Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

women in ministry

Why I no longer fear the word 'feminist'

Today, I’m linking up with blogger Sarah Bessey, author of the newly released book, Jesus Feminist. You can read my review of it here. And read others’ reflections on what it means to be a Jesus feminist here.

I was vaguely aware of the feminist movement in high school and college but watched from a distance. I wasn’t sure of myself as a human being, much less a woman, so it didn’t seem to matter to me.

Then I found Jesus. Or maybe He found me. I’m still not quite sure which it was. And I learned that men and women had clearly defined roles in the church. And leading wasn’t one of them for women.

I was mostly content with this arrangement, though something in my soul still rebelled when I was told I need a man’s protection and/or leadership. As a single woman, living on her own, I wasn’t quite sure how to accomplish this nor was I sure I agreed. But I was young and an even younger Christian.

Still, I wrestled when I saw a woman I love dearly, who is clearly called to lead, be refused that leadership time and again. But it’s what the Bible says, right? So, how could it be wrong?

When I finally met the man I would marry, that biblical hot-button word “submission” never really seemed like an issue. He didn’t demand I submit to him. I didn’t silence my opinions, though I probably deferred to him more than I wanted to. Because that’s what a biblical wife does, right?

My husband started seminary, and for the first time, I was presented with a different way of looking at women in leadership. My husband was in classes with women. Women who are called to be pastors. Who faithfully serve congregations. Who preach. And care. And shepherd. And lead.

The world as I knew it was shifting, and I began to wonder if maybe, just maybe, I’d gotten wrong.

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Then, I birthed a daughter. A feisty red-head who showed her independence from birth. (She arrived five weeks early because well, the world was just too interesting to miss.) As she’s grown, we’ve seen the potential in her. She was “preaching” sermons not long after she could talk because that’s the sort of make-believe play that happens when your husband is seminary. Even after her brother was born, and now when they “play church,” they are both pastors. Both teachers. Because, why not?

And I began to realize that I couldn’t deny her gifts, whatever they were, if I wanted her to do what she was meant to do in God’s kingdom.

I believe she has a purpose. A God-given one that has nothing to do with what I want for. It might not be world-changing, at least not on the grand scale. But it will matter. And I want her to know that she is not limited just because she is a girl who will be a woman.

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So, I am a Jesus feminist, for her.

But also for me.

A few years ago I took a spiritual gifts inventory, something I hadn’t done in a while. And a new gift emerged. One I’d never expected nor ever seen before.

Shepherding.

I thought it was a mistake because that’s an awfully pastoral sounding gift. I figured it was because my husband was in seminary and I’d been gleaning the leftovers from his studies.

But, why not?

As we’ve navigated the post-seminary waters, we’re discovering together, he and I, that we are called to ministry together. He has the seminary degree, but we are partners. And there’s nothing wrong with that. With men and women working together to share the good news, to tell of the kingdom work of redemption.

I am a Jesus feminist because when I read the Gospels, I can’t help but see the way Jesus values women. I’ve heard that Jesus is the most sexist man who ever lived, but it’s simply not true. For the culture in which He lived, He was a liberator of women.

I am a Jesus feminist because I see women changing the world. When they band together to end a civil war in Liberia, or apply for loans to start a business in an African village to feed their families and bring hope to their community, or use their time, resources and influence to ensure women in Cambodia have a better life.

I am a Jesus feminist because I love my husband and want to share his burdens. I love my brothers in the faith and want to encourage them in their callings. I love my sisters in the faith and want them to see their place in the kingdom.

I am a Jesus feminist because I believe women are worth it. And even though the declaration feels a bit daring and controversial, I’m no longer afraid to be called a feminist.

In the end, it’s not about being better than men. It’s about living out my calling and loving well.

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So, what about you? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

When I say the word 'feminist': Review of Jesus Feminist by Sarah Bessey

Let’s play a game. I’m going to write a word in the next paragraph, and I want you to think about how that word makes you feel. Ready?

Feminist.

So, how are you feeling?

There was a time in my life when I would have scoffed at the word or dismissed it as liberal garbage or thought of angry, pants-wearing women shaking their fists.

In the last few years, some talented writers have changed all of that.

Sarah Bessey is one of them. (You should know that I got a free digital copy of the book I’m about to review in exchange for this post.)

I’m not quite sure how I found her not-so-little corner of the blogosphere, but her tone, her words, her authenticity hooked me from the first reading. She’s now one of those bloggers I can’t wait to read, and I often find myself laughing, crying and nodding in agreement over what she’s written.

When I learned she was writing a book about Jesus feminism (yes, that’s a thing), I was excited to read her thoughts. And a little nervous about the content because, you know, feminism is one of those hot-button words. Dropping it into Christian conversation can sometimes be worse than another “f-bomb” I know.

jesus feministBut, hear me say this: Whatever you think about feminism, set it aside and read this book. Jesus Feminist is so beautifully written I got actual goosebumps while reading it. Because Bessey is passionate, yes, and she’s waded through the muck of patriarchy, but her book is anything but angry. I was almost expecting a manifesto: a how-to for inserting ourselves into the leadership conversation.

I was so wrong. And I’m glad for it.

Jesus Feminist is a loving call to passionately pursue the gifts we’ve been given as women and use them whenever and wherever we find ourselves, regardless of whether we’re given permission by established leaders.

It’s an invitation to join a gathering of sisters, worldwide, who are doing the work of love in the name of Jesus, and cast off the limitations we sometimes give ourselves as wives, mothers, and women.

Encouraging doesn’t begin to describe it, but when I finished, I felt it: encouraged, empowered, emboldened.

I’m no longer sorry I’m a woman who cares about things beyond home and family, and I feel less resentment for women who do care much for those things. We all have a place in the work of the kingdom, and we’re meant to work alongside our brothers in the battle, not be overshadowed by them.

Jesus Feminist celebrates women but not at the expense of men. That’s no easy feat.

This book doesn’t answer every question about women in ministry or feminism or what the Bible says about all that nor does it aim to. What it does is opens the conversation and welcomes the questions.

If you’ve ever thought “Jesus” and “feminist” didn’t belong in the same sentence, I’d encourage you to read this book. It releases in early November, so put it on your to-read list now.

In the meantime, check out Sarah Bessey’s blog for a taste of her writing style.