Women's Voices Rising (Advocating for the Vulnerable #11)

Dear friends,

Today is International Women's Day, and the youngest of my seven daughters is watching a video about Harriet Tubman. (See video trailer here.) This hero of American history, led hundreds of fellow slaves to freedom along the Underground Railroard at great risk to her own life, and then served as a Union scout and spy during the Civil War.

I admire women like Harriet Tubman for their courage, not only in fighting injustice and cruelty, but also for stepping above the cultural stereotypes of what women can or should do.

The day for this kind of courage and initiative is not over. Injustice still poisons the globe and the oppression of women is particularly foul, especially when it comes to sex trafficking, domestic violence, genital mutilation, denial of educational opportunities / legal protection /  adequate health care, and other serious issues. Not only that, even Western Christians are struggling with the prevailing attitudes of the church toward women. 

We need the strong voice of women. Women must not be silent in the face of injustice.

So I am thankful that women's voices are rising. I hear them, and I add my own.

I'm not expert on any of this, and can't give you an exhaustive list of resources. I'm only going to mention several books and blogs that have been helpful to me.

First the books:

• Half the Church: Recapturing God's Global Vision for Women by Carolyn Custis James
• When Life and Beliefs Collide: How Knowing God Makes a Difference by Carolyn Custis James
• The Gospel of Ruth: Loving God Enough to Break the Rules by Carolyn Custis James
• Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Sheryl WuDunn and Nicholas Kristof

• Submission Is Not Silence by Elisabeth Julin (this post is my review)

You can read more about the first four books and their authors in a blog post that I wrote exactly two years ago today: Weekend Gratitude for Synergy and Little Bits Working Together.

Now the blogs!   Most of these cover issues affecting Western Christian women rather than Third World oppression problems. I have subscribed to each of them through Google Reader.  I do not endorse everything you will read on these blogs, but I trust that you will find plenty of food for thought.  I present them in alphabetical order by last name:

• Wendy Alsup, who has taken on a lot of the crucial issues for women in American evangelicalism: www.TheologyForWomen.org
• Jennie Rae Armstrong, who writes about egalitarian women's roles in marriage and church: www.JennyRaeArmstrong.com
• Karen Campbell, a voice in the home schooling movement against the problems of patriarchy www.ThatMom.com
• DL Mayfield, who works with African refugees in the Midwest www.DLMayfield.wordpress.com
• Marg Mowczko, an Australian who writes about theology and women: www.newlife.id.au
• Wartburg Watch, written by two ladies who are vigilant about abuses in churches and religious organizations, especially in the area of child molestation www.wartburgwatch.com
• Addie Zierman, who understands the angst of Christian women: www.howtotalkevangelical.addiezierman.com

Grace and peace,
Virginia Knowles
www.WatchTheShepherd.blogspot.com