women bishops, and stay at home sunday?
My last post on women in the Church kicked off quite a conversation. Thanks to everyone who joined in with thoughtful comments. And thanks to so many who wanted to offer support and encouragement.
I received quite a handful of private emails and calls too, from women who have served the Church tirelessly and feel quite flattened by the idea that women "taint" the church. And also from men who support women's ministry and feel the insult too. Of course we don't want to leave the church. But at the same time, staying under such a weight of oppression does seem almost too much to ask. Neither staying nor leaving seems the right answer.
The comment that has stayed with me is Sally's:
…pondering
last night on the impact of all women staying at home on a particular
given Sunday (as obviously this is where some men would prefer women to
be) as a peaceful protest! Every church, restaurant, bar, supermarket
with women nowhere to be seen. How about it? Stay at home Sunday!
Stay at home Sunday? Not leaving the church for good, but showing everyone in a peaceful protest what the world and the Church would actually look like if women caved in to the pressure and gave up. Would you do it? I am not at all sure it would work in practice, and I couldn't see myself deserting my post unless I was certain it would be both effective and properly understood. But I think the response is in itself a gauge of the depth of feeling the subject stirs up.
Do you have any other ideas for effective peaceful protests?
EDIT 23 Oct – two constructive ideas from commenters: I
can think of campaigns: eg for women to be represented (and more than a
token woman) on all Senior Staff meetings in every diocese; an
insistence that there are some women who attend all bishops' meetings.
Changing minds comes through making real relationships and working
together – this is the tragedy of the act of Synod and this is why fif
etc can continue to manipulate those who only hear the superficial,
partial story. But how to demonstrate a need to talk and listen
properly?????
about all the women who are involved in C of E filling every PCC,
Deanery, Diocesan and General Synod place available? At every level
Synods are stuffed full of men (in grey suits with grey hair). If you
want to change the Church, be the change you want to see. You have a
voice and a presence, use it instead of allowing the relatively small
numbers of men to continue to drive the agenda. There are many ways of
making a peaceful protest – being present rather than absent is one of
them.
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Maggi has kept a blog since September 2003, writing about theology and faith, the arts and literature, and a little about life and random nonsense...
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Dear brethrens,
First receive our greetings from here Kenya under the Lord’s name.
I am happy to contact you through this Email. I wish that we share in Christ.. I am from kenya and I love to kwow more about God.