I saw a post floating around Facebook a few weeks back that really got my heart racing. It was entitled something along the lines of “I'm A Christian Girl and I'm Not A Feminist, Because God Did Not Intend For Women To Be Equals.” Although I instantly wanted to write out a response, I decided to take a deep breath and think long and hard before I share my thoughts on the topic. The ideas discussed in this blog are highly controversial and designed not to condemn others but to share another perspective on the issue. I truly believe that you can be a Christian and a feminist and that it is okay.
In today’s world, I have noticed that we attempt to place people in boxes that restrict them to certain ideas. For example, Christians are at times automatically associated with Conservatives and being a feminist is often assumed to be a “democratic idea.” But these concepts are too complex to be so restrictive. Just because you are a Christian, does not mean you have to be a Republican. Just because you believe in the ideas of feminism does not automatically make you a Democrat.
In order for my perspective on this issue to make sense, we must stop assuming connections to items that are not always connected. Politics aside, it is important for my argument that I establish a definition of feminism. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, feminism is defined as "the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes.”
Part of the article that inspired this post says that “It is OK for me to not want to be equivalent with a man.” However, believing in the biblical roles of woman and man is COMPLETELY different than the belief that women are less than men. The overarching purpose of all Christians, man or woman, is to believe in Jesus Christ and share the good news with others so that they can do the same.
In my opinion, promoting a society where women have equal social, political, and economic opportunities will allow Christian women the opportunity to do just that. We have a duty as Christian women to share the love of Christ, but we cannot do that if we think that women are only tasked with child bearing and household work. Times have changed. Women are more prominent in society now than ever, and if we want to be able to reach as many of the lost as possible then we must campaign for women’s rights too.
I think a lot of Christians turn their noses at the ideas of feminism because they assume that believing in women’s rights means believing in abortion. Just because you believe that women should have equal opportunities in the world DOES NOT mean that you think abortion okay. Believe it or not, you can be a feminist, a republican, and pro-life all at the exact same time. We need to stop assuming that having one idea means you ascribe to ALL ideas.
To me, being a feminist means not that I think men and women are equals but that they should have equal opportunities in society. I think that gender should not lead to higher pay for the same exact work with the same credentials. I think that we need more women representation because half of the popular is in fact female. I’m a Christian Feminist, and that’s OKAY.
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