This last part especially. Thanks for writing this, Katie.
It's kind of mind-blowing how much, by some rubrics, the well-being of men individually and corporately has been tied to the virtue of women...who must be kept silent and more or less invisible in many of the communities that hold these rubrics. But I agree--there is something important to be noticed about the health of a community when one sees whether and how its women are flourishing.
Christian women are co-heirs with Christ. That's so good. I love how Jesus elevated and respected women the way he did. I think of Abigail, a prudent woman with good judgement and a terrible husband who kept King David from bloodshed. Tamar, who although made herself out to be a prostitute was in the genealogy of Jesus. Or even Deborah, a military leader in the book of Judges. The Bible has so many examples of how women were restored even in unideal and sometimes dire circumstances. It makes me sad that white-washed Victorian views of womanhood have infiltrated the church. Thank you for speaking to this!
Perhaps a new saying, "As go the margins, so goes the church". It redirects the litmus towards those our culture demeans and finds lower than an ideal as you mentioned; the 1950's trad wife recreation depends on a heck of a lot of racism in the original form. It also means that if (god forbid) in 100 years when men and women have been leading together and a new margin appears it will still hold true.
This last part especially. Thanks for writing this, Katie.
It's kind of mind-blowing how much, by some rubrics, the well-being of men individually and corporately has been tied to the virtue of women...who must be kept silent and more or less invisible in many of the communities that hold these rubrics. But I agree--there is something important to be noticed about the health of a community when one sees whether and how its women are flourishing.
Christian women are co-heirs with Christ. That's so good. I love how Jesus elevated and respected women the way he did. I think of Abigail, a prudent woman with good judgement and a terrible husband who kept King David from bloodshed. Tamar, who although made herself out to be a prostitute was in the genealogy of Jesus. Or even Deborah, a military leader in the book of Judges. The Bible has so many examples of how women were restored even in unideal and sometimes dire circumstances. It makes me sad that white-washed Victorian views of womanhood have infiltrated the church. Thank you for speaking to this!
Perhaps a new saying, "As go the margins, so goes the church". It redirects the litmus towards those our culture demeans and finds lower than an ideal as you mentioned; the 1950's trad wife recreation depends on a heck of a lot of racism in the original form. It also means that if (god forbid) in 100 years when men and women have been leading together and a new margin appears it will still hold true.
I like that. Jesus looked to the margins and so should we.