Is There Such a Thing as Biblical Feminism?
I keep seeing these articles in my Facebook newsfeed about "gentleman" characteristics and "lady" characteristics. The ideal of a "gentleman" includes standing until a woman is seated, opening a door for a woman, and walking on the outside (closest the street) when walking with a woman. The ideal of a "lady" is not calling a man she is interested, rather waiting for him to call her; saying, "yes, please" and "no, thank you" rather than simply "yes" or "no" or (heaven forbid) slang terms like "yep" and "nope"; and not allowing her cellphone to ring at the dinner table.
Hmm. Those articles got me to thinking. I wonder if it was proper "lady" etiquette when the sinful woman anointed Jesus with oil, allowing her tears to flow upon Him as she wiped the oil and tears with her hair. (The Pharisees probably didn't think so). I wonder if Ja-El broke a nail when she nailed Sisera's head to the ground with a tent peg. And just thinking... I didn't see Ruth waiting for Boaz to call her.
All of the godly women in the Bible were strong women. They weren't "ladies," by the definition of these articles, by any stretch of the imagination. I wonder if these women were alive today if they would have been considered feminists. I, personally, think that is a good term to describe them. They did what God called them to do, regardless of if it fit in with the cultural definition of femininity. I, personally, see no evidence that the Biblical ideal of femininity is what we judge in our Americanized culture as proper feminine etiquette.
Perhaps we should stop Christianizing our social ideals and gender stereotypes. At least in our family, we do not have a definition of "boy things" or "girl things" or "gentleman characteristics" or "lady characteristics." We use the talents God gave us, no matter how society labels them.
Hmm. Those articles got me to thinking. I wonder if it was proper "lady" etiquette when the sinful woman anointed Jesus with oil, allowing her tears to flow upon Him as she wiped the oil and tears with her hair. (The Pharisees probably didn't think so). I wonder if Ja-El broke a nail when she nailed Sisera's head to the ground with a tent peg. And just thinking... I didn't see Ruth waiting for Boaz to call her.
All of the godly women in the Bible were strong women. They weren't "ladies," by the definition of these articles, by any stretch of the imagination. I wonder if these women were alive today if they would have been considered feminists. I, personally, think that is a good term to describe them. They did what God called them to do, regardless of if it fit in with the cultural definition of femininity. I, personally, see no evidence that the Biblical ideal of femininity is what we judge in our Americanized culture as proper feminine etiquette.
Perhaps we should stop Christianizing our social ideals and gender stereotypes. At least in our family, we do not have a definition of "boy things" or "girl things" or "gentleman characteristics" or "lady characteristics." We use the talents God gave us, no matter how society labels them.
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