Jimmy Carter Vs. The Southern Baptist Convention: A Sea Change?
Jimmy Carter offered an open letter explaining why he is divorcing himself from the Southern Baptist Convention after six decades as a deacon and Sunday School teacher. Basically, the SBC continues to legislate gender inequity from the top-down, cherry picking select verses to serve a desired patriarchal end, to which Carter responds:
"It was, however, an unavoidable decision when the convention's leaders, quoting a few carefully selected Bible verses and claiming that Eve was created second to Adam and was responsible for original sin, ordained that women must be "subservient" to their husbands and prohibited from serving as deacons, pastors or chaplains in the military service."
It's easy, in the daily course of events, to forget how pervasive such judgments against the equality of women really are, especially as we have examples of powerful women in political office and business. But just as having a black president doesn't solve racial inequities, neither do a handful of high-profile women indicate there isn't an ongoing struggle for parity among millions of other women without such power.
Carter continues:
At its most repugnant, the belief that women must be subjugated to the wishes of men excuses slavery, violence, forced prostitution, genital mutilation and national laws that omit rape as a crime. But it also costs many millions of girls and women control over their own bodies and lives, and continues to deny them fair access to education, health, employment and influence within their own communities.
It's safe to say that everyone from Mark Driscoll's reformed theology cohort to the Catholic Church and even the SBC itself would stand unified in opposition to the more egregious and graphic examples of violence against women. But the more silent, insidious oppression of women through systemic roadblocks, gender bias and sexual objectification can be just as damaging, if not more so in terms of numbers of women affected.
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christian-piatt/jimmy-carter-vs-the-southern-baptist-convention-a-sea-change_b_3015449.html
Losing My Religion For Equality…By Jimmy Carter
I HAVE been a practicing Christian all my life and a deacon and Bible teacher for many years. My faith is a source of strength and comfort to me, as religious beliefs are to hundreds of millions of people around the world. So my decision to sever my ties with the Southern Baptist Convention, after six decades, was painful and difficult. It was, however, an unavoidable decision when the convention’s leaders, quoting a few carefully selected Bible verses and claiming that Eve was created second to Adam and was responsible for original sin, ordained that women must be “subservient” to their husbands and prohibited from serving as deacons, pastors or chaplains in the military service.
This view that women are somehow inferior to men is not restricted to one religion or belief. Women are prevented from playing a full and equal role in many faiths. Nor, tragically, does its influence stop at the walls of the church, mosque, synagogue or temple. This discrimination, unjustifiably attributed to a Higher Authority, has provided a reason or excuse for the deprivation of women’s equal rights across the world for centuries.
At its most repugnant, the belief that women must be subjugated to the wishes of men excuses slavery, violence, forced prostitution, genital mutilation and national laws that omit rape as a crime. But it also costs many millions of girls and women control over their own bodies and lives, and continues to deny them fair access to education, health, employment and influence within their own communities.
The impact of these religious beliefs touches every aspect of our lives. They help explain why in many countries boys are educated before girls; why girls are told when and whom they must marry; and why many face enormous and unacceptable risks in pregnancy and childbirth because their basic health needs are not met.
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http://www.womenspress-slo.org/?p=11440
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