“Augusta E. Stetson”

Swensen, Rolf. “Augusta E. Stetson.” World Religions and Spirituality Project: Released 21 January 2023.

Rolf Swensen, a scholar on the late 19^th/early 20^th century history of the Christian Science movement, has provided a comprehensive timeline and biography of Augusta Stetson on the website: World Religions and Spirituality Project (WRSP). The timeline and biography include Stetson’s adoption of the Christian Science faith, being taught by Mary Baker Eddy, becoming a Christian Science practitioner and teacher, and her founding of, and influential relationship with First Church of Christ, Scientist, New York City. In the substantial biography there are sections on Stetson’s teaching, healing practices, her overbearing leadership of First Church New York City, her challenging relationship with Eddy, and the significance of Stetson’s life to the study of women in religions. Swensen’s wide range of sources include several prominent biographies of Eddy, First Church of New York City records, and the correspondence between Eddy and Stetson. This is a first-rate launch for serious research on both Stetson and the growth of the Christian Science movement in New York City in the late 19^th/early 20^th century.

View this resource on the World Religions and Spirituality Project website.

See also annotations:

“A Metaphysical Rocket in Gotham: The Rise of Christian Science in New York City, 1885-1910” by Rolf Swensen.

“‘You are Brave but You are a Woman in the Eyes of Men’: Augusta E. Stetson’s Rise and Fall in the Church of Christ, Scientist” by Rolf Swensen.