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| Christian feminists aim to spread the word on gender equality | Christian feminists aim to spread the word on gender equality |
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| Christian feminists have a bit of a visibility issue. I first thought this at a Go Feminist! conference, where I facilitated discussion in a session entitled "Faith and feminism". One woman taking part was astounded and excited by the fact that a friend of mine, who happens to be a vicar, was attending. She had never come across a feminist vicar before. | Christian feminists have a bit of a visibility issue. I first thought this at a Go Feminist! conference, where I facilitated discussion in a session entitled "Faith and feminism". One woman taking part was astounded and excited by the fact that a friend of mine, who happens to be a vicar, was attending. She had never come across a feminist vicar before. |
| Then there was the blog post about feminism and religion that led to commenters positing the idea that Christian feminists – and feminists who belong to other religions too – are "brainwashed", pointlessly subscribing to patriarchal and misogynist belief systems that we need to reject entirely if we ever want to see true gender equality. | |
| These accusations of Stockholm syndrome are common, yet what is often missed is that religion itself is not inherently misogynist. Anti-woman teachings and practices have often been the result of societal and cultural influences rather than Christian teaching itself, which often gave women more respect and power than Greco-Roman society allowed. | These accusations of Stockholm syndrome are common, yet what is often missed is that religion itself is not inherently misogynist. Anti-woman teachings and practices have often been the result of societal and cultural influences rather than Christian teaching itself, which often gave women more respect and power than Greco-Roman society allowed. |
| It is in the New Testament that we read of Jesus, a product of a deeply patriarchal society, showing compassion towards a woman accused of adultery, and healing a woman who would have been considered "unclean". Women were not accepted as witnesses in Jewish law, yet it was a woman who was the first to report her discovery of the empty tomb and Jesus's resurrection, because he told her to. And at a time when women did not learn about theology, Jesus encouraged it. | It is in the New Testament that we read of Jesus, a product of a deeply patriarchal society, showing compassion towards a woman accused of adultery, and healing a woman who would have been considered "unclean". Women were not accepted as witnesses in Jewish law, yet it was a woman who was the first to report her discovery of the empty tomb and Jesus's resurrection, because he told her to. And at a time when women did not learn about theology, Jesus encouraged it. |
| It was the discussion of this, among other things, that led a collective of five women, including myself, to set up a UK-based Christian feminist network. Our goals: to provide community and learning opportunities for like-minded people; to liaise with the secular feminist movement and raise awareness of our concerns; and to support existing feminist campaigns, as well as engaging with churches and Christian organisations on gender issues, encouraging them to take action. | It was the discussion of this, among other things, that led a collective of five women, including myself, to set up a UK-based Christian feminist network. Our goals: to provide community and learning opportunities for like-minded people; to liaise with the secular feminist movement and raise awareness of our concerns; and to support existing feminist campaigns, as well as engaging with churches and Christian organisations on gender issues, encouraging them to take action. |
| The aim of the Christian Feminist Network is to move beyond a focus on the usual issues that can become a sticking point whenever people discuss women and Christianity – women bishops, women in leadership, and the role of women in the church and family in general. It may have seemed timely that the launch happened not long after the disappointment of the vote on women bishops, but there's no point simply replicating the work of existing pro-women-bishops organisations that are already doing excellent work, such as Watch. | The aim of the Christian Feminist Network is to move beyond a focus on the usual issues that can become a sticking point whenever people discuss women and Christianity – women bishops, women in leadership, and the role of women in the church and family in general. It may have seemed timely that the launch happened not long after the disappointment of the vote on women bishops, but there's no point simply replicating the work of existing pro-women-bishops organisations that are already doing excellent work, such as Watch. |
| When the network launched, at an event at Southwark Cathedral last month, attendees were incredibly positive about what they described as a group that has been a long time coming. Some were retired and had long been members of other Christian women's groups. Others were young women excited to finally feel able to discuss issues they care about. Everyone was keen to create an atmosphere of friendship and support. Our follow-up email discussing the success of the launch went out to almost 80 people. | When the network launched, at an event at Southwark Cathedral last month, attendees were incredibly positive about what they described as a group that has been a long time coming. Some were retired and had long been members of other Christian women's groups. Others were young women excited to finally feel able to discuss issues they care about. Everyone was keen to create an atmosphere of friendship and support. Our follow-up email discussing the success of the launch went out to almost 80 people. |
| The power of the internet has been instrumental in setting up the network. Blogs and social media have, over the past couple of years, brought many Christian feminists together and inspired plenty of discussions and projects. | The power of the internet has been instrumental in setting up the network. Blogs and social media have, over the past couple of years, brought many Christian feminists together and inspired plenty of discussions and projects. |
| It would be ridiculous to ignore some of the things the church has put women through over the years – whether we're talking about viewing women as the reason everything went downhill in the first place, or modern-day movements that eschew birth control and teach that women should never attend university or work outside the home. All this is, as far as Christian feminists are concerned, exactly why pro-woman movements within Christianity are important. Meetings and activism will reflect the interests and expertise of all members – from theology and relationships to race and violence against women. | It would be ridiculous to ignore some of the things the church has put women through over the years – whether we're talking about viewing women as the reason everything went downhill in the first place, or modern-day movements that eschew birth control and teach that women should never attend university or work outside the home. All this is, as far as Christian feminists are concerned, exactly why pro-woman movements within Christianity are important. Meetings and activism will reflect the interests and expertise of all members – from theology and relationships to race and violence against women. |
| The network is keen to engage with feminists of all faiths and none. There are plans to hold future get-togethers in different locations in order to avoid a bias towards those located in London. This month, many Christian bloggers have been exploring the church's attitudes towards sex, relationships, and gender. It has become clearer than ever that, for girls and women, this often means double standards, shame and unrealistic expectations. People will, of course, be quick to say: "Why don't you just leave the church?" But gender inequality wasn't part of the message of Jesus and it's time to get the word out. | The network is keen to engage with feminists of all faiths and none. There are plans to hold future get-togethers in different locations in order to avoid a bias towards those located in London. This month, many Christian bloggers have been exploring the church's attitudes towards sex, relationships, and gender. It has become clearer than ever that, for girls and women, this often means double standards, shame and unrealistic expectations. People will, of course, be quick to say: "Why don't you just leave the church?" But gender inequality wasn't part of the message of Jesus and it's time to get the word out. |
| Interested? Email cfnet@ymail.com for further information or to be added to the mailing list, or find Christian Feminist Network on Twitter or Facebook. | Interested? Email cfnet@ymail.com for further information or to be added to the mailing list, or find Christian Feminist Network on Twitter or Facebook. |