What our church believes about sexism and the role of women

“We believe that we are called by the Holy Spirit to raise a faithful prophetic voice that distinguishes the central witness of the Scriptures from the misuses of the Scriptures found within the Christian tradition. We will resist patriarchy and sexism within church and society by relying on God’s gifts of knowledge, reason, and scientific inquiry as we work together with all people of good will.”

​by Pr. Manda

Have you ever thought of how intertwined the story of God is with the history of patriarchy? Where does human invention end and the nature of creation begin? Does the Bible call God male because God is male? Or does the Bible call God male because it was only men who were choosing which writings to include in the Bible?

If we can’t untangle the story of Scripture – and the God it witnesses to – from the history of Christianity, then how will we move forward? How will we respond to #metoo or policies and laws about abortion, and what will our faith have to say about how we should respond?

In 2012, on the urging of people across the nation, our Church (the ELCA) put together a task force to study the issue of what justice for women should look like in the world today. They have held over 100 listening sessions with people in our Church. They have met with and learned from over 2 dozen experts. They have asked questions;

What problems do women face?
What does economic sexism look like?
How is sexism personal? How is it political?
How can we understand the Biblical texts that devalue women?

And now, they have a draft, and they are seeking the input of the whole Church. This will be a public statement. When people ask you “What does your church think about sexism?” this statement will be our answer.

So I’m excited that we’re going to spend some time thinking about it, and adding our voices to the draft. I personally want to be a part of a community that responds to the needs of the world from a beginning point of God, not ourselves. I’m grateful that CGS can be such a community.

We will meet at the home of Hope Russell (her address is in Breeze) on Sunday evenings at 5 pm. We’ll do this 4 times from September 9th to September 30th. Dinner will be provided, so we appreciate an RSVP. But this study is for all people. If you are concerned with the way that women are treated, the roles that men and women hold, and what our faith tells us about women and God, then I would highly encourage you to join us.
You can RSVP to Laurie Gaumer, Pr. Manda, or the office.