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Conversations on Christian Feminism - Speaking Heart to Heart

Conversations on Christian Feminism: Speaking Heart to Heart
By Elaine Storkey and Margaret Hebblethwaite.
Fount (HarperCollins). 254 pages. £8.99

Elaine Storkey and Margaret Hebblethwaite are both well-known Christian writers and speakers (Storkey an evangelical Anglican, Hebblethwaite a Catholic); both care deeply about women; both oppose discrimination; both are widely read in theology and other disciplines. Put them in a room together, give them a topic ('Christian feminism'), and turn on the tape recorder.

The result is this series of conversations. Some are personal - how they 'converted' to feminism, motherhood, and why they have chosen not to be ordained. Some are more theological. Is God male, female, both or neither? Was it necessary for Jesus to be a male? Can women be 'priests'? Some conversations are on ethical issues. Is abortion wrong? What about lesbianism?

Storkey and Hebblethwaite are both motivated by a concern for mission. Is the gospel really good news for modern women? Or do we entice them into the church with the offer of liberation from sin, only to present them with the bad news that they are actually second-class citizens of the Kingdom? They are convinced that all too often that is what is happening - and that it happens when women and men are not able to fill all roles in leadership.

Matter of interpretation

Anyone who 'still' interprets the Bible as teaching male leadership in the home or church is seen as an ostrich who either wilfully ignores or else stupidly fails to understand the 'conclusive' arguments which won the egalitarian case about 15 years ago. Storkey and Hebblethwaite don't seem to accept that on this issue there is a genuine, conscientious difference of interpretation. They cannot see that believers who equally love the Lord and his Word will continue to differ over this and should not be patronised (just as we should not patronise those who differ with us over baptism or the gifts of the Spirit).

But what is really disappointing about this book is that there is no clear definition or rigorous analysis of what feminism really is and the effects it has had. There is some interesting discussion of the philosophy of feminist theologians, and of post-modern feminism. But as far as 'feminism' is concerned, there is the bland assumption that it means endorsing the total equality of women and opposing discrimination, oppression and injustice.

Obsolete attitudes

This could perhaps have been said of 'feminism' from the end of the 18th century up to about 1958. But the writings of de Beauvoir, Frieden, Greer, and those who followed them changed everything. Look at any women's studies course or feminist reader, and you will find that the fierce denunciations of 'patriarchy' are plainly anti-Christian. These rather cosy chats minimise the destructive elements of modern feminist thought. Modern feminism was and is inseparable from the sexual revolution, but the human suffering caused by the breakdown of the 'traditional' family is not even mentioned. Odd, because arguably it is women and children who have suffered most.

For 30 years now, public policy has been driven by modern feminist assumptions - which are that sex-roles are artificial social constructs basically for the benefit of men. The fiscal system now discriminates against those families that wish to follow the husband-breadwinner, wife-childrearer model. The assumption is that all women should be out at work full-time, and the human cost of this for a whole generation of children has been dire - as the writings of Patricia Morgan have documented so powerfully. For some years now, there have been an increasing number of persuasive secular critiques of modern feminism. As Danielle Crittenden says in her recent best-selling work, women are fully accepted as human beings now - but we've forgotten that they are women! There is a deafening silence in these conversations concerning any of these recent critiques. If you want an interesting glimpse into the thinking and personal journeys of these two well-respected and gifted women, then buy this book. But if you want a provocative, up-to-date work on modern feminism and its effects, try Crittenden's What our mothers didn't tell us* instead!

For a select bibliography of both secular and Christian books dealing with the effects of modern feminism, send a SAE to CBMW, 9 Epsom Road, Leamington Spa CV32 7AR).

Sharon James

* What our mothers didn't tell us: why happiness eludes the modern woman. Danielle Crittenden. Simon and Schuster, New York, 1999. Available through Amazon.