Living Behind the Veil

I'm often asked what I wear in Afghanistan and what it's like to wear a veil. It's freedom. Freedom to have a bad hair day, freedom to arrange my chadar to conceal the curve of my breasts and backside, freedom to not be an expatriate for a little while. It means freedom to hide even on the street from the Afghan men's eyes which seem to strip me naked.
When I relax my shoulders and walk less purposefully, less confidently, my eyes downcast and covered by sunglasses, I pass for an Afghan woman. I hear the men whisper in Dari, "Is she a foreigner or local woman?" I chuckle but am silent. On the street, I'm also a free target....freely exposed to groping, sexual innuendos whispered to me as a man bicycles by, free to have stones thrown at me, freely seen as no one's wife, daughter, sister, mother, friend, or boss. I step inside my gate, and remove my chapan and chadar. Now I'm someone's boss, motherhood returns to me as little steps run to greet me, and I receive a kiss from my adoring husband. Now I'm free to his loving and gentle eyes which know and enjoy my curves, free to once again be under the protective umbrella of being a wife, mother, friend, colleague, boss, niece, sister, daughter, woman.

Sunday, February 17, 2019

#silenceisnotspiritual



One of the biggest fears most godly Christian women have is to be labeled a liberal, a feminist. I've even heard the term "femi-nazi.." But as this article on the Weaponizing of American Evangelicalism against Women discusses, these types of labels are dehumanizing, demeaning, and shut down dialogue.





It is time for the Western Church to listen and to change...for women of our generation, for our sons and daughters, and for future generations.

One humanitarian said: “No matter how subtle, dehumanizing ideas of people lead to dehumanizing actions.” Throughout American evangelical history, theologians used Scripture to support slavery, racial segregation, and male supremacy. They aligned God with maleness and whiteness, and then weaponized these ideas against women and especially women of color. 
In short, American evangelicalism—viewing women as inferior—has been weaponized against them for the benefit of male power and domination. While Christians like John Piper and Brad Wilcox insist that gender roles protect women from abuse, the data and the stories of the #ChurchToo movement stand against them.
Power and sex are two sides of the same patriarchal coin, according to abuse survivor Christa Brown. She explains: 
"Because complementarian theology promotes a power differential between men and women, it fosters the sort of abuse of power that devolves into sexual abuse.” 


Evangelical women are beginning to speak out in larger numbers.  See this article here. I sincerely hope this movement does not fade, but continues to grow.  I see women and men in increasing numbers longing for a different way, a different dynamic in our Churches. I know I want something different for my sons and daughter.

Also see the statement signed by over 3000 Evangelical Women urging the Evangelical Church to address issues of abuse in the church.

#metoo
#churchtoo
#missionarywomentoo
#silenceisnotspiritual

Just a Few Articles on Sexual Abuse in Independent Baptist Churches


Related Posts
Women's Bodies as Battlefield - conservative Evangelicals highest domestic violence rate in USA.
Christianized Purdah
#silence is not spiritual
response to #missionarywomentoo
#missionarywomentoo
What if the Good Samaritan was an Orthodox Sunni Muslim Woman?
Sexual Harassment in Cross-Cultural Work
Women with a Wartime Mentality
A Tribute to the Single Woman Missionary
Androcentric Translation: A Poem



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