Why We Need Feminism

Last week, in a school that is 67% women, we elected one woman and five men as ASSP officers. This is not a random occurrence but fits the history of SPU and is indicative of larger issues of gender roles, power, privilege, inequality, and oppression. Speaking as one of the five men elected as an ASSP officer, I want to say that we (our world, our campus, you and I) need feminism.

Now let me be upfront in saying that I do not feel like I am the best person to write this commentary. I am a male, white, English-speaking, educated, straight, young, American from an upper-class family - it is difficult to imagine being afforded more undue power and privilege. College has served to begin to open my eyes to many areas in which my privilege blinds me and leads to ignorance and complacence to injustice, most recently in relation to gender and sexuality. There are many women and men at SPU who I have much to learn from and could shed greater light on how inequality between women and men plays out in our world and at SPU.

But I think we have to start somewhere. Honestly, it would be much easier for me to not write this post; it would be much easier for me to hide in my ignorance. I lend my voice not to say that I have the right analysis and all the answers, but rather to say that things are a mess, and I am part of the mess. Brothers, we must begin to listen to, grieve with, and stand by our sisters even though it is discomforting, painful and convicting. I think we must dwell in the ugliness and recognize our part in it before we can truly move forward toward beauty and justice.

There is a deep lie, one of many such lies, that has take hold in our world and is evident at SPU that goes like this: men are to lead and women are to follow. The horror of patriarchy is not behind us.

If I may be so bold, SPU is patriarchal. Of course, I do not think this is intentional. We as individuals on the whole want to respect and empower women. We employ equitable hiring processes. We, far more than most Christian Universities, are actively talking about injustices against women and feminism. I am being intentionally provocative. But the fact is we elected five men and one woman to our top positions of student leadership. The fact is that this is not a random occurrence but a recurring act throughout the history of SPU. The same pattern is clearly there too in the administration of the University.

Now, I fully trust our leadership and believe everyone elected to be qualified and competent. I mean, I am one of them! But we lose something from not having women in the top spots of leadership. And we must ask ourselves: why is this so?

I said I do not have the full analysis, but I think in large part it goes back to the lie. I fear that  many of us, consciously or unconsciously, voted for a candidate simply because he was a man. Our acquiescence to traditional gender roles shapes how we, men and women, get involved, understand our calling, and build our identity. It is a cyclical problem because since we believe women are to follow, they have been constrained to do so, and thus the belief is reinforced. It becomes exceedingly difficult for women to enter the top positions of leadership due to the basic fact that there have been few women there before.

We need feminism because of disparity in leadership, but this is but a small indication of a much larger issue. I think feminism has suffered from being represented as solely a push toward equal status and power. It is much more than just getting equal pay. Feminism is a movement for justice. In a very real sense, half of humanity experiences oppression. Women are raped, beaten, burned, hidden, demeaned, molested, ignored, played with, objectified, silenced, killed. If that is not enough, they are often then blamed for this.

We need feminism because women are suffering. We need feminism because people are more outraged by the word vagina then by the reality of this suffering. We need feminism because it is a lived our expression of loving the other.

Men, we need feminism too. We need to feminism in order to help us reclaim and redefine masculinity. We need feminism to open our eyes to the injustices that we do not see and the injustices that we carry out. We need feminism to help teach us to listen, comfort, serve and love.

SPU, we need feminism. We say we are about engaging the culture and changing the world.Well, this is not just about "out there" "someday." Let's engage the reality at SPU that women are underrepresented in leadership, and we are not free of the abuse that pervades our world. It is painful to acknowledge this. I do not have the solutions, but let us sit in the pain and discomfort, grieve, and listen to each other. Let us not turn a blind eye.

Gender Divides at SPU

"You are all God’s children through faith in Christ Jesus. All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither slave nor free; nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

- Galatians 3:26-28 (Common English Bible)

This is one of the most powerful verses in Scripture. In Christ, racial, class and gender divisions are all broken down. Our identity is not in the labels and roles of this world. We are defined by being children of God.

This is not to say that Christians are to be a homogeneous group blind to social and cultural distinctions. No, rather we recognize that our diversity is drawn out in our unity in Christ. We are free to be who we truly are as Christ overcomes the sinful social structures built around our diverse characteristics. 

Take the case of gender: God created us male and female. We do not deny our sexuality, but we deny the gender roles and divisions that have been constructed in a fallen world. What does it mean to be neither male nor female in Christ? It does not mean that we stop being men and women but that we, men and women, look to Christ as our guide. It means that our Spiritual gifting and calling does not depend on our gender. It means that we submit to and love one another. It means that we reject evil cultural and social forces that have warped and and distorted gender. The Church holds out a great hope to the world: all stand equal before God. 

But, sadly, the Church has not always held out this hope, and I have seen gender divides persist at SPU. These divides will not end through "gender-blindness." We must recognize how our culture has influenced us and affected us, individually and communally, male and female. 

There are at least two concentrated areas of division that I see at SPU.

The first, I think, is more widely recognized. At the highest levels of student and administrative leadership there is a deficit of women. In ASSP this year, only one of the six elected positions is occupied by a woman, Audrey. There has not been a female ASSP president in my time here, and I do not know the exact numbers but I have heard that is something like there has only been seven female student body presidents in the last seventy years. A reality more shocking given the infamous ratio of SPU. On the administrative level, there has never been a female University President at SPU. Currently, Marjorie Johnson is the only woman holding a Vice Presidential position. On the Board of Trustees, there are 13 men and only 2 women. This is problematic. 

The second division I see in the service ministries at SPU: Latreia, Sprint, and Urban Involvement. My freshmen year, I volunteered with a UI team serving burritos to homeless folks, and I was consistently the only boy. I currently serve on UI core and there are only three of us guys and twelve girls. Last year there were only two guys and the year before only one. A common complaint among UI team leaders is lack of guy volunteers. On Sprint core its 2 guys to 6 girls which is more appropriate given the SPU ratio, but Sprint usually struggles to attract men to go on the summer mission trips. Latreia core has one guy to four girls and also tends to have more female volunteers. 

Men of SPU, why are we not serving alongside our sisters?

Notice that the positions associated with power (I firmly believe all the ASSP positions are service-oriented, but they are the roles typically identified with power and popularity) are dominated by men while the positions associated with humility and service are overwhelming occupied by women. Something is deeply wrong here. I do not think this is how the body of Christ should look. I do not pretend to have the "solution," but I believe much conversation, prayer, and inviting the Spirit to break down our divisions are the way forward.

Revisiting Ministries Retreat

From January 12: "I just got back from ministries retreat, and it was a time of such deep renewal. Soon, I hope to write up more of my reflections but for now this short post will suffice." 

Soon is a relative term, right?
...
From a weekend of teaching from Dr. Levison and prayer.
--
A vision of and summons to leadership:

"Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his teaching." - Isaiah 42:1-4

Receive that. Take it upon yourself. Rest in the delight of God. You are the servant of the Lord, chosen and beloved. The Spirit is upon you. Leadership need not be loud and upfront. It is not for all to shout in the street. Lead with a whisper. Speak as to not blow out a candle before your lips. Lead in stillness, the quiet. Do not rush. Remain steadfast. 
--
Isaiah 50:4-5. Let God awaken you. Listen - listen for a word. Encourage the downtrodden - sustain the weary with a word.
--
Cut the expectations out - rid yourself of the image you hold of the perfect leader, an ideal you fail to meet. Rather, you, you yourself, follow and go forth.
--
The Spirit is not just present on the mountaintops. The Spirit comes not only in the special and the spectacular. The Spirit is a powerful wind, yes, but also a quiet breath. Worship God with every breath. Be guided by the Spirit in the valleys too. The Spirit is present at the ash heaps. The Spirit is present in exasperation  when life is faint and gray, when all feels like death, still the Spirit of Life is there. Live an inspired life, the whole of it, heights, depths and plateaus. All is sacred.
--
Break out of the chains of busyness. Cast down the idol of productivity. Live with the verbless spirituality of Daniel. Spirit of the Holy God in you. The Spirit here is not poured or filling but - . You may be inspired without having to do. You Spirit. You will not get backs on the back when you are verbless, but you will be restored. Stop scrambling and running. Rest in God's delight. Stand still loving and beloved.

Contemplation of the Cross

Flogged. Pierced. Ridiculed. Slapped. Burdened. Contorted. Crucified. This is the Cross of Christ. It is horrific. We adorn our churches with a symbol of death. This is what we hold up as a symbol of hope? 

We see in Grunewald’s painting Christ stretched out, his hands upturned impaled with the nails. His head is downcast and his body distorted. He is stripped bare. Blood drips down his body. This is the “wondrous cross?” This is what Christ call us to?

We cry lead me to Calvary. Do we know what we are saying?

The Son of God died. Have we heard it so much that we are no longer shocked? Jesus, God’s very self, Creator of all, the Most High, King of kings, Commander of the hosts of heaven, the Messiah, lowered himself and died.

Yet at his death, death too was slain. As John the Baptist proclaimed, Christ came to take away the sin of the world. Christ overcame sin not through power and might, but in death. He absorbs evil and suffering so that in his death, they die too. The light takes in the darkness, and the darkness cannot remain.

 Christ’s death is not a sacrifice to save us from God; it is God’s self-sacrifice to save us from sin, to save us from ourselves. It by his blood that God reconciles to himself all things.

This is our hope, this is our call. It is the wondrous cross full of sorrow and love. Christ’s love is abundant that he would die, that he would take the full horror of the cross so that we might live. But the cross is not just to be accepted and revered; we are not just to stand in awe, we are to follow. We see more fully in the cross, in his death, Christ’s call: “I am the way, the truth and the life.”

From "Where do we go from here?" by MLK

"What is needed is a realization that power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love."

"And so I say to you today that I still stand by nonviolence. And I am still convinced that it is the most potent weapon available to the Negro in his struggle for justice in this country. And the other thing is that I am concerned about a better world. I'm concerned about justice. I'm concerned about brotherhood. I'm concerned about truth. And when one is concerned about these, he can never advocate violence. For through violence you may murder a murderer but you can't murder. Through violence you may murder a liar but you can't establish truth. Through violence you may murder a hater, but you can't murder hate. Darkness cannot put out darkness. Only light can do that."

"let us go out with a "divine dissatisfaction." Let us be dissatisfied until America will no longer have a high blood pressure of creeds and an anemia of deeds. Let us be dissatisfied until the tragic walls that separate the outer city of wealth and comfort and the inner city of poverty and despair shall be crushed by the battering rams of the forces of justice. Let us be dissatisfied until those that live on the outskirts of hope are brought into the metropolis of daily security. Let us be dissatisfied until slums are cast into the junk heaps of history, and every family is living in a decent sanitary home. Let us be dissatisfied until the dark yesterdays of segregated schools will be transformed into bright tomorrows of quality, integrated education. Let us be dissatisfied until integration is not seen as a problem but as an opportunity to participate in the beauty of diversity. Let us be dissatisfied until men and women, however black they may be, will be judged on the basis of the content of their character and not on the basis of the color of their skin. Let us be dissatisfied. Let us be dissatisfied until every state capitol houses a governor who will do justly, who will love mercy and who will walk humbly with his God. Let us be dissatisfied until from every city hall, justice will roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream. Let us be dissatisfied until that day when the lion and the lamb shall lie down together. and every man will sit under his own vine and fig tree and none shall be afraid. Let us be dissatisfied. And men will recognize that out of one blood God made all men to dwell upon the face of the earth."

A Breath of Fresh Air

I just got back from ministries retreat, and it was a time of such deep renewal. Soon, I hope to write up more of my reflections but for now this short post will suffice. 

The Spirit is at work. Yes, in moments of exaltation, the spectacular, as the music rises, beauty breaks forth at the dawn, as a mighty rushing wind; but also in stillness, the mundane, as all seems to slip away, the darkness descends, in near exasperation, as a quiet breath; the Spirit is at work.

Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
    my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my spirit upon him;
    he will bring forth justice to the nations.
² He will not cry or lift up his voice,
    or make it heard in the street;
³ a bruised reed he will not break,
    and a dimly burning wick he will not quench;
    he will faithfully bring forth justice.
⁴ He will not grow faint or be crushed
    until he has established justice in the earth;
    and the coastlands wait for his teaching.

- Isaiah 42:1-4

May I live a of gentleness. May I live a life so that I do not even blow out the dimly burning wick of a candle. Spirit speak in my whispers. Lord, may I rest upon your upholding. Lord, may I know your delight.

thoughts, prayer, outpouring of the storm within me

God is not an idea.

Christianity is not a theory.

Our faith is not in a set of principles and ideas.

God is God.

Christianity is the Way.

Our faith is in this living God as we stumble upon His Way.

Forgive me Lord. I have reduced You to my ideas about You. I have sought answers. I want to start seeking you. I want to know you not as an abstraction, not as an argument, not as an axiom, but as You. I want to know You. But I am scared. I am scared to know to You. But, Lord, You are. And, so, here am I. I have never been more sure of you, and I have never had more doubts. I feel like I am starting over. But, God, You are. God, you are good, you are life, you are hope, you are joy, you are. You know me. You are faithful. Make me anew. May I be less and You be more. I am scared to let go. Take hold of me.

~ ~

As the deer pants for streams of water, 

so my soul pants for you, my God.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

When can I go and meet with God?

My tears have been my food day and night,

while people say to me all day long,

"Where is your God?"

These things I remember as I pour out my soul:

how I used to go to the house of God

under the protection of the Mighty One

with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng.

Why, my soul, are you downcast? 

Why so disturbed within me?.

Put your hope in God, 

for I will yet praise him,

my Savior and my God.

...

Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls;

all your waves and breakers have swept over me.

Psalm 42:1-5,7