Most people go to Cape Cod in the summer to have fun but I just went there in the winter to do work. I went there to interview the "birth-mom" of conservative evangelical feminism and to read her personal archives of the publications that her organization, Christians for Biblical Equality, has produced over the years. Instead of interviewing her by phone and buying these journals to read in the library I thought to myself, "Why not pay her a visit and do this reading in her 200 year old house - the birthplace of conservative Evangelical Feminism?" So, that is what I did.
This 81 year old woman, Catherine Clarck Kroeger, is still driving 2 hours (one way) twice a week to teach a class at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary called "Women in the Early Church". I joined her at one of those classes. On the way there she told me about how she gave birth to the E-Fem Movement - a story of scandal, secrecy, discovery, and hope. It was the kind of story you lower your voice when telling and a story you sit on the edge of your seat when hearing (even though I just read the story in a book that came out last year).
On the drive to class we did some feminist activism "real quick" by dropping off a box of resources for a new organization that she is in the process of giving birth to called Peace and Safety in the Christian Home (PASCH). PASCH is organizing to help Christian women get out of domestic violence. Since domestic abuse happens to Christian women as often as it happens to non-Christian women, Kroeger is taking action. She (rightly) believes that dangerous ideologies about female inferiority are made sacred by many conservative Christians, which makes it more difficult to help Christian women get out of abusive homes, the threat of death, and mutilation.
There is a lot of silence about this (but not for long, it seems) and there's a lot of work to be done. As a theologian, Kroeger has already done the intellectual labor necessary to convince conservative Christians that the Bible does not support the domination of women and now she is doing the physical labor of moving abused women into safe environments.
Meeting her was an opportunity of a lifetime. It was history in the making.
Click below for pics.
3 comments:
Grace, what an AMAZING woman, and an amazing opportunity! It's amazing that someone even had the guts to attempt combining conservative evangelicalism and feminism, much less staying with it until it took root. And she's still at it! That'll be you someday! :)
Wow, Gracie. You really are too cool for school :) When I grow up, I want to be just like you :) Really, though--what an inspiring post. Thank you for educating me!!
thanks sib.
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