I am intrigued by the long history of the Christian Church in which people from so many different cultures and traditions have articulated their understanding of the faith. The various ways people have conceived of the Christian life, both as individuals and as members of the Church, fascinate me and their examples inspire me to ask as they did, “How do we faithfully live for Christ in this place and this time?”

My current research focuses on early nineteenth-century Christians who believed that a fervent devotion to Jesus would result in a deep concern for others, and who expressed this concern both through evangelism and through efforts to improve the lives of the poor and the enslaved. The life of Laura Smith Haviland epitomized this integration; among other things, she ran a school, served on the Underground Railroad, worked as a nurse during the Civil War, planted churches and started schools among freed slaves. It is her story that I hope to use as a lens to highlight the intersection of radical revivalism and radical reform efforts before the Civil War.