When Courage Calls by Sarah C. Williams  

Well told biography of Josephine Butler, an influential and audacious social reformer and woman of faith in the Victorian era

When Courage Calls - Josephine Butler and the Radical Pursuit of Justice for Women    
By Sarah C. Williams
Hodder & Stoughton
ISBN: 9781399803731
Reviewed by Moira Kleissner

Much in the news at the moment is the treatment of women. This book looks back to the late 1800s and a woman whose ground breaking work seems to have been forgotten, even though it was praised by people such as Millicent Fawcett, the Booths and William Gladstone.
 
Josephine Butler was a woman whose walk with God and prayer life were exemplary. She was daring and audacious, collecting huge numbers behind her in prayer groups and lobbying campaigns to challenge injustices against women. Her story doesn’t shy away from the battles and difficulties in being taken seriously and heard.

At the time when it was deemed legal for men to visit prostitutes and misuse women, the prostitutes had to undergo the most horrendous medical examinations to ensure that they, not the men, didn’t pass on any STDs. Children could be sold into prostitution abroad. Poor and destitute women were left to fend for themselves or face the workhouse.

Through prayer and her seeking supporters in setting up prayer circles, Josephine was able to set up homes for these women, and the repeal, eventually, of the “Contagious Diseases Act” is inspiring.
 
In some ways what has changed? We still see woman trafficked and children abused, we still have women living in abject poverty on the streets. Perhaps we need another Josephine Butler?

Or perhaps like Josephine, the Christian church needs to start praying and lobbying earnestly and systematically for a change in the politics that affect women. This book should be a wake up call for the men in our churches. I hope they will read it. This is not just a book for women!
 
The author, Sarah C. Williams is a social historians specialising in 19th/20th century cultural and religious history, and is now Research Professor at Regent College, Vancouver, and a Research Associate at St Benet’s Hall Oxford. The story is well told. If I have to quibble; I think the story of Catherine of Siena, a story which Josephine herself authored and published, was extraneous to the heart wrenching yet ultimately triumphal struggle of Josephine Butler.
 
So if looking for a Christmas present for any women, minister or men friends, this could be a life changing and totally readable present.

 

Moira Kleissner is a retired Primary Deputy Head, storyteller, trainer and minister’s wife