I hate conflict.
More than anything. I avoid it like a plague.
When I think of conflict, I think of conflict in relationships. I think of saying something that rubs a friend the wrong way or doing something I know would upset my family. I never think of being in conflict with myself.
I'm a Christian - not as a title but as an identity and a lifestyle.
I'm also a student at a liberal arts university. I major in sociology, which doesn't give me that much grief about my beliefs, but my minor is another story. My minor is Women and Gender Studies - essentially feminism. So, what's the big deal about that? Let me explain a little bit.
In my first year of university, in my very first sociology class, the professor asked the class who was a feminist. In a class of fifty students, about two hands went up and mine was definitely not one of them. "A feminist?" I thought, "As if I'm a feminist! I shave my legs and don't light my bras on fire!" I had a lot to learn!
As an extremely sheltered girl going into university from a tiny Christian school with a very closed mind, I didn't quite know what to think about the concept of feminism. And I think that's why it fascinated me so much. Somewhere along the way, I decided I might be a feminist.
This is where the conflict comes in. I was identifying as a Christian and a feminist, and I didn't know how those two identities could co-exist. Maybe they couldn't. But I had to know!
For me, it boiled down to definitions. What is feminism? What does it
mean to be a feminist? And, perhaps more importantly, what does being a Christian mean to me?
Christianity, traditionally, has been viewed as a very
patriarchal religion. Paul writes about women having to cover their
heads and not being allowed to speak in the church. It has been highly
contested as to whether or not women should be allowed leadership
positions in the church. Let's not even get into issues surrounding
homosexuality and abortions. Needless to say, feminism can have a ton of
issues with the Christian religion.
Christianity, for me, isn't a religion. Yes, I go to church. I participate in those religious practices like communion. But my faith goes far beyond a building or a ritual. Christianity, for me, is intimacy with God. It's about being close enough to hear Him breathe. It's about trust and love and mercy and forgiveness. It's a relationship. A divine relationship with a God who loves me. There's nothing I can do to make Him love me any more or any less. Christianity, for me, is a very real, personal relationship.
Feminism. It's not hairy legs and armpits. It's not burning bras. It's not wanting women to take over the earth. Feminism is equality for men and women. It's about equal opportunity and respect. Feminism is a call for justice. It took me four years of university (and some amazing professors) to understand that. Of course, there is radical feminism, which is the feminism that calls on women to hate men for oppressing them. I do not support that. Christians are called to love everyone, including those who oppress them. But feminism as equality, that's simple.
Conflicted, I decided to turn to my role model as a Christian to figure out what He had to say about feminism and equality for women - Jesus. When Jesus came to Earth, women were inferior to men throughout society (and I would argue that, historically, women have always been inferior to men). Women were considered so inferior in Jewish society that they were not allowed to read or study Scripture and rabbis wouldn't even talk to them in public. Jesus would have been fully aware of the culture, and it almost seems deliberate how He interacts with women.
When Jesus declared Himself Messiah for the first time, He did this to a woman and instructed her to tell the disciples (John 4:25-26). Jesus healed a woman (Matthew 15:22-28) and raised a woman from the dead (Luke 8:49-56). He allowed a woman to anoint Him at His death (Mark 14:3-9). And after His resurrection, despite women being considered incompetent as legal witnesses under Jewish law, Jesus chose to appear first to a woman with the instructions to tell the others (John 20:11-17). Jesus taught women and considered them His friends. There is no point in the Gospels when Jesus treats a woman as unequal. Is it that hard to believe that Jesus interacted with women purposefully to question the cultural norms?
So, if Jesus didn't endorse inequality, where did it start? Remember back in Genesis when Adam and Eve sinned, and God punished them? One of the punishments given to Eve was subordination to Adam, meaning one of the punishments for all women was subordination to men. It's important to note the word punishment here. This is a punishment; not the design for God's creation. But when Jesus came to us, He redeemed humanity. In Romans 5:12-21, we see that Christ overcomes the punishment assigned to us in Genesis, including the punishment of inequality. If inequality was designed by God or if God cared less about a single person (in this case a woman), then God wouldn't be perfect love.
So, what does that mean for me? It means I model myself after Jesus. As a Christian, I fight for the equal treatment of all humans whether discrimination is done against sex, race, class or ethnicity. I say, "Yes, I am a feminist! I stand up for those who have been oppressed! And as a woman, I find my liberation in Jesus Christ!"
Conflict resolved, for me.
