Christian Feminism Today

“Multiplied over the course of a lifetime, it is easy to see how our culture reinforces male preference at the same time it methodically undermines any sense of well-being and confidence a woman works to cultivate. Our exclusive language continues to make women invisible and in some cases our derogatory language aimed at women reinforces an insidious sexism that is more difficult to expunge than the more easily located, explicit variety. Adding to this difficulty is our deep resistance to embrace feminine language and images for the divine.” Continue reading →

“As a Christian, a spouse, and a mother who longs for her family to be happy, healthy, and comfortable, I suppose I should see the house tasks I complete as a servant’s work, part of the way I express love to those I care about most. At least I think this is what I should do, which makes me feel extra doses of guilt each time I begrudgingly shove another load of clothes into the wash, or pick up shoes from the hallway for the zillionth time—shoes my husband and my boys have walked right over without really seeing or caring that they are a potential stumbling hazard.” Continue reading →

“Much of the media buzz about Sheryl Sandberg’s new book, ‘Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead,’ has focused less on what I consider the book’s intended message and more on the unending debates about whether women can combine marriage and children with pursuing a career outside the home—often boiled down to the overly simplistic question, “Can women have it all?” Apart from the fact that the question isn’t asked of men—nor is it even acknowledged that no one can possibly “have it all” (a point Sandberg herself makes)—I think it’s the wrong question and the wrong goal. Rather, I think life is not about “having it all” but about “being it all”—all that we can possibly be. . . .” Continue reading →

“On the other hand, the values described on the BSA website as undergirding the organization clearly call for inclusiveness, perhaps a blind spot for those who have never felt themselves to be on the outside. Among the twelve values each scout is to uphold, being friendly, the website claims, entails learning to understand those who are different from oneself, respecting others’ customs and ideas. Being kind, the scouts are told, involves treating others as you would like to be treated while being reverent includes respecting the beliefs of those of various faith traditions.” Continue reading →

“Last week, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta ruled that women can now serve in combat roles with the United States military. I reacted to this decree with decided ambivalence, as the ruling challenges two ideologies I hold closest to my heart, along with my Christian faith. As a feminist, I long for women to be given equal opportunity as men; as a pacifist, I believe women—and men—should not make war.” Continue reading →

“Among evangelical Protestants at least, it seemed to be taken for granted that every couple would somehow find their own way and could feel free to decide for themselves what to do about contraception, how many children to have and when to have them, and even whether or not to have any children at all. It was for the most part seen as a personal matter—not something that needed to be dictated by outside authorities, religious or otherwise. And so it has been—until some of the recent rhetoric and lawsuits have appeared on the scene as the result of an extreme form of religious and political conservatism joining together.” Continue reading →

“It took me several years to question these assumptions and even longer to believe it might be possible to have professional relationships with men, to trust that they might not see me as dangerous or even to think we might be able to work together in effective and respectful ways.” Continue reading →