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
