The Cross-Section of Christianity and Feminism

Dear ShoutOut! community:  This is your disclaimer.  I am writing this as one person with one background, and I cannot speak for all Christians or all Feminists. Additionally, this issue is far too large to tackle within the confines of one blog post.  While I cannot cover all questions, I am intending to start a dialogue on this issue and will be happy to respond to the best of my ability any questions that may arise.

That said: Let’s talk about it!  Are Jesus and Jessica Valenti mutually exclusive?

Christians and Feminists:  On the surface, these are two groups that butt heads often.  As humans, we are wired to be passionate about the things we believe.  And that sometimes holds us back from listening to one another.  When we cannot listen, we have reached dangerous ground.  However, I believe that, as Christians, we are called to listen to one another.  In fact, it’s biblical.  “In humility, esteem others higher than yourselves.” Philippians 2:3.  Relating to one another means that we must meet people where they are, we must know where they stand and we must respect them, esteeming them higher than we esteem ourselves.

This is where a lot of Christians get stuck.  It’s hard to put our own beliefs aside long enough to listen.  And listening means breaking apart the stereotypes in our minds.  Not all Christians are close-minded bible thumpers without the capacity for independent thought, and we know that not all feminists are constantly raging, constantly hairy and constantly bra-burning.

At their core, I believe that Christianity and Feminism are both humanist pursuits.  The ideals preached by both groups are intended for the betterment of society.  For this fact alone, they cannot be mutually exclusive.

Referring to my disclaimer, I must say that I am a rather progressive Christian.   I am “one of those Christians” who believes that a personal relationship with God is more important than a two thousand year old text that has undergone many translations. I do believe in the importance of the bible.  I believe that to deny it’s influence and advice altogether would indeed be throwing the baby out with the proverbial bathwater (pun intended).

Now that we’re talking about the bible I want to acknowledge that there are some rather discriminatory practices recorded in the bible in regards to women.  I don’t need to list them, a google search will bring them to you just as easily.  I know that it is difficult to reconcile the social, cultural, economic and political equality of men and women with a religion that is based, for all intents and purposes, in a text with sexist themes.  In studying the bible, however, I have to wonder whether these practices were included because that was typical of the time period.  There are some outstanding women in the bible, too and I think these are often overlooked.  For example: Ruth, Deborah, Rahab, Mary Magdelene and my personal favorite Priscilla and Aquila, first century Christian missionary couple.  Priscilla worked and preached alongside Aquila as his equal, a radical position for the time period.

I opened this discussion to my Women’s Faith Focus group, and I got a number of responses.  One Christian woman asserts: “Feminism is about women being empowered, not settling for second place. Christianity is similar, working on being your best for God. The fact that a Christian wife is subservient to her husband only counts when he is leading with God-oriented principles. Jesus never considered women second class. Feminism extols equality, not superiority.”  This kind of response represents a particular faction of faith-based feminists, and answers the question that is often raised: How can a feminist be subservient to her husband as the Christian Bible mandates?

My general response to this kind of question is this:

1. Again: We cannot forget the social structure of the time period in which the bible was written.  At that time, women were subservient. The bible reflects-as does most literature-the constructs of the time period.
2. He created BOTH man and woman to follow in his own footsteps, follow his commandments and be NICE TO EACHOTHER.Intermission:
   Hear Margaret Cho’s response to radical Christians—The  ones who AREN’T BEING NICE.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4nt4U7YGaI

& now back to our regularly scheduled programming:
He created us to care for our people, to be sensitive to the needs of community, and to follow Him (says the Christian Feminist).

1. In Genesis’ creation story, God creates Eve from Adam’s Rib: “God created woman out of the rib bone to symbolize that woman was to take her place beside the man. He did not make her out of his head bone, so that she should be above him, nor from his foot bone that she should be beneath him. He used the rib, to show that they should walk and work side-by-side forever!” –The vast expanse of the internet.
   1. As a feminist, this reads to me: God created two people, he created them equally.  They were literally made of the same flesh.
   2. That said, they should be treated equally.  To take this a step further- God disproves of the wage gap in Genesis, the first book of the bible.  THE MAN HAS PRIORITIES.

Honestly, I don’t believe that God cares as much about who is in church every Sunday as he cares about what we are doing outside of whatever religious institution we may or may not attend.  Are we taking care of each other?  Are we loving?  Are we being sensitive to the needs of our community?

I subscribe to the idea that Jesus told us to love one another above all.  I believe that he told us to be patient and to listen, not to judge and legislate those judgments.   Those beliefs do not exclude me from adopting the title “feminist.”

And finally, I’d like to reiterate:  In order to enact change and promote progress, in order to advance as a society and as the human race, we must listen to each other.  Believe passionately in what works for you.  Educate yourselves in what matters to you.  But listen to each other.  Feminists and Christians, democrats and republicans, people of all faiths, ideologies, backgrounds and cultures, we all have something to learn from one another.  So listen, even and especially when you disagree.  That’s where real growth happens.  That’s what sparks change.  And heaven knows we need it.