I was recently interviewed for Christians For Biblical Equality's newsletter.
Do you consider yourself a feminist? Why or why not? How do you
define feminism?
As an ordained Wesleyan, I am proud of our heritage in the women's rights
movement from the very beginning at Seneca Falls, New York. We were one of the
first denominations to ordain women.
However, I don't use the label
"feminist" because it stirs up visions of bra
burning, male bashing, and the other craziness of the "women's movement"
in the 60s and 70s. It's not "feminism" I'm promoting any more than
"masculine-ism." It's "humanism." Oops! Can't use that term either!
I think CBE already has the best term: "Biblical Equality." So, I prefer to speak of "equality" of the genders
based on Genesis
1:27 (both are created in the image of God) and
Galatians 3:28
(in Christ there is no male or female).
How did you become interested in feminism? Was it because of a
personal experience, theological study, or something entirely different?
In the early 70s, a friend paid for my wife and I to attend a Bill Gothard seminar
He taught a very hierarchial model of God is over man, man is over woman. Something
deep inside me said, "This is wrong!" (Or maybe it was my wife elbowing
me. Ha!)
As I studied Scripture I realized that God has designed men
and women for shared dominion (Genesis 1:28) and mutual submission
(Ephesians 5:21—often overlooked in favor of 5:22). When my wife felt called into ministry in 1989, I
suddenly realized the just how deep was the fundamentalist and
"Gothard-ist" prejudice against women in ministry. Catherine Clark Kroeger's work on the actual meaning of those "difficult" passages such as 1
Timothy 2:12 solidifed my suspicion of biblical equality into a deeply
held conviction. I wrote about that verse in Communicate to Change Lives.
Do you believe your feminism grows out of your faith in Christ, and/or your reading of Scripture?
Definitely! It is in Christ that there is neither "male nor female"
(Galatians 3:28). He respected women (he talked to them in public,
taught them, and called some to be disciples--all cultural taboos) and
appointed a woman, Mary Magdalene, to be the one to announce his
resurrection. By his actions, he elevated women to equal status with men
(a huge cultural change).
Are there certain issues associated with feminism that are difficult
to reconcile with your faith? What would you say to a young person who is wrestling with these issues?
Those with the most difficulty are the fundamentalists who take Paul's
admonitions (eg. 1 Corinthians 14:34-36, 1 Timothy 2:12) as universal
principles for all time.
(Maria Carlisle, Melanie Kierstead, and Ken Schenk provide context and cultural background of the 1 Timothy passage. I also deal with it
in my article on "What does the Bible really say?.)
It is the fundamentalist who must twist and rationalize Scripture to explain Acts 2:17 and Galatians 3:28 as well as the many biblical examples of Godly
women in administrative and teaching roles: Miriam (prophet--there is no
distinction between "prophets" and "prophetess" in Hebrew Scripture),
Deborah (prophet, judge, military leader), Esther (queen), Hulda
(prophet), Noadiah (prophet), Anna (prophet), Mary Magdalene, Joanna,
Susanne and "many others" (Christ's disciples), Mary Magdalene (the first
evangelist), the daughters of Philip (prophets), Priscilla (teacher),
Chloe (house church leader), Mary the mother of John (house church
leader), Lydia (house church leader), Nympha of Laodicea (house church
leader), Phoebe (deacon, not "deaconess" as translated in the KJV), and
Junia (an apostle).
I would encourage young people to look at Scripture as a whole, and not isolated verses divorced from their context.
For instance, the Bible reads "A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes life merry, but money
is the answer for everything" (Ecclesiastes 10:19). This, however, is a "journal entry" from a man who is
searching to find meaning in all the "vanity" of life. It is scripture, but it's not a "promise verse!"
Is there anything else you feel Christians need to understand about
feminism?
CBE has the very best resources. I appreciate your work.
My wife has also been a part of the leadership of the Wesleyan/Holiness Women
Clergy organization which sponsors a large conference every other year and provides educational material on equality as it relates specifically
to ministry.
And I've also tried to spread the word about equality on my website: www.jameswatkins.com
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