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Abstract
This research was situated at the crossroads where religion, politics, and public life converge. It explored the consciousness of activist women within their cultural context, contemporary American evangelicalism. The primary research objective was to understand the lived experience of a small number of evangelical Protestant women in leadership roles that influence public education. The study also demonstrated how heuristic inquiry led to understanding of talk between Christian women (the participants) and a non-Christian woman (the researcher). The data collection consisted of 2 in-depth, tape-recorded interviews with each of 6 participants and a journal kept by the researcher. The interpretation was grounded in heuristic procedures, particularly Moustakas' (1990) techniques. The depiction of lived experience that emerged was captured in 3 themes and associated core qualities: (1) being faithful, meaning to know God as the source of one's identity and ability, and to follow God's plan for one's life; (2) taking action in the world, characterized by being consistent, being an example to others, and by protecting children and activating parents to get involved in the schools; and (3) relating to the Other, experienced as being judged by the Other, hating the sin of the Other, and trying to love the sinner. The demonstration of heuristic research methods can benefit scholars who wish to study women representing the Other. Insights about listening and relating to evangelical women activists can be of value to educators, parents, and community members as they encounter the Other in public education.
