The Danger of Feminism

I don’t use my written words to rant. I believe honest, thoughtful communication is the most productive and helpful. I have been known to get on a soapbox when I’m talking to friends but I prefer to think and ponder and reason out my words before sharing them, especially online.

I say that because what I’m writing today might make some of you angry. You might think I’m flinging this off the top of my head but I want to assure you, I’ve thought about this, watched examples of this, and I’m concerned. If you disagree, I’m not mad at you. But please take time to think about what I am communicating here.

I have never identified as a feminist. I believe sometimes we are too hasty to throw on whatever label is trending to seem relevant without considering what that label stands for. But I can honestly say, I’ve never been a feminist. And {this is the controversial part} I don’t think any Christian woman should fall in line with that label in today’s world.

We don’t have the space here to go into all the waves of feminism over the last 200 years, but I recommend the book Mama Bear Apologetics for an insightful chapter on this topic. I’ll only say this: the feminist movement started out wanting to be helpful {voting rights, protecting women from abusing husbands} but as we moved through the 20th century, women got grabby and obnoxious to the point where feminists now believe women are better than men. It’s not about equal rights anymore; it’s about women taking over because we are better.

While I have many problems with this ideology, a sticking point for me that no one talks about is that feminists aren’t really supportive of ALL women. Feminists champion the women that support their views. Other women? Traitors, brainwashed by their evil husbands and fathers. If you think this is an exaggeration, you live in a bubble. Listen to any feminist in an interview, read any article about those fighting for women’s “equality.” They will show their true colors rather quickly and rudely.

Let me give you an example. I have a college degree, I worked full time while my husband went to grad school, and I worked part time before we had kids. After my daughter was born, I worked part time out of the home for six months but then I decided I wanted to stay home with her. I found a remote job {before remote jobs were cool} transcribing interviews and I did that during naptimes and whenever Tommy could watch the baby. As life moved on, I stepped away from the transcribing by my own choice and was “just a stay at home mom.” I’m putting that in quotes because that’s what I’ve been called for over a decade now.

It should also be mentioned that this was a sacrifice. Tommy was making enough to pay the bills and put a little in savings but we chose to live frugally {didn’t eat out much, no fancy vacations, etc.} so that I could stay home.

Our family increased to three kids, we started homeschooling, and life got more busy. In the 13 years I’ve been “stuck at home” with my kids, I’ve never regretted it. I don’t wish I was a CEO or hustling my dream career or anything else. I love learning alongside my kids. I've taken up hobbies like gardening and watercolor painting. Our church activities keep us busy. I live a full life that I am thankful for.

But there are some women who believe I’m not reaching my full potential. Or that I’m trapped and desperately want out but my conservative ties {read: men} are holding me hostage. These feminists do not champion me as a mom choosing to raise her kids. They think I’m ignorant or brainwashed, possibly both.

And that’s one of the places I call foul on the whole feminist movement. If you have the audacity to admit that you are happy in a non-corporate, non-boss babe, suburban life, they believe you are being forced to say it. They will stand against you as you fight for unborn lives and mock you when you speak against agendas targeting kids. Feminists champion one thing: people who agree with them.

Today’s feminists want the power, the money, the job, the everything. It’s not about doing what you’re good at or even what makes you happy. It’s about upending the way “things have always been” and embracing the female future. Have you heard the phrase, “The future is female”? They weren’t just going for alliteration. They actually believe it.

This thinking isn’t doing our daughters any favors. At an all-time high moment of peer pressure, we are making our daughters feel less-than if they don’t have world changing aspirations. Do I want my daughters to succeed in life? Absolutely! But that isn’t always going where no woman has gone before.

Before you stop reading, hear me out. I’m not saying we discourage our girls from working hard, dreaming big, and trying new ideas. I am saying that we shouldn’t make that the focus of their lives or teach them that dream will fulfill them in a way only Christ can.

There are some dreams that just won’t happen {I wanted to be a princess at one point in life} and we shouldn’t tell our daughters they can do or be anything they want…because that’s not true! At another phase of life, I wanted to be a nurse. My mom discouraged that when I started getting faint when I had shots and scored terribly on my biology tests.

As my oldest gets closer to high school and adulthood, something we talk a lot about is what her talents are, what her desires/dreams are, and how she can use those in multiple ways. We talk about how not everyone will enter full time, paid ministry positions but as Christians, everything we do is for God and therefore can be a ministry. What does she love that she can use for God? Because that’s where her ultimate joy will come from.

For me, I believe at this stage my greatest ministry is my kids and the more time I can spend with them, the better. It doesn’t mean I’m perfect, especially patient, gifted, or better. I am not the only one making sacrifices and I can sometimes be selfish about my time. But my ultimate goal in life is to teach my kids Jesus and, prayerfully, live in a way that points to him.

And that’s something 21st century feminism does not support.

Photo by Keegan Houser on Unsplash

Does Worldview Matter?

In Christianity, there are many ‘buzz words’ that people talk about, debate, and hold as important.

Something we don’t often think about is our worldview.

We think, “I’m a Bible believing, born again Christian” and that’s the end. While it should be that simple, our culture and world has a way of making everything more complicated. Or maybe you naively believe it’s not important to have a worldview. So what is a worldview and why is it important?

The dictionary definition of a worldview is “a comprehensive conception or image of the universe and of humanity's relation to it.” Let’s break that down.

Comprehensive - a large scope or a thorough understanding of something.

Conception - an idea, beginning, or plan.

Universe - the cosmos, space.

Humanity - the human race, all people in the world.

Relation - a connection, or the association between things.

By putting all these pieces together, we could restate that your worldview is a “thorough understanding of an idea or plan of the cosmos and how the human race connects with it.”

Despite what the world may tell you, everyone has a worldview. Everyone has some framework or idea for how all people relate to the rest of the world and all the universe. It’s basically the backbone of what you believe and how you interact with the world because of what you believe. Even if someone doesn’t believe in a god or follow a certain religious belief, everyone believes in something. Even humanism is a belief. Even atheism is a belief.

So if you don’t think a worldview is important or you don’t think you have one, what do you think after reading these definitions? Does it sound important for how you frame your thoughts on…

relationships with others {respect, love, empathy}

issues of life and death {abortion, euthanasia, murder}

authority {government, The Bible, God}

responsibilities {work ethic, gratitude, family}

Hopefully, you are beginning to see that your worldview — literally the way you view the world — touches and affects how you see everything!

Why can this be a difficult topic for Christians? Because there are a lot of ‘pastors’ and ‘Bible teachers’ who say they are Christians but do not have a biblical worldview on issues like a seven day creation, the authority of God, who Jesus is, homosexuality, abortion, race, marriage, etc. But because they call themselves a Christian or Christ follower, many people are led to believe the Bible is silent, neutral, or oblivious to these issues. And people follow those false teachers in the belief that the world or science has the answers and the Bible is outdated or ignorant. When you aren’t using the Bible as the lens for how you see and live in this fallen world, it’s going to be very easy to simply follow the game plan of the world.

Put that way, worldview sounds a little more important, doesn’t it?

This may sound shocking but hear me out. There are two sides — God and Satan. If you aren’t following what God has laid out for us in the Bible, you are following Satan. The Bible is clear that the Devil is not a passive participant in what goes on {I Peter 5:8}. He knows God wins in the end but he isn't a quiet loser. He wants to deceive and bring down as many people as possible and he uses any means he can to do it.

When we don't keep the truth of the Bible before us and use it as our guide for how we live and what we believe, we will be susceptible to believe what we hear in the world. Satan is a good liar! Remember his deceit with Eve {Gen. 3:1-5}? He tempted her with half truths. He didn't directly attack God or his character. He asked a question and lied. The fruit looked good {Gen. 3:6}! The lies of a secular worldview look good! False Christians sound like they get it and they throw in enough truth to make us listen. If we are only hearing them and our own wisdom, we will easily be swayed.

Second Timothy 3:16-17 reminds us that Scripture was given by God to teach, rebuke, correct, and train us. Not so we can claim wisdom on our own but to complete and equip us. So when Satan throws his lies via the world, we can know we stand on a firm foundation.

In case my arguments don’t convince you of the importance of your worldview, I highly recommend this podcast episode from a man who has been in the secular college circle and strongly advocates for Christians having a biblical worldview. Parts of his interview are specifically about preparing your children and teaching your children a biblical worldview, not just expecting them to ‘get it’ from living in a Christian home, but his points are worth considering for everyone.

Photo from Adolfo Felix on Unsplash