Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Sarah Over the Moon

Home
New Visions
A new hope

A new hope

Last updated on: November 20, 2012 at 2:40 pm by Sarah Moon

A new hope 2012-11-20T14:40:22-06:00 Sarah Moon

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

(May 22, 2008 – Source: Paul Kane/Getty Images AsiaPac)

Today, I checked my phone compulsively for tweets from Connor Park and Dianna Anderson, who were updating the Twitter world on the status of the Church of England’s synod on whether or not to ordain women bishops. Today, I thought that there was no way women could lose this battle. No way.

But I was wrong.

Today, I sat in the student union, and a couple of men (who I can only describe as “dudebros”) sat down near me. As I received the disappointing news via Twitter that the Church of England had decided not to ordain women bishops, and had to fight back tears of anger and discouragement, these “dudebros” started a conversation about–what do you know?–women.

Or should I say “hot bitches who give them boners,” since that’s how they described the women they were discussing.

I’m not a part of the Church of England. In fact, I’m not really a part of any church. And I wasn’t one of the “hot bitches” that the dudebros next to me were looking at on one of their iPhones.

But those events, especially how they happened to coincide, were reminders…

Today, I cried in public because I wondered if my voice mattered at all. I cried because I even though I often feel men’s eyes on me, I doubt they really see me.

They hear, but they don’t listen.

They gaze, but they don’t see.

It would be so easy to give up, and I know that’s what they hope for. They hope for a day when the oppressed follow their rules and stop preaching and prophesying. They hope for a day when the oppressed give up trying to be human, and settle into their “roles” as sex objects.

They hope…

But we hope for something different.

“Let justice roll down like waters…”

This isn’t an area where we can agree to disagree. This isn’t a place where both sides are valid.

This is a case of justice vs. injustice.

For our hope to be realized, we must live in antithesis to their hope.

We must speak.

We must preach.

We must minister.

We must affirm our humanity.

We must demand respect.

We must call our oppressors out of the way that leads to death–the death of half the church, the death of the humanity of both men and women–and invite them to a new hope.

Don’t give up, women.

“The moral arc of the universe is long but it bends toward justice.”

Previous Post

November 15, 2012

In Praise of the Doubting Thomas--A Book Review

Next Post

November 21, 2012 Their caricatures of me aren't me.

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month June 2017 March 2017 November 2016 October 2016 July 2016 June 2016 March 2016 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: Boaz was Ruth's brother-in-law who married her.

Select your answer to see how you score.

FALSE TRUE