Articulating Justice

Written by: David

I’ve recently blogged at www.xanga.com/Beloved_Spear about the crushingly aggressive misrepresentation of a recent study on Islam by Fox News. This study, which showed most Muslims in America to be moderate and well assimilated, got spun by the “Fair and Balanced” folk to focus on Muslims as open to suicide bombing. As a Christian who’s in an unusual position when it comes to interfaith relationships, I find myself wondering about our responsibility when we’re confronted with obvious bias against people of other faiths.

Though I can affirm unabashedly that Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and am perfectly willing to argue for the merits of the Way, I’m also well schooled enough in the world’s faith traditions to completely reject the unfounded slander of other religions that seems to pass for apologetics and evangelism in some quarters.

Jack Chick notwithstanding, Wiccans are not Satanists and Muslims are not all Wahabists, any more than every Christian is a member of Westboro Baptist church.

I think that as more Christians commit themselves to expressing God’s Kingdom of justice and equity in the world, speaking justly and fairly in our exchanges with those who have committed themselves to other faith traditions is imperative.

PlayPumps International

In response to the Improving Water & Sanitation in Africa blog, CIM was contacted by PlayPumps International to see if we can assist them in what they are doing.

by Kendall Matthos (Playpumps). Did you know that every 15 seconds, a child dies from a preventable water-borne illness? The PlayPump™ water system can change that, and PlayPumps International is the organization that is raising money to bring this ingenious solution to those who need it most. A PlayPump water system is a merry-go-round installed over a borehole that pumps clean water into a storage tank that displays public health messages. See how it works.

Presently, the organization is campaigning to bring 4,000 of these water systems to 10 sub-Saharan African countries over the next 3 years. The organization launched the 100 Pumps in 100 Days campaign on World Water Day. An ambitious effort to empower individuals, schools, clubs and faith-based organizations to support the cause of clean water access for all.

In partnership with Save the Children USA, PlayPumps has raised funds for 32 PlayPump™ water systems so far. Visit our Featured Friends page to see how people like you have impacted the water crisis.

The campaign ends June 29th, so check out the Action Kit to get educated and join our efforts!

Also, check out PlayPumps International’s latest challenge, a call to amateur filmmakers worldwide to create a dynamic public service announcement.

Wachet Auf!

Written by: David

One of the sad truths about us as human beings is that we rarely act unless we’re personally impacted by anything. Our willingness to make changes in our behavior is rarely based on reason or empathy…it’s only when something whups us personally upside the head that we get around to doing anything.

That, I think, is one of the reasons we succumb so easily to inertia when it comes to caring for creation. We just lack the moral imagination to do it. Why not spend most of your day driving from one place to another in a great honking ‘ute? Why worry about consuming more and more energy in your immense new home? We’re just not willing to see the big picture, to see efficiency as both a duty towards our nation and a responsibility towards the world over which God has made us stewards.

The time for acting responsibly is slipping away. We’ve not yet hit “peak oil”, and yet prices have begun moving beyond the $3 a gallon that economists believe will at least start changes in behavior.

The significant impacts are still–barring another ferocious hurricane season–probably a decade away. Yet most of us lack the wisdom of Joseph, even if the fat years are rapidly waning, and the famine years coming. We’re happy to noodle along with all the foresight of a pregnant crackhead. Oh, it’ll all work out. Something will happen, and it’ll all turn out fine for me. If you’re one of those folks whose banking on the Rapture to get your behind out of an environmental and economic perfect storm, perhaps it’s time to revisit the wisdom literature in your Bible.

I’ve been focused on consuming less for a while now, and that’s expressed itself in decisions that I and my family have made. Among them:

1) Living in a smaller, closer home. Our humble rambler’s a nice, solidly constructed house, but it’s smaller than the immense ticky tacky structures that are slapped up today. That’s less space to heat, less space to cool. When we bought, one of the essential factors for us was: can we walk to shopping? Parks? Playgrounds? Could the kids walk to school? If there was another gas crisis…not just the annoyance of paying another twenty or thirty bucks a tank, but a real shortage…how would you do?

2) Making home efficiency a priority. Rather than a spanky new kitchen, we’ve invested in a more efficient furnace and ac system. We’ve upgraded windows, and will soon replace doors and insulation. We shut down and will soon tear out the energy-hog hot tub that came with our house.

3) Buying more efficient cars. Rache and I could have slapped down a few extra pennies for a powerful car last year, but we chose to spend less for our xB. The 31 mpg we average in our day-to-day errand running and Rache’s commuting isn’t amazing, but it’s not half bad, either. It was what we needed, not what we were told we needed.

4) To Heck With Cars…get a bike! Of course, we should all be riding motorcycles instead. I’ve been using my bike (currently a sweet little Yamaha sportbike) to commute for the better part of a decade. Rain, shine, cold, hot. It matters not. A motorcycle isn’t just an object that you keep on a pedestal in your garage like some fetishistic talisman to remind you that you once were young. It’s the ideal form of transit for thems of us who are both creation-conscious but like a wee bit o’ joy in life. Get the right training, and the right protective gear, and you’re good to go. Unless you’re too much of a wuss. Check out some of the stats at Ride To Work, a neat little motorcycle advocacy group.

5) Structure your life so you consume less. If we work, we’re willing to tolerate insane commutes. If we’re taking care of kids, we feel obliged to fill their afternoons and weekends with relentless driving to and fro from one activity to another. That’s the culture in which we find ourselves. But that endless asphalt treadmill doesn’t make for a balanced human life. We need to find the wisdom to live our lives on a more human scale…not only is that saner, but it’s better for creation.

How do you take care for creation into account in your life?

The War on Atheism: A Christ-Like Way to Reach Non-Believers?

Recently, I read a great article on God’s Politics by Becky Garrison entitled “Christian vs. Atheist: Celebrity Death Match” that was both entertaining and insightful. It described a debate on the existence of God between Atheists and a God Squad including Kirk Cameron, Ray Comfort, and others. Garrison pointed out the flaws in the reasoning of the debate and then went on to come to a great conclusion where she quotes Brian McClaren in saying: “much of the appeal of today’s popular atheists – from Richard Dawkins to Sam Harris – lies in the corruption of religion.”

Garrisson explains this notion in a powerful way:

Through my travels and travails covering this unique phenomenon called Americana Christianity, I’ve learned that many of those with a deep hunger to be fed spiritually are those souls for whom “church” is not in their vocabulary. Often they’ve been burned by one too many toxic church settings, or they grew up in a household where religion was inconsequential at best. They can embrace the universal message of Jesus but they balk at how his teaching gets corrupted by those prayer warriors who are engaging in some very public and tawdry biblical battles waged in the religious-political arena.

I think that this is a powerful argument, basically, that many people are pushed away from Christianity by those that act as prayer warriors ready to fight “celebrity death matches” to prove Christ’s love. That instead, we need to live a life that reaches out to those people in a kind, merciful and Christ-like manner. Of course, I do want to make the caveat that there are many prayer warriors that are not confrontational and do immitate God’s loving nature, but I am referring to those that are both confrontational and often make use of false doctrine.

In regards to this, I recently heard an interview with Richard Dawkins, reknown physicist and Athiest and author of the “God Delusion”, on Fresh Air. He discussed his new book with Terry Gross and explained that before 9-11 he pitched it to hundreds of publishers and had absolutely no interest. The publishers did not think that a book about atheism could sell. However, five years after 9-11, there is an increasing backlash against the pseudo-religious fundamentalism that pervaded our society for these years. The Pat Robertsons, Jerry Falwells, George Bushs, and others had exploited a false Christianity to sell a war and push other horrific agendas, to the point that atheism seemed a much more rational idea. In other words, the false teachings of these prayer warriors actually pushed people away from Christ.

I think that this is a major reason why blogs like God’s Politics, ChristianityisMore, and many others are important. We need to demand truth, uncloak the false prophets, and create a dialog. Most importantly, this needs to be done in love and with humility – or our message will be lost. We need to trust in Christ and the grace he gives us that through our love and humility the Gospel will be spread, instead of resorting to our own selfish, confrontational, self-glorifying methods.

For instance, I mention Jerry Falwell in this entry as in many other entries. It is because I feel that his message was off-base, not because I disrespect the man. I especially would like to make this a point as he passed away two days ago, because while I write against his teachings, I love and pray for the man. I hope and pray that he found his way to peace and is with God as I write these words.

Jesus is Lord

Today, I am sitting in an empty classroom, sipping on some water and eating an apple. I decided not to give my students an exam, but there is a rule in our university that we must still remain in the classroom for the entire two hour exam period. As i have been sitting here, I have been reflecting on the past semester and how many times and ways God has blessed me. I have an amazing wife, a great apartment, a great family, friends, a career outlook that looks promising, and of course, health coverage – It does not sound all that glamorous, but take it from someone that has not had it most of the last ten years – it is a huge blessing! However, that is just the beginning. I have a fully stocked fridge, clean drinking water, electricity, indoor plumbing, a car, a computer, and many, many more things! And i fully realize that because of all of this it puts me in the top .01 percent of the world as far as wealth, if not higher. I am humbled and greatful just thinking about it.

I think one of the strangest things about all these blessings is that I am not thankful every minute of every day of my life. Matter of fact, i find it quite astounding that I do not thank God with every breath I take. But, my heart often falls into sin and selfishness, and many, many days I am not thankful. So, i am extremely thankful for this quiet two hours to sit back and reflect. More specifically, i would like to reflect more on the role that God plays in my everyday life. Or, as David would say in the Psalms: “I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me” (Psalm 3:5) and “I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.” (Psalm 9:1,2)

Looking over the past ten years of my life, I know that i could not have made it through without the Lord by my side. Even as I felt like everything in the world was being ripped away from me, I knew He was walking beside me. I felt much like Peter in Matthew 14:30 – “But when he (Peter) saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!” Of course, I now know that I was staring into the waves and not keeping my eyes on Him, but at least I did call out to Him and of course, He responded. I know that I did not always think of Him in the way I do now, but I knew He was there. Now, after many years and much reflection, I now know that He is my Lord completely and that I will surrender everything to Him:

Matthew 28:18 – “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.'”

Collossians 1:15-20 – “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”

Acts 10:36 – “You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.”

I know that Christ is Lord, and that all things are for His glory. Because of this, it makes me want to turn away from my sins and turn to Him. Of course, I fail often. Really often. But, I know that as long as each time I fail, I turn to Him, He will continue to conform me to His image and I will sin less. I will grow increasingly to hate sin:

Romans 5:21 – “Just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Romans 6:23 – “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

I can already see the effects of this in my everyday life. I used to complain regularly about everything; whereas, now I can see that i more often turn towards my blessings than complaints. This has occurred by His grace over much time. I still complain, but much less often. This has also occured in the area of sinful judging as well. Now that I am dedicated to everything being for His glory, I realize that this does not honor Him and that everything that I do, needs to honor Him. God has also given me continuous grace in the form of helping me to be angry less often, to let fewer idols stand in the way of my relationship with Him, and many other areas as well.

Of course, there are still areas that I need to drastically ask for His help and forgiveness, like: humility, pride, and patience, but I know if i keep looking towards Him, He will continue to conform me to His image.

This is not the end of the road though, by any means. I do not just have to wake up, confront my sin, pray and go to bed each day. Being a Christian means so much more! After all, we are called to “immitate” Christ, which is something that each of us could work on for the rest of our lives, and never finish. In a similar manner as the disciples throughout the New Testament, we are called to follow Him and put into practice what he teaches us (Mark 1:16-20; and Luke 6:46-49). We are also called to have the “mind of Christ” including His attitude of humble, sacrificial servanthood (1 Corinthians 2:16; Phil 2:5-8). Basically, we are not just to “sin no more” and turn to Him, we are also supposed to “follow,” “imitate,” and “conform” to Him. Meaning, as new beings in Christ, we need to act in the manner that He would act: caring for the lepers, healing the sick, helping the poor, and giving our entire life for God.

As immitators, we need to live a missional life of sacrafice, where we seek out those who are lost, we love them, care for them, share the Word with them, and give our lives to bring them to God. Or basically, “Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Lk. 6:31; Mt. 7:12). This is a tough thing to do and as of yet i cannot say that I have done this; however, this is my goal. I would like to spend the rest of my life trying to make this happen – and in that I have to trust God to help me along the journey.

After all, in instructing us on how we are to live our lives, Jesus said: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” and “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:30-31). I love these lines because it does not just command us to love Him with all of our hearts and sould – but also our “mind(s)” and “strength.” So we are asked to love Him by using our minds – through thinking, studying, consulting with other Christians, etc. And we are to love Him with all of our strength as well – through good works and a and having servant heart.

Well, my two hours are just about up, but i am very thankful that God allowed me this opportunity to reflect on the many blessings that He has bestowed upon me and look towards the future as well. Of course, there is a lot of uncertainty, but at least I can have complete confidence that He will make my “pathways straight.”

By the Numbers… Environment

Written by: Jeff

500 – billion plastic bags are used annually
18,306 – the number of plastic shopping bags that each of us use in a lifetime
25 – the number of minutes that we use each bag for on average
3 – percent of the plastic bags that are recycled
1000 – amount of years it takes for them to bio-degrade.
(ABC 20/20)

What you can do: Use a cloth bag at the grocery store.

15,334 – Number of bottles of water the average American consumes in a lifetime
26,408 – the number of aluminum cans we each use in a lifetime (most of them are not recycled)
900 – amount of wire hangers we each use in a lifetime
2025 – number of rolls of paper towels we use in a lifetime.
3000 – amount of paper cups used by each household in one year (on average)
411 – the amount of trees chopped down attributed to each person in a lifetime.
(ABC GMA)
MORE…
What you can do: Recycle, recycle, recycle!

1 – the amount of light bulbs that each household would need to replace with an energy saver bulb to equal the amount of pollution that 2 million cars emit each year.
15 – the amount of dollars that we (Jess and I) saved last month by switching our bulbs to energy savers in a small apartment!

What you can do: Change all your bulbs to energy savers (to make up for your neighbors that do not and to save money on electric bill)

75 – percent of our monthly energy usage is drawn when we think that our appliances are off.

What you can do: unplug appliances and chargers – saves close to your own body weight in carbon every year and saves on your electric bill as well!

2 – the number of degrees that you could turn down your thermostat in order to keep 1,000 pounds of carbon out of the atmosphere each year and save a lot of money as well!
2 out of 5 – animal species on this planet face imminent extinction.
2.7 – 270 – the amount of animals that go extinct each day world-wide
93 – the amount of years at our current rates of pollution that it would take to make fifty percent of plants and vegetation go extinct.
(Mother Jones)

What you can do: Turn your thermostat down 5 – 10 degrees if you are going to be out of the house for more than 8 hours. Do not turn it down more than that as your furnace will spend more energy making up for the cold air and walls than was saved. Only put your thermostat down more than this if you are going to be gone for a few days.

Double – the amount of water the average American uses compared to Germans
#1 – the ranking of Americans as the worst wasters of water in the world
2 –minutes less in the shower each day for each American would equal two months of water supply in LA, Chicago, and Philly.
(ABC GMA)

What you can do: Try to shave a few minutes off your showers, use luke warm water instead of hot. Also: consider the saying “if it is yellow, let it mellow, if it is brown, flush it down.” And if you are really dedicated: put a bucket in the shower, then put it in your toilet to save flushing.

Finally… Consider:

60 – the number of tons of garbage that we each produce in a lifetime.

Imagine this number times the population of the United States… I think it is time for all of us to take care of God’s gift, especially us as Christians…

A Streetlight: A Sign of Progress in Liberia

Written by: Jessica

Africa has been on my mind and heart lately & I’ve chosen to find out what God is doing and what people there are facing. See other blogs I’ve posted on Africa: Water and Sanitation in Africa and Aids & Children in Africa.

A streetlight, pictured above is a sign of progress in Liberia , a country struggling to recover from a 14-year civil war. See a slide show of pictures from the BBC on current life in Liberia. Electricity has been restored to street lights, allowing safety for those traveling by foot at night and good light for studying. This small country, about the size of Tennessee, is of curious interest to me – maybe because of it’s amazing resolve, or because I just happened to be reading the BBC the morning that it was on the front page. I had no idea of the poverty and devastation in Liberia. The civil war has left behind poverty, (3/4 of the population lives on less than $1.00 a day), hundreds of thousands of refugees, an 85% unemployment rate, a life expectancy of 50 years, and illiteracy (50% of the population is illiterate). This is cause for a cry for help. (UN, CIA World Factbook)

Of particular risk is Liberia’s children. UNICEF reports that Liberia’s children are especially at risk—many are unable to attend schools because buildings are overcrowded. Liberia also lacks basic vaccinations and health care, thus giving it the 5th highest infant-mortality rate in the world (156 deaths per 1000 births), and an estimated 230,000 children are orphaned from HIV/AIDS, disease and armed conflict at present.
Current Liberian president, Ellen-Johnson-Sirleaf, elected in January 2006, brings great resolve and hope to this country. Reducing corruption, providing jobs, restoring basic healthcare (such as vaccinations for children), clean water, electricity, reopening schools, rebuilding many public schools and office buildings from the war are a few of the daunting challenges facing her administration. Her background in banking (Citibank, World Bank) is a great asset for cancelling Liberia’s debt & rebuilding efforts. She is working to educate the world of Libera’s needs and partner with those who can help.

What can we do? Well, perhaps the most helpful thing we can do in the US is to ask Congress to approve legislation that will increase debt cancellation of impoverished countries to meet Millennium Development Goals. Liberia has over $3.7 billion in external debt – which at current rates will take over 1,000 years to repay. Helping to cancel debts will allow the country to get back on its feet. JUBILEE USA has an online letter that you can complete and it will be forwarded to your representatives. Secondly, finding organizations at work in Libera is another way to be informed and contribute to the efforts in Liberia. I found it difficult to find any organizations at work in Libera, due to the danger of working in the country until this past year. World Vision and JUBILEE USA both are actively involved in Libera today. Besides giving, or finding other organizations that give aid to Liberia, please pray for the church in Liberia—for President Johnson-Sirleaf, for aid to increase from government and non-government agencies, for safety for aid workers in this country and for God’s help.

Improving Water & Sanitation in Africa

Written by: Jessica

This is part of a series of articles on Africa I’ve written in CIM newsletter and blog. Other blogs written recently are Aids & Children in Africa and Progress in Liberia. These entries are posted in the newsletter as well as online.

“We shall not finally defeat AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, or any of the other infectious diseases that plague the developing world until we have also won the battle for safe drinking water, sanitation and basic health care.” – Kofi Annan, Former United Nations Secretary-General

I’ve been perusing the information on difficulties in Africa, and I was struck by this quote – it’s seems to break complexities down to simple terms and I thought “improving lives in Africa is doable”. Access to clean water is so crucial and individuals can make a difference. A $10.00 donation towards a well can have a lifetime impact for an individual, while a $50 donation can meet 1 household’s daily needs for life. That is a reachable goal. I thought of my own water usage in a day: showering, washing dishes, flushing the toilet, brushing our teeth and drinking water. I do all these things without considering that I could get ill, or wonder if I’ll have enough water for the day – yet thousands of families in Africa have to consider these things every day. How can this be so?

Here is a woman’s story as told on AMREF’s site:

Water was always on my mind
My Name is Ester Nzomo. I am a mother of 4 and a farmer. 3 years ago I used to spend 8 hours a day in search of and collecting water. I would wake up at 3 in the morning to walk 12 kms to collect a 20 litre jerry can of water which I carried on my head. Often the water I managed to find was contaminated and my children often suffered from diarrhea and typhoid. In 2000 AMREF mobilised all the women in my village and provided material to build a shallow well. Now I spend minutes and not hours collecting water and I am able to grow maize and cow peas on my farm. My children are able to spend more time in school because they are not sick. In fact some of my friends’ children are able to attend school for the first time because they are no longer needed to help fetch water.
If you gave AMREF $1,500 you could provide the building materials, with the labour provided by the community, for a new well for another village, which will serve about 500 people. $150 could rehabilitate one local village well while $25 could fund an AMREF water stall to supply clean drinking water to 600 people for a month

As I’ve read about water access in Africa, I’ve noticed it’s always connected with proper sanitation. Improper sanitation pollutes water and causes many of the water-borne illnesses. Waterborne illnesses are one of the top causes for infant mortality and killers of children under five. Water is often dirtied or not ingestible due to chemicals, animal or human waste which can cause diseases such as diarrhea, choera, typhoid, baccilary disentry, polio, meningitis, malaria, yellow fever, hepatitis A and E among others. All of which are entirely preventable. Beyond age five, there is still poor access as many schools do not have proper sanitation for children (hand-washing, toilets). As a whole, only 36% of Africa has access to proper sanitation and 45% access to clean water.

Water is scarce or unavailable when there are droughts, improperly dug wells, or no wells at all. Women walk miles to collect water for their days’work. A chart I found from a UN Human Development Report on Water & Sanitization showed water usage per country/person/day. The average person in the US uses about 5-600 litres of water a day as compared to someone living in Denmark or Germany who uses 200 litres of water per day and yet even more amazing is those at or below the water-poverty threshold 50 litres per day – those in Africa (Niger, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Uganda, Mozambique. And there are a number of people who do not have access at all. Why is there not enough access to water in Africa? Looking at a few reports from WHO/ UNICEF, and various other agencies – it’s obvious that Africa is among the leading countries that is in need of clean water & sanitization and has had the least improvement in water and sanitation over the past 5 years, particularly in the rural areas.

Why should we care about sanitation and water in Africa? Well, because it’s a basic need and can affect millions of people.
“Water and Sanitation is one of the primary drivers of public health. I often refer to it as “Health 101”, which means that once we can secure access to clean water and to adequate sanitation facilities for all people, irrespective of the difference in their living conditions, a huge battle against all kinds of diseases will be won.” –Dr LEE Jong-wook, Director-General, World Health Organization.

Building wells in Africa, helping to sanitize water and educate people in good hygiene are 3 ways that agencies like UNICEF, WHO, AMERF working within the Millenium Project have outlined a Water for Life plan in a booklet form have a goal of reducing by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe water and basic sanitation by 2015. These agencies have large goals, large staffs and researchers, but I believe it’s important to see the large picture to see where we as individuals or groups can put our efforts. On a smaller scale – many churches, organizations and individuals are raising money to build wells or partnering with communities or churches in Africa. So, we can be thankful that access to sanitation and clean water is happening. Active organizations working specifically with water and sanitation in Africa are:
Play Pumps International, Blood Water Mission, Covenant Mercies, The African Well Fund (started by U2 Fans) and The Water Project are groups I know of that are helping to bring clean water and sanitation to specific countries in Africa.

While this information can be overwhelming, I think it is a conviction of mine to be a good steward of what we’ve been given – and we in the US, even in the poorest families are considered rich compared to most other nations. We should respond in thankfulness in seeing God’s grace in our lives for simple things like running water in our kitchens, that we have no need to walk five miles to collect water, that we have clean water and sanitation and most of us have not gotten sick or had friend’s children or our own children die from water-borne illnesses. We should respond in prayer for those in need, and in action if God would so call us to it.

List of resources on Water in Africa:
African Medical and Research Foundation water project
African Well Fund (NY)
Global Partners for Development
Global Water Challenge (UN Project)
World Health Organization Report (2004)

Feminism: Friend or Foe

Stephanie

Well, the answer to the question is “foe” for many conservative Christians. In some circles, even uttering the word feminism is on par with saying the “F” word. I can’t count how many books I’ve read written by conservative Christian women in which they demean the feminist movement. In order to convince Christian women it is their duty to be submissive, have lots of babies, and be professional homemakers, they have to pit them against the femisnist movement and feminist ideas. They have to present feminism as the enemy.

I’ve read several book dealing with the subject of being a “good” Christian mom and wife(how-to books on how to be the perfect Christian woman), and feminism is the enemy to these goals. Phrases like, “the lie of feminism” or “the feminist movement told us we were unsatisfied, but now we are confused about our role as women” appear in these books and articles. These authors usually don’t qualify which kind of feminism they are talking about. There different kinds of feminists just as there are different kinds of Christians, and I think one should qualify which one they are referring to. For example, I don’t think that all conservative Christians see feminism as the enemy of godly womanhood, but some do. There are also some Christians who think women should never work outside the home and some who think that if you miss church on a Sunday then you’re sinning. So when I say some conservative Christians vilify feminism, I mean some, but not all. In the same way, as Christians, perhaps we could say that we are against certain types of feminism, such as the kind that says that men are useless or that to be a feminist you can’t be a Christian. There are some extreme viewpoints, but they don’t represent the majority.

I am not against feminism. In fact, I am reaping the benefits of hard-working women of the past who made great sacrifices so that I can vote, own property, divorce an abusive husband, gain custody of my children, establish credit, get an education, and so on. I am grateful to the femisists of the past for the personal freedom I have today. And like it or not, feminism is still needed in the world today. We Western women are very fortunate, but our sisters on the other side of the globe still need advocates. They need someone to fight for the rights of women to be treated with dignity and respect, for women’s lives to be valued on equal plane with men’s lives. It doesn’t help their cause when Christian women in the West are constantly berating the feminist movement, as if it had/has no use at all. We take so much for granted!