Emerging Women

In light of the ongoing protests and election turmoil in Iran, I found this interview with an Iranian women’s rights activist to give a helpful voice to the real people involved there – “Iranian feminist dissident hopes protests will succeed and stay peaceful.”

To her this isn’t about overthrowing a regime, but a call for serious reform that focuses on human rights. People want to stop the abuse of women on the streets by government guards. Women want to live a normal life. For them, it is not just an election, but basic human dignity that is at stake here.

by Jessica Glaser

I’ve slowly begun to work my way through books written about the Emergent movement or reflecting theology, orthodoxy, and practices that many Emergent groups have come to embrace. Nearly all of them are written by men, which says something much larger than I’d like to discuss here. Nearly all of them gingerly step around the issues of abortion and “promiscuity” (whatever that means), seeing them as modern societal problems. I find this problematic, in that abortion and “promiscuity” are usually two words that are thrown about when seeking to impose restrictions on the lives and bodies of women (the other being “family values” in the unholy antifeminist trinity). I leave bigger discussions of these implications for future essays and debates, but when I hear these, I am forced to notice a deafening silence around much more pervasive issues affecting an enormous number of women in the United States and on the planet at large: sexual violence and violence against women.

Around 1 in 5 women in the United States has been raped or sexually assaulted. Only 37% of rapes are ever reported, according to the FBI, let alone prosecuted. Approximately three women are murdered each day. Nearly 5 million acts of domestic violence occur every year. These assaults and murders are usually performed by an intimate partner or someone the victims knows. Furthermore, somewhere around 50,000 women and children are trafficked into the United States every year.

On a global scale, approximately one in three women will be beaten or sexually assaulted during her lifetime.

I hope these statistics are enough to convince you that there is a major problem here. Numerous advocacy groups working since the beginning of the Second Wave Feminist movement have been able to help millions of survivors in their fight to be taken seriously and their struggle to find safety. Over 40 years, a societal shift has occurred (although not strongly enough) wherein it is no longer acceptable to hit or rape your wife, or any other woman, and that it is not the woman’s fault if such violence is perpetrated upon her. And yet, violence and rape of women are still happening on a massive scale.

Every election cycle, I hear numerous condemnations coming from Christian communities on the subjects of abortion, homosexuality, promiscuity, and even occasionally pornography (without the requisite acknowledgment of the work of feminists such as Andrea Dworkin or Catherine MacKinnon). But I never, ever hear condemnations of domestic violence or rape, which hurts families on a grander scale than most (if any) of the issues listed above.

I don’t understand this silence. Is it because American Christians think that people know that they’re automatically against this kind of violence, and thus don’t need to address it? Is it because there is still a society wide (not just Christian) implied pervasive need to blame the victims and survivors of such violence, and residual from the time when women were chattel, less than human according to legal status and protections? Is it because the Christian community at large still values women less than it does men because of the strong patriarchal history and context of the church and its orthodoxy? I’d argue that it’s probably the intersection of all three of these reasons, and others I haven’t mentioned or am not aware of. And based on the way Jesus treated women and his teachings, I’m sure that the fact that this violence goes unmentioned or ignored, or is tacitly sanctioned by the Christian community, is utterly unacceptable.

So let’s have it, churches, theologians, evangelicals, mainliners. Let’s hear what you’re going to do about the abuse of 50% of your members, who you may not see as equals, but who have been equals in God since the beginning, with society just now learning to catch up. This violence inscribed on our bodies, minds, and souls needs to stop, and you need to be part of the solution.

Statistics taken from http://www.feminist.com/antiviolence/facts.html and http://www.now.org/issues/violence/stats.html, which in turn have been taken from the United Nations, the CIA, the FBI, and the US Department of Justice, among others.

Jessica Glaser is a recent graduate of the University of Denver, a former activist with the V-Day Campaign, a mainline United Methodist, an Emergent Lutheran, and an unapologetic feminist.

By Onleilove Alston

During this Lenten season The Poverty Initiative is inviting you to join us as we reflect on the last week in the life of Jesus and the last year of Rev. King’s life. Though we are not placing the Rev. King on the same level as Jesus, by examining a modern day prophet such as the Rev. King we can gain encouragement and practical insight into how to live a life dedicated to Jesus’ message of Liberation, Justice and Prophetic Love. We will not be following the traditional lectionary schedule but will rather take each week of Lent to reflect on one incident in the last week of Jesus’ life. Be Blessed!

Luke 19:29-41 (New International Version) – Jesus’ Triumphant Entry

29 As he came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples ahead. 30 “Go into that village over there,” he told them. “As you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying that colt?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”32 So they went and found the colt, just as Jesus had said. 33 And sure enough, as they were untying it, the owners asked them, “Why are you untying that colt?”34 And the disciples simply replied, “The Lord needs it.” 35 So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for him to ride on.36 As he rode along, the crowds spread out their garments on the road ahead of him. 37 When he reached the place where the road started down the Mount of Olives, all of his followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen.38 “Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!”39 But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, “Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!”40 He replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!”

Martin Luther King Jr. “Nonviolence and Social Change” Trumpet of Conscience (1967)
“The dispossessed of this nation—the poor, both white and Negro-live in a cruelly unjust society. They must organize a revolution against the injustice, not against the lives of the persons who are their fellow citizens, but against the structures through which the society is refusing to take means which have been called for, and which are at hand, to lift the load of poverty…

“…There are millions of poor people in this country who have very little, or even nothing, to lose. If they can be helped to take action together, they will do so with a freedom and a power that will be a new and unsettling force in our complacent national life…”

In Luke 19:28-41 we read the familiar but unusual passage about the “Triumphant Entry” from which we derive our Palm Sunday celebrations. Jesus does not enter Jerusalem in the same way as the religious and political leaders of his day; instead he enters on a donkey. To spite this extremely humble entry the people crown him their King and praise God for him. Though Jesus was not declared King by the Roman Empire, peasants bestowed this title on him, and every Palm Sunday thousands of years later in churches across the world we echo their words. This short but powerful passage gives us important insight into the agency of poor people to name themselves, and to claim for themselves dignity outside the confines of the principalities and powers of their day. Throughout history we have examples of poor people who arise and claim dignity for themselves . Could the Triumphant Entry be but one example of the many instances in which poor people organized themselves-peasants in Jerusalem organized around Jesus their declared King, slaves organized in hush harbors, and in 1968 poor people of all races from across America organized around the Poor People’s Campaign-beginning with a Mule Train from Marx, Mississippi (sound familiar). The Poor People’s Campaign was the last project of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and much like the poor of Jesus day who risked persecution by proclaiming Jesus as their King because they had nothing to loose but bondage to the Roman Empire, the poor of Dr. King’s day risked it all to converge on the nation’s capital to challenge the American empire; because they had nothing to loose but bondage to an economic system that robbed them of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. God places the desire for freedom within all of his children, and just as he provided the donkey for Jesus’ triumphant entry, if we step out in faith with the freedom and power that Dr. King prophesied about in 1967, we too will have everything we need to obtain the liberation provided by our creator. As the gospel songs of old declared-“God is no respecter of persons what he did for others he can do for you too.”

Questions for Reflection

What do these stories of triumphant entries tell us about the nature of God and his desire for justice and liberation?

Do you see a connection between the donkey in Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and the mule train in
MLK’s Poor People’s Campaign?

In what ways do we allow our fears of not being enough or having enough (money, talents, etc)
stop us from doing God‘s work of justice? This Lent what is one small way can you step out on
faith and trust that God will provide you with what you need to be an advocate for justice?

Prayer: God, give me the faith and courage to step out and stand for justice trusting that you will
provide me with all I need to do your work. In the name of Jesus our liberator-yesterday, today
and forever, Amen.

Onleilove Alston is a former Beatitudes Society Fellow at Sojourners. She serves on the Servant Leadership Team of NY Faith & Justice, is a nominated Poverty Scholar and a Faithful Democrats Fellow.

By Onleilove Alston

A true revolution of values will soon cause us to question the fairness and justice of many of our past and present policies. On the one hand, we are called to play the Good Samaritan on life’s roadside, but that will be only an initial act. One day we must come to see that the whole Jericho Road must be transformed so that men and women will not be constantly beaten and robbed as they make their journey on life’s highway. True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring.

-Martin Luther King, Jr.
Beyond Vietnam — A Time to Break Silence
Delivered April 4, 1967, at a meeting of Clergy and Laity Concerned at Riverside Church in New York City

On Tuesday January 20th, 2009 I was blessed to be in Washington, D.C. to witness history. As a descendent of one of the largest slave holding families (the Alstons of North and South Carolina) it was surreal to realize that less than 200 years after the Emancipation the first African-American president was sworn in on Abraham Lincoln’s Bible. I have been overwhelmed with emotion and still cannot believe that the new first family looks like my own. I am very proud of how far African-Americans have come towards freedom and though a major part of Dr. King’s dream was realized we are still not at the Promised Land. Many leaders from the Civil Rights movement have alluded to fact that it has been 40 years since Dr. King’s assignation. This fact has made me think about the Exodus story which has given African-Americans encouragement and a framework for their experience in America. The Exodus story is the foundation of the Black Church and I think it can provide important insights for how we as an American people can make it to the Promise Land Dr. King preached about in his Mountain Top sermon given the night before his death.

Though the Exodus account ends with the Children of Israel entering the Promised Land, not everyone was able to enter. Moses himself had to be left behind, and some from the older generation passed without entering the Promised Land. As a nation if we truly want to enter into the Promised Land Dr. King preached about, we have to continue to challenge the three ills Dr. King discussed: Poverty, Militarism, and Racism. We have to hold our president accountable to addressing these ills through his policies. In my opinion we need to have a revolution of values, a revolution that places the least of these at the top of our agendas. The time has passed for the Greed is Good ethic that has characterized the last twenty years, the time has passed for patronizing charity, and the time is now to reignite Dr. King’s Poor People’s Campaign. The Poor People’s Campaign brought poor African-Americans, Whites, Latinos, Asians, and Native Americans together to converge on the nation’s capital to challenge our government to address the needs of the poor. As people of faith we must challenge this new administration to deal with the scourge of poverty once and for all. With the current economic crisis the ranks of the poor are growing to include not just the homeless or the welfare mother, but to include the former Lehman Brothers employee, or our suburban neighbor. Now that the issue of poverty is at the forefront we can begin to address issues of sexism, racism, and militarism; which all feed into poverty. Now is the time to challenge President Obama to continue the unfinished work of the Poor People’s Campaign, least we are left behind like Moses and the Children of Israel who did not completely yield to God’s call and missed entering into the Promised Land. Will we yield to Christ’s call to “preach good news to the poor” or will we be left behind?

Organizations dedicated to ending poverty:

The Poverty Initiative at Union Theological Seminary
Sojourners Mobilization to End Poverty
Micah Challenge
New York Faith & Justice
Domestic Workers United
Christian Community Development Association

Onleilove Alston is a former Beatitudes Society Fellow at Sojourners. She serves on the Servant Leadership Team of NY Faith & Justice, is a nominated Poverty Scholar and a Faithful Democrats Fellow.

One of the purposes of this blog is to raise awareness about the issues women worldwide face. Unfortunately women continue to be used and hurt around the world. Today CNN posted a special report about the acts of “femicide” taking place in the Congo. Women and girls (like 3 year old girls) are being raped and brutalized – literally destroyed as pawns in an ongoing war for power in the Congo. As tribes and factions compete for control of the country’s resources – diamonds, gold, and cobalt (sold to feed US demand for jewelry and computers) – women are the targets that are preyed upon.

Already having a low status in society, women who are raped are often then rejected by their families. It is emotional warfare that destroys the women and hence the families. Weaker tribes can be more easily conquered. Activists are desperate to get the word out about this ongoing violence against women – but wonder if the world cares enough to come to the defense of dark-skinned African women. Or are we too racist and sexist to even care?

How do you react to these atrocities? Do you think that continuing to advocate for women’s rights could help more people get involved in stopping horrors like these?

http://videogames.yahoo.com/feature/playstation-2-component-incites-african-war/1231745

I discovered the above link on yahoo — a surprise to find something disturbing in a substantive way when yahoo ordinarily sticks with celebrity weirdness. It gives you cause to think about buying your kid a playstation, getting a slick new cell phone or even a new computer!

My husband and I, along with 5 other families, recently started a local chapter of Family-to-Family. Yesterday I received the following email from the founder of the organization: