As a feminist Asian dad, I am constantly on the lookout for empowering books, toys, and role models. My hope is that these will inspire in my daughters a sense of pride and confidence in being both girls and Asian Americans.
When my wife and I told our seven-year-old daughter the news that the doll was no more, our girl screamed and burst into tears. It was a surprising reaction, considering she did not own the doll, nor had she ever seen it in person.
I’ve long admired the work of Christians for Biblical Equality, an organization that advocates for an egalitarian view of women’s roles in both the church and home. Instead of teaching, as some evangelical Christians do, that only men can serve as pastors, priests, elders, and bishops with leadership over both women and men, CBE teaches that women can do it, too. Instead of teaching, again as some evangelicals do, that men are the heads of their households and have a greater say in family decisions than women do, CBE teaches a shared leadership of two equals. And CBE doesn’t pull these interpretations out of the air; it bases its teachings on a thorough study of the Christian Scriptures with the input of numerous world-class Bible scholars.
So it was a thrill for me as a feminist Christian man when CBE invited me earlier this summer to write for their blog! The blog is called Arise, and my post is now up and running. I’ve entitled it “I’m Okay with a Woman Sharing, but Not Preaching,” which is not a viewpoint I hold any longer. But I once did, and my post explains how the change took place. Enjoy!
BREAKING NEWS: I’m happy to say that I just accepted a spot on CBE’s regular blog team! Thank you, CBE!
UPDATE: I’ve added Nicole Chung’s work to the list at the conclusion of this post! Nikki is one of my favorite writers, and she was one of the editors for the now-concluded The Toast. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, The Atlantic, and a number of other publications!
Author’s note: Friends, I’ve been absolutely floored by your response to the launch of this blog and my first post, This Is What a Feminist Dad Looks Like. To say you have been generous in your encouragement and reposting would be a very serious understatement! From the depths of my heart I give massive thanks to every one of you who has offered a kind word or thoughtful comment, a retweet or share, a like or favorite, or a 👍 or ❤ or 😊. You all rock! Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.
I was surrounded by 800 women. Literally.
Continue reading “A Feminist Ally in the Making (Hopefully)”
