152. Personal Revelation, Agency, and Discernment with Maxine Hanks

In this episode of In Her Image, we are honored to host Maxine Hanks, a renowned historian and theologian whose work focuses on women, gender, and the sacred feminine in Mormon and Christian traditions. Maxine shares her fascinating journey, including her excommunication as one of the September Six in 1993, her 15 years of ministry and interfaith chaplaincy, and her return to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 2012. We discuss the impact of her groundbreaking book, Women and Authority: Re-emerging Mormon Feminism, first published in 1992. Maxine reflects on her mission to recover the feminist history and theology of the Latter-day Saint tradition, creating a vital resource for those seeking to explore women’s roles in the Restoration. She also announces the upcoming reprint of the book in 2025, providing greater access to this transformative work. Maxine’s insight into the importance of formal, informal, and personal authority offers a roadmap for integrating women’s history and theology more fully into the church today. Maxine shares her perspective on collective vs. personal revelation, and what to do when personal revelation differs from general revelation. She emphasizes maintaining personal convictions while building bridges in love and compassion.