Jean Stone Willans

Jean Stone Willans (* 1924 ) was a formative figure in the charismatic movement in the United States and a founder of the Blessed Trinity Society .

Life

Jean Stone Willans was a parishioner at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Van Nuys when Rev. Dennis J. Bennett confessed to his Spiritual Baptism , which led to disputes within the church and ultimately to Bennett's resignation. In this context, Willans published various articles, including in Time magazine and Newsweek . Willians considered Bennett's resignation characteristic of the difficult situation of the charismatic movement's supporters who wished to remain in their established church.

In 1960 she founded the Blessed Trinity Society with Harald Bredesen . The organization supported pastors and clergy in the established churches who had committed to the charismatic movement. She also tried to reach a wider public through events, pamphlets and a quarterly magazine called Trinity , with the ideas and views of the charismatic movement. Due to a divorce in 1966 and the subsequent remarriage to Richard Willans, she lost influence in large parts of the charismatic movement. The Willans' emigrated to Hong Kong in 1968, where they were also involved in the charismatic movement until they returned to the United States in 1983.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Randall Herbert Balmer: Willans, Jean Stone (1924-) . In: Encyclopedia of Evangelicalism . Baylor University Press, Waco 2004, ISBN 1-932792-04-X , pp. 745 (English, "... mainline denominations." ).