So Much Silencing

My experience has been that Christians who identify as progressive can be taken with how forward thinking they believe they are. But they don’t have room for actual heartache driven compassion which is how Jesus modeled feminism.

In my experience, a christian man who calls himself progressive can be extremely frustrating to talk to because it’s like their identity is so tied to being progressive that they don’t have anything left to learn. For my experience has been that often these men are the ones who would rather do the talking.

And the female voice in progressive faith communities still sees so much silencing and progressive christian men don’t want to believe that they’re a part of the silencing because that’s a painful realization.

And so conversation shuts down and this is a big obstacle for feminism and faith.

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Words: Stephanie Drury
Image: Jim Kast-Keat
Music: Poodington Bear

  • cm

    so at some point in my journey I became aware of the universal whine around me: “who can understand women, anyways?” as if women were some irrational alien species beyond the scope of science or mathematics or any of the tools we humans use to tirelessly pursue the unknown.
    And that sat in my thinker for a while. And I observed the world around me for a while.
    And when I became ready for the revelation I understood: that women are understandable- after all they understand each other just fine, from a very young age. the problem is that understanding the so called mystery of women would mean that men would have to understand something about themselves, their role and influence over what it means to be a woman. men who are writing off women as some unsolvable puzzle have gotten close to that knowledge and fear it, and turn around and get as far away from that realization as possible.

  • Phillip Wood

    Great reality check! As a man and a formerly self-identified christian, I will say that my experience has been such that I have felt pressure to know things and have answers. It’s ingrained. It can be unlearned, but that’s an intentional process that requires humility. Humility, meekness and quiet self-analysis are not exactly prized qualities in American male culture. Nor is heartache driven compassion. Ugh, our culture…sometimes!

    • Jim Kast-Keat

      Phillip,

      Thanks for your comment. Totally agree that this unlearning takes time and intention. Hard but necessary work.

      I’m with you on that “Ugh” for our culture.

      -jkk

  • Christian woman

    Just as feminists can be locked into their idea of what progressive men should look like, they don’t see the progress some men have made. patriachalists and radical feminists appear to be two sides of the same coin.

    Interestingly, all the reforms that have happened for women, happened because men in the background, also stepped up to the plate to help out.

    Of course, there is much more to be done, and it won’t become perfect until Jesus returns.

    Jesus taught a different way, better than both of these – men and women working together, as equals. And I think history has proven, this is the only thing that has brought about proper change.

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