Maxine Hanks is a theologian and historian of gender studies in religion, specializing in Mormon Studies and Christian liturgy.
She was a visiting fellow at Harvard Divinity School, and a research fellow with the Utah Humanities Council. After undergrad studies in Humanities at BYU she did her bachelor's in Gender Studies with minor in History at the University of Utah and her masters work in History at Arizona State. She pursued graduate studies in gender and history at the U. of U. and in theology and religion at Harvard. She earned her CPE and BCC in chaplaincy and spiritual direction.
She has lectured at the U. of U. and guest lectured at UVU, BYU, Weber State, Harvard Divinity School, Claremont Grad. U., Iowa State U., and SLC Community College. She has presented papers at the National Women's Studies Association, Mormon History Association, LDS Church History Conf., Sunstone Theological Symposia, and many others.
Her first book, Women and Authority, excavated LDS women's feminist history, theology, discourse, and authority. Subsequent books include Mormon Faith in America, Getting Together With Yesterday, A History of Sanpete County and others. Her articles or chapters appear in several books and anthologies incl. Religion in America, Secrets of Mary Magdalene, Latter-day Dissent, Dove Song, DNA Mormon and others.
She was one of the "September Six" LDS scholars excommunicated in 1993, afterward studying ministry, Christian liturgy and clergy formation with Gnostic and Interfaith organizations, and serving in interfaith ministry at Holy Cross Chapel and the Salt Lake Interfaith Roundtable.
She returned to LDS Church membership in 2012, while continuing her chaplain and interfaith work as well as feminist theology in Mormonism and Christianity.
Maxine Hanks
