On Finally Feminist

The meeting to discuss Finally Feminist by John G. Stackhouse, Jr. was canceled, so I decided to rant about it here instead because it really annoyed me.  When I picked up the book, I was a little surprised that we were going to read an argument on feminism by a man. However, remembering the adage about not judging a book by its cover, I dove in with an open mind. 

Stackhouse’s main argument draws a parallel between the Bible’s attitude toward slavery and its treatment of patriarchy.  In summary, he states that the Bible regulated the treatment of slaves without actively condemning the practice of slavery itself.  However, we as a society have moved into an enlightened understanding that slavery is wrong.  Similarly, the Bible regulated women’s place in marriage and society without condemning patriarchy and sexism.  However, we are now moving into an era where society has an enlightened understanding that patriarchy is wrong.

 

The argument itself is reasonable, and isn’t even original.  The real reason the booked bugged me was its tone.  Stackhouse bends over backwards in order to validate the opinions of Christians who still espouse such practices as declaring that a wife must submit to her husband, or those churches who prevent women from preaching based on pronouncements by the apostle Paul.  For example, he describes the holders of such views as “Complementarian,” rather than sexist.  It's difficult for me to take his message seriously amidst the pandering.  

 

          I’m not going into detail about the inconsistencies that appeared in later arguments dealing with polygamy and homosexuality.  But I will comment on Stackhouse’s caveat to the book’s main argument, which is:  The cause of feminism must be subordinate to the cause of saving souls.  On the surface, I can’t argue with that.  However, I worry that this could be used as a ready excuse for maintaining the status quo in cases where patriarchy is flourishing.  Also, I wonder if a sexist environment is really a place for cultivating loving, Christ-like relations.

 

          If you are afraid of feminism, this might be a good first book for you.  If this is the best “feminist” writing that can be found in Christian circles, then it’s evidently an impoverished area of scholarship.

Comments

[Reyes-Chow]

Christina - thanks for the thoughts. Oh so much more out there done by feminist theologians. I do think this book could be a positive survey or stopping place on some folk's journey of understanding. For others, critiques that you raise are valid. I will say that there is very little accessible reading on mainstream progressive feminist theology. Most of the stuff that we get in seminary are dissertations re-crafted into books. Anyway, I have found that the the diversity that this book group experience has brought out is telling about our church. Good stuff!

[Derrick Weston]

If you are looking for a challenge, though, Elizabeth Johnson's "She Who Is" was very helpful for me on this subject. Maybe someone needs to get to work on a more accessible analysis of Christian feminism. Hmmm...