Culture is complex. One of the least helpful things to do when it comes to culture is treat a complex issue as if it’s simple. This is an easy but destructive way of speaking about a topic without actually understanding it. There is nuance—good and bad–in almost every cultural product or cultural movement. One topic that tends to get oversimplified by conservative Christians is feminism. As a conservative Christian–even as a woman–I’ve done this myself.
The word “feminist” tends to set us on edge and can shut down the conversation before it even starts. But when we take a complex issue like women’s rights/roles and characterize one side as “all bad” we insulate ourselves from receiving critique. We sit content with our own blind spots. The reality is, there are many people who care about the authority of Scripture and still come to different conclusions than we do.
It is terrifying how many theologians (in my tradition, who I deeply respect) only discuss the negative aspects of feminism and fail to acknowledge the positive aspects. Feminism is the reason women can vote and get an education. While there are certainly aspects Christians should disagree with, it’s dangerous to act as if the movement, even today, is all bad. Women are still not treated equally! Women are still subjugated and objectified.
Even more terrifying is how covert this can be in the church. We may have seamless theological systems, we may be able to articulate our position well and use the Bible to do it. We may be right! But if our correct theology keeps us from paying attention to the countless ways Jesus honored women, if it causes us to use Scripture as a weapon, if it keeps us from recognizing the long history of objectification of women, if it keeps us from dealing with the ways that mindset still affects us today, we are doing more harm than good.
We are not detached from our past. The beliefs of previous generations still affect us today. If we depict feminism as all bad, we tear down the good parts along with the bad. A one-dimensional version of feminism is a straw man. When we ignore the complexities of this movement, we end up pulling the rug out from under every woman because we all benefit from feminism in some way. We marginalize women in the process and our witness as a church becomes tainted. By reducing a complicated movement to this side or that side, we fail to acquire the wisdom we need to discern the good from the bad on both sides.
Better to humanize others with a wrong interpretation than dehumanize with a right interpretation. And yet, we don’t need to choose. But if we do not listen, we may have already chosen. Let’s instead listen to those we disagree with—we need each other, and we need feminism.
A helpful video on this topic: “I Hear You, I See You,” Mosaic Ministries at TEDS, Dana Harris and Tité Tienou https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIIiai0NGi8
Well spoken