Feminism or femininity

By Mary

Feminism has been on my mind a lot lately. Now, put aside the secular, man-hating, anything-you-can-do-I-can-do-better type of feminism. The concept that’s been kicking around inside my head has been whether or not Christians should be on board with feminism, with the simplest definition for feminism in this instance being the pursuit of “gender equality”.

I’ve read some very well written words on the subject, words that have made me go back and evaluate my beliefs about men and women and the foundations of those beliefs. And in the end there are two particular points that seem to be core beliefs among those who pursue gender equality and with which I disagree.

The first is that if limits or boundaries are placed on you because you are a woman (or man), it automatically follows that you are devalued. The second is that femininity and masculinity are basically just culturally manufactured concepts.

My goal for writing this is not to provide some kind of detailed viewpoint of Biblical roles for men and women.  But I would like to address in particular those two points and challenge the idea that “equal” automatically means “the same”. Or that gender roles of any kind are a sexist perversion of the proper way of things, instead of God’s well-designed order from the beginning.

I agree wholeheartedly with the concept that men and women deserve the same amount of respect and that their minds, hearts, bodies, and souls are of equal worth and value. It has nothing to do with our abilities or our IQs, it doesn’t come from our achievements or any of the statistics people may gather. “When God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. Male and female He created them, and He blessed them and named them Man when they were created.” I am completely in favor of pursuing equitable and honorable treatment of all human beings, but a pursuit of gender equality is unnecessary-God made us all and He made us equal.

So when the Bible says, “For man was not made from woman, but woman from

man. Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man”, it doesn’t mean He created half the population to be prey to the other half’s vices. When humans were first created, there was no sin, no vice to mar the relationship between them. But it does say “Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for^[e] him.”“ It seems that many times those words are read negatively and I’m not sure why. In the business world, we’re honored to be considered qualified by an employer for the job opening we’ve been aiming for. How much more of an honor to be designed perfectly qualified, and suited for a position from our God to partner in the stewardship of all the rest of His creation, and to enjoy relationship with Him. That job, that role is for His glory and in accordance to His plan, not men’s.

My understanding as a Christian is that women are not made for men’s personal pleasures, purposes or designs. But neither are we made for our own pursuit of pleasure, ambition, or self-fulfillment. The same is true of men. None of us exist purely to do as we please or to benefit ourselves (or anyone else on earth). As believers in Christ, male and female, we willingly accept God’s claim to our lives and we place ourselves under His authority, even to the point of self-denial*. So if God also asked something of us based on whether we are a male human or female human I don’t really see where the problem arises. I don’t know how that would take away any of the value He has given to our lives.

The vast majority of everything written in the Bible outlines the same goals and purposes for men as for women. He gives His gifts of the Holy Spirit to all, He uses all, sanctifies all. He tells us “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Again, all equal. Yet He gives guidance on how to utilize the gifts He gives us if we are a man or woman. For instance; “I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather she is to remain quiet”. Because of the rest of the content of the Bible, I know this isn’t because God doesn’t value a woman’s intellect, or doubt her capabilities. It doesn’t mean He never gives women gifts of teaching, or leading. It merely means He has other avenues for us in which to use those gifts--and honestly if we think we are only truly valued if we are able to teach men then what does that say to the value we place on other women, the importance of their instruction? Or why should we not be content to guide and teach the next generation in the way that they should go?

Any unbalance between the sexes does not come from Biblical, gender based roles being imposed upon them but rather by the abuse or neglect of those roles by men or women due to the sin nature we all inherit.

I also believe it is harmful to attempt to minimize the differences between men and women. We are all created in His image but He chose two unique subcategories. This doesn’t mean that any particular sex has a monopoly on any character quality or physical trait, whether it be emotional intuition, physical strength, patience, intellect, verbal communication, leadership, problem solving, compassion, cooking skills, organizational ability, empathy, service, or anything else under the sun. God makes us each individually unique and our experiences in life do much to shape us. Perhaps that is why people sometimes try so hard to avoid having categories of “feminine” and “masculine”. Nobody really fits completely inside one box or the other. However, I think this is not because femininity and masculinity are merely artifice but because both come from God. He is neither man nor woman, nor even the sum of both together and we are too limited and finite right now to fully understand Him. But the unique characteristics of our natures, roles and affinities reflect His attributes, from the macho man to the girly girl and every kind of variance in-between. As sinners we will always have something to work on, something to grow to appreciate, or perhaps an area naturally weak or lacking in which God shows us we need to grow, as well as desires or inclinations that may require restraint. Even so, I believe it’s better to acknowledge distinction between men and women as unique creations of God and appreciate the differences between us than to try to disregard them entirely.

One day we will see clearly and know fully, both our God and ourselves.  “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” For now, when we embrace our roles and follow them in the unique ways God has planned for us, when we grow in our areas of weakness and utilize our strengths in accordance with His design, we not only stay in the path He has laid for us but also understand and know Him better here and now. And what calling could be greater than that? “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”