Henrietta Mears
Educator and evangelistWikipedia
8
MENTIONS
6
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Search complete. 8 mentions across 6 episodes found for "Henrietta Mears".
Oct 17, 2026
David MitzenmacherGUEST
That's not coincidental.
David MitzenmacherGUEST
Much of the modern Sunday school movement was driven by Henrietta Mears, a woman at Hollywood Prez, really was the mother of modern evangelical Sunday school.
David MitzenmacherGUEST
And if you think about the backdoor around only male pastors as well, you know, the children's pastor doesn't count.
David MitzenmacherGUEST
That can be a woman.
Kristin Kobes Du MezGUEST
If we take the lens of women's religious experience, we can actually have a much clearer understanding of American religion writ large.
Kristin Kobes Du MezGUEST
And then we get to people like Henrietta Mears, who is a name that most listeners probably won't be familiar with.
Kristin Kobes Du MezGUEST
She's the woman who helped recruit and train Billy Graham.
Kristin Kobes Du MezGUEST
Bill Bright of Campus Crusade for Christ, Dick Halverson.
Kristin Kobes Du MezGUEST
And so one of the things that I don't do is kind of isolate a pure, untainted theological evangelicalism that exists outside of culture.
Kristin Kobes Du MezGUEST
So I'm always interested in the specifics, even as, you know, in conversations like this, we have to talk about these broader trends.
Kristin Kobes Du MezGUEST
You know, what I'm looking at is very specific individuals like Henrietta Mears, whom I just... mentioned.
Kristin Kobes Du MezGUEST
And then who is in the room with Henrietta Mears? All right.
Eric FleshoodHOST
You know, but she was living, she loved the ambitious, successful businessman that uh you know the bill who had promised her a comfortable and predictable life you know he said you're going to have fine things you know a nice home even you know social standing but she was getting these letters and was afraid he might be losing his mind so in 1948 she went out to la and her purpose was to try to rescue bill from this religious craze he was in the middle of Now, Bill, though, he was smart, and he didn't argue with her.
Eric FleshoodHOST
What he did was he simply introduced her to Henrietta Mears.
Eric FleshoodHOST
Who's Henrietta? Well, she was Bill's mentor.
Eric FleshoodHOST
Dr. Mears then ended up inviting Vonette to stay in her home.
Kristin Kobes Du MezGUEST
None of this happens without women's active participation.
Kristin Kobes Du MezGUEST
If we take people like Henrietta Mears, who is a name that most listeners probably won't be familiar with, she's the woman who helped recruit and train Billy Graham.
Kristin Kobes Du MezGUEST
Essentially, she helps build the scaffolding of post-World War II American evangelicalism as the power behind the throne, right? You have women like Elizabeth Elliott, who play such a critical role in drawing on this theology and then telling other women what they must do to be faithful and obedient to God.
Kristin Kobes Du MezGUEST
You can just pull this all the way through Anita Bryant, right, up to women like Sarah Palin and Erika Kirk.
Phil FieldsHOST
And you will have heard me quote from this book several times if you're listening to the podcasts.
Phil FieldsHOST
What the Bible is All About by Dr. Henrietta C. Mears.
Phil FieldsHOST
Get the revised NIV edition.
Phil FieldsHOST
And Free Bible Commentary by Dr.
Phil FieldsHOST
And you will have heard me quote from this book several times if you're listening to the podcasts.
Phil FieldsHOST
What the Bible is All About by Dr. Henrietta C. Mears.
Phil FieldsHOST
Get the revised NIV edition.
Phil FieldsHOST
And Free Bible Commentary by Dr.