“In Christ there is… no male nor female” (Galatians 3:28)
There is an equality of personhood in Christ. Jesus elevated the sense of worth for women, and it’s His Gospel that moves culture toward understanding human dignity and rights, including the appreciation of the true value of women. As Christians, we have a long way to go in respecting, valuing, affirming, encouraging and protecting girls and women.
There are so many ways girls and women are mistreated and abused in our world today: rape, molestation, domestic violence, sex-trafficking, female genital mutilation, targeted female abortion and female infanticide, dehumanizing cultural garb, workplace sexual harassment, job discrimination, and the list goes on and on.
It’s very sad to me how so many who are thought to be leaders in the women’s rights movement so often equate women’s rights with abortion rights. Abortion clearly is the enemy of girls and women, destroying the right to live for countless millions of girls and women worldwide. Christian men as well as women must speak up for women and girls, proclaiming their worth, modeling respect, providing encouragement, protecting their safety and their rights.
In the Christian church, women should be highly valued and appreciated as well. Women as well as men are made in the image of God. Christ died for women as well as men. The Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to women as well as men. The church, then, clearly must provide meaningful opportunities for women to use all the gifts God has given them in service to their Lord and King.