For the longest time, the word "feminism" really irked me. What came to mind when I heard it said was the image of a crowd of man-hating millenials in masculine tee-shirts together with gray-haired, middle-aged women in pantsuits, all of whom rioting in favor of singleness, childlessness, and unprecedented salary increases. My view of feminism was in line with the stereotypical portrayal of "feminazis," and I judged the idea hard-core.
I thought (ignorantly) that my own commitment to "Christian womanhood" warranted that I be proudly averse towards feminist ideaologies on principle. Given that I wanted (still do) both marriage and children in the future, enjoyed spending time with the men in my family, and refused to cut my hair off, I declared myself "the opposite of feminist" and considered wearing only skirts for the rest of my life to prove that I was proud of being a female. Interestingly, this pharisaical wardrobe change was more about obstinance and less about scripture. In full disclosure, I never actually consulted the word about this whole femininity thing, merely accepting the misconstrued applications that I read online of 1 Corinthians 14:13, 1 Timothy 2:9,15, and 1 Peter 3:5 to name a few.
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| #ModestIsHottest |
With time, I devoted less thought to this issue (admittedly, there was less media coverage about it) and continued to peruse scripture on my own. What I came to notice though is that God's views about femininity have less to do with silence and more to do with strength. He cares less about my wardrobe and more about my heart, less about my political views and more about my servitude. Yes, the bible uses the words "gentle, submissive, and care-taking" in the same sentence as "women," but not so we can devote all our efforts toward being those things. Rather, God asks us to embrace those qualities that he integrated into His perfect design for women so that we can more fruitfully work toward His purposes.
It quickly became clear to me that my own ideas about so-called "Christian womanhood" got in the way of understanding what God really thinks of me and what He asks me to be. As a woman, I am to be active instead of passive, humble instead of prideful, and biblical instead of political. I still don't call myself a "feminist" because I don't really understand the definition, and to be honest, I don't really care to know it. The feminism struggle is a wordly affair. We shouldn't be battling with policymakers and publicists about our "rights" and whatever. Titus 3:9 says "But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless." Why? Because "our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ," a la Philippians 3:20.
Instead we should be focusing our efforts on being the people God calls us to be and furthering His kingdom - all while embracing the unique and special qualities He gave us. There are countless stories of gentle, submissive and care-taking women in the bible who are also strong leaders, passionate activists, wise mentors and even prophets. Yes, you read that correctly! Deborah, the fourth judge of Israel, was a dedicated wife, an influential hymn author, a powerful warrior, and a prophet with a key role in encouraging people to obey the Lord! (Read about how she drove a stake through the temple of a corrupt king in Judges 4.)
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As I am learning more about who I am as a daughter of Christ and how that truth should be shaping my life, I find myself inspired by biblical heroes like Deborah. She was a musician, a counselor, mentor and advisor, a determined ruler, a prophet who inspired Godliness, and a fearless warrior. Through all of this, she was honorably named "The Mother of Israel," a title that suggests the strength and courage behind some of the unique roles that God gives us as women.
I've learned quite a bit from Deborah this week, but the biggest lesson is that it's dangerous to blindly accept controversial ideaologies without having a firm grasp of the scripture that backs them up. Sometimes our preconceived notions about Christianity aren't biblical at all. The key example from this anecdote is the two different ways that the words "gentle, submissive, and care-taking" can be construed, demonstrating how both legalism and liberalism can pull us away from the the heart and purpose of God for our lives. Reading about (and being inspired by) Deborah has given new meaning to 2 Timothy 3:16-17 for me, showing how God can open our eyes and change our hearts through His word, the only caveat being that we have to actually read it. I think that's pretty awesome.
*Backtracking through the whole post, here is a list of some of the different qualities that God values in women:
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