In Depth:  sexism

In these two short extracts from her new book, She Needs – Women Flourishing in the Church, Nay Dawson writes about how women in Christian contexts can often be patronised and infantilised. She cites Jen Wilkin (an author and Bible teacher from Texas who has led studies for women over many years) who speaks of three female ghosts that haunt the church: the Child, the Usurper and the Temptress. Nay writes, concerning the Child:

Many years ago, I was at a conference. I tried to join a conversation with two male acquaintances, but their response was, ‘Go away, silly little girl.’ I felt sick and stupid, and just wished I could disappear. Women are often treated as children; decisions are made for them, and they are patronised and humiliated in conversations.

The topic of women, their value and their roles has never been more furiously debated. In the media the message is clear, too many women have been wounded at the hands of men. The time has come for women to be seen and treated as equals.

Sadly, within the church we haven’t always demonstrated the better story we have regarding men and women. The recent scandals in Evangelicalism have only served to highlight the ways women have been abused, mistreated, belittled, and ignored. A failure to recognise and deal with our blind spots regarding how we value and treat women has led to women feeling hurt, excluded, and not heard.