You've Come A Long Way Baby?

     In the sixties and seventies we saw the rise in the feminist movement (also known as the Women's Liberation, or Women's Lib).  This movement was an effort to increase the social standing of women in our society.  Girls were encouraged to throw off the traditional gender roles.  Feminists campaigned against cultural and political inequalities. Issues of equal pay, gender discrimination, sexual liberation and abortion all became “women’s” issues.  A concerted effort was made by groups to redefine the role of women.  Young girls were encouraged to do more and be more. Professions that were once just for men were now being open to women.

 

     In those efforts, the teachings of the Bible came under fire.  How could you follow a book that taught “submit to your husband” (Titus 3:5, 1^st Peter 3:5) and that kept women from serving in leadership roles (1^st Timothy 2:12)?  We were told those Biblical roles assigned to women and men were part of an outdated culture and were not relevant to modern life.  Pressure was put on religious organization to change their practices to fit with the modern mindset.  Many groups bowed to that pressure and changed.  Society had grown and churches must change with it.  

     Today, we live in very different world because of this, but I’m not convinced that it is a better role for many women.  A woman now can be in the pole position at Daytona, yet her main sponsor doesn't sell her as a driver but as a sex object.  Actresses that recently won major awards are celebrated not for their works but for their nude scenes. Female politicians are more likely to be discussed for what they wear than what they say.  Of all the ways things have changed for women, the one that has changed the most is in regard to respect.  In abandoning the Biblical perspective, the respectful treatment of women has suffered greatly.

    The Bible is misunderstood to be anti-woman.  The scriptures teach that all are equal in Christ (Galatians 3:28).  It does teach women to submit to their husband, but also commands those husbands to treat their wives with the upmost respect (Ephesians 5:25-28, 1^st Peter 3:7).  Women are to be honored in the roles that are given and to be treated in all purity (1^st Timothy 5:2-3). This behavior would elevate the role of women.  

    What we see in our “evolved” society today is that both men and women behave at the base level.  Respect, decorum and dignity have gone out the window. Women are taught to murder innocents to protect their lifestyle.  Men are encouraged by fashion and advertising to treat women as objects.  Women that resist being degraded are seen as prudes.  It seems the role of women in society has come a long way, but maybe not the way they wanted to go.