Lily Dougall described religious experience -- the sense of the presence of God -- as the "rock" of her theology. Dean observes the protean nature of this rock as Dougall moved from a submissive holiness faith, to a mystical Mauricean sense of the Kingdom of God, to the relational theology of personal idealism, and reveals how psychology, which appeared to provide scientific support for her religious beliefs, eventually threatened to undermine her experiential faith.
Joanna Dean is Assistant Professor in the Department of History at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada, and teaches women's and gender history. She is co-author of Guide to Women's Archives/Guides des Archives sur les Femmes.