Christians are called to be united by their shared faith, not divided by their physical differences.
The Apostle Paul staunchly denies superficial identity-based distinctions, explaining that, “there is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). For Christians, our spiritual identity is what defines us and trumps any factional barriers.
Unfortunately, America stands divided. The divisive voices of identity politics have needlessly increased tension and animosity. Nowhere is this more evident than in the recent surge of third wave feminism which actively strives not for equality with men, but supremacy over them (most especially white men).
This attitude has become so pervasive that even self-proclaiming Christians will ignore the Bible if contradicts their agenda. For example, recently a progressive woman theologian announced on Twitter in response to the laws protecting babies from abortion: “My thoughts on the abortion bills: men truly hate women. The misogyny is breathtaking.”[i]
Of course, she is ignoring the millions of pro-life women, and the fact that the vast majority of babies aborted are girls. Which means that when men stand against abortion, he actually defends millions of women. In fact, gender-based abortions are so prevalent that, “In terms of its sheer toll in human numbers, sex-selective abortion has assumed a scale tantamount to a global war against baby girls.”[ii]
Another vitriolic vein of “feminism” is presented by a female author employed by the Huffington Post[iii] who tweeted that her New Year’s resolutions were to: “1. Cultivate female friendships [and] 2. Band together to kill all men.”[iv] Although she quickly deleted her post it reflects the boundless contempt often exhibited towards men. As Jesus explains, “from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34).
Similarly, that hatred for men has become a corrupting influence within other movements, including those which might have begun with a good intention. For example, the #MeToo movement has rightfully exposed the terrible actions perpetrated by many powerful men, but soon that movement led to #BelieveAllWomen which advocated for the blind acceptance of any and all accusations (especially when its politically beneficial for them such as in the Kavanaugh hearings).[v]
Comments like those above, along with the many instances of high-profile false accusations, have cause increasing divisions between men and women. In a study published by Harvard Business Review, approximately 21% of male employers report that they “are reluctant to hire women for jobs involving close interpersonal interactions with men,” largely due to fears of being falsely accused.[vi]
Some men have even begun speaking out against this new form of anti-man discrimination such as Monty Python actor Terry Gilliam. He explained:
“I understand that men have had more power longer, but I’m tired, as a white male, of being blamed for everything that is wrong with the world.”[vii]
Gilliam is hardly the only one who has noticed this drastic increase in hostility. While certainly men must not be misogynists, neither is it acceptable for women to be misandrists.
Like all issues in life, the Bible provides us the way to reduce this swelling enmity between men and women, instructing us to:
“Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14).
Foundations of Truth hereby waives all claim of copyright (economic and moral) in this work and immediately places it in the public domain; it may be used, published, edited, and distributed in any manner whatsoever without any attribution or notice to Foundations of Truth.
[i] Carol Kuruvilla, “Progressive Women Of Faith Decry Restrictive Abortion Bills As Immoral,” Huffington Post (May 16, 2019), https://www.huffpost.com/entry/abortion-progressive-women_n_5cdc22e9e4b061f71b8906dc
[ii] Nicholas Eberstadt, “The Global War Against Baby Girls,” The New Atlantis, Number 33, Fall 2011, pp. 3-18 (here).
[iii] “Emily McCombs Deputy Editor, HuffPost Personal,” Huffington Post (2020), https://www.huffpost.com/author/emily-mccombs
[iv] Suzanne Lucas, “HuffPost Editor Says New Year's Resolution Is to "Kill All Men",” Inc. (2018), https://www.inc.com/suzanne-lucas/huffpost-editor-says-new-years-resolution-is-to-kill-all-men.html
[v] Amy Swearer, “Don’t Believe Me Just Because I’m a Woman,” Heritage Foundation (October 10, 2018), here.
[vi] Tim Bower, “The #MeToo Backlash,” Harvard Business Review (September, 2019), https://hbr.org/2019/09/the-metoo-backlash
[vii] Nicole Acevedo, “Monty Python's Terry Gilliam blasts #MeToo, says white men are 'blamed for everything',” NBC News (January 4th, 2020), https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/monty-python-s-terry-gilliam-blasts-metoo-says-white-men-n1110481
