In an article first published on the website of Ethos: EA Centre for Christianity and Society, ERIN MARTINE SESSIONS reflects, against the backdrop of the #ThingsOnlyChristianWomenHear controversy, on the power of language…
A few weekends ago I heard an excellent sermon on Taming the Tongue (James 3) and, as all good sermons do, it got me thinking. I started wondering about the many and varied ways we use words: from articles and pronouns through to attributive adjectives and verbing nouns, words – and what we do with them – have weight and freight. That last sentence alone carried meaning, provided examples of parts of speech, included alliteration and rhyme, and took a (now not so) sneaky jab at grammar grouches. So, aside from that dig at language mavens, it’s not only that I want my words to build people up rather than tear them down (Ephesians 4:29, I Thessalonians 5:11 and Romans 14:19). It’s also that I want to keep considering the nuances and subtleties of our ever-evolving language and apply these considerations to what I speak and to what I write.
Language is like water, and I like to swim. It’s always flowing and changing. But, it appears that we’re not all experiencing the same current…actually, I’m pretty sure some people are in a stagnant, backwater, paddling pool. As I progress further in my studies and as I take up more speaking and writing opportunities, I find the kind of feedback, advice and seemingly innocuous comments I receive have a particular flavour: a #ThingsOnlyChristianWomenHear kind of flavour, leaving me with a nasty taste in my mouth.
“This hashtag has already generated a lot of discussion. Not all of it has been positive. It has, once again, highlighted the spectrum of views on ‘women in ministry’. It also opened up discussion on church unity. Whatever our perspectives, we can all try to listen, understand and empathise and then thoughtfully and respectfully engage.”
Now, just in case you’ve been living under a rock (or, say, an upturned inflatable kiddie pool in Stillwater, Oklahoma), #ThingsOnlyChristianWomenHear was a hashtag created by Canadian author, preacher and recovering know-it-all, Sarah Bessey. It very quickly started trending on Twitter and Facebook, was picked up by CBE International and inspired an interesting Christianity Today op-ed. The tweets were quotations of things that had been said to Christian women and they ranged from the well-meaning-but-misguided through to the blatantly misogynistic. Here are a few examples I’ve found particularly relatable:
You speak five languages and have a doctoral degree? Children’s ministry is your calling! – Sara Eggers
Women can write theology books but not teach theology. – Scott Lencke
“I’m a Pastor.” So where does your husband pastor? “No, I’m the Pastor.” You pastor together? “No, I’m the Pastor.” – Megan Powell du Toit
I want to qualify what I’m about to say with the following: I am free to exercise my gifts and live out my calling in my church and workplace, where I am lovingly encouraged and supported. But I don’t exist in an egalitarian bubble and, unfortunately, I still experience unconscious bias and sexism on a daily basis. Here are my contributions to #ThingsOnlyChristianWomenHear:
Thanks for that great lecture but shouldn’t you be home with your son?
My male colleague writes an interdisciplinary book: “He’s a Renaissance man”. I work towards my interdisciplinary PhD: “She’s confused. She doesn’t know what she wants”.
What do we do with this? How can we make it better? Firstly, respectful dialogue. This hashtag has already generated a lot of discussion. Not all of it has been positive. It has, once again, highlighted the spectrum of views on ‘women in ministry’. It also opened up discussion on church unity. Whatever our perspectives, we can all try to listen, understand and empathise (‘You never really understand a person until you consider things from his [sic] point of view…until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.’ – Atticus Finch, To Kill A Mockingbird) and then thoughtfully and respectfully engage (and remember, thou shalt not commit logical fallacies).
Secondly, whether you are female or male, if you are of the theological persuasion that supports women in ministry, then do it: support us vocally, advisedly and creatively. Give women opportunities to lead, teach, preach, speak and write. Recognise the barriers that may be standing in our way and help us to overcome them. And, getting back to my earlier thoughts on the subtleties of language, here’s a simple but effective way to change culture: use feminine pronouns.
As you were reading my opening sentence, how many of you saw in your mind’s eye the person giving the excellent sermon as a man? This is something I’ve caught myself doing over the years. When I was growing up, it was overwhelmingly the case that people in positions of authority were male, and so masculine pronouns became my default. Today, when I read about a CEO, or a doctor, or a NASA mathematician (if you haven’t seen Hidden Figures make sure you do!), or a pastor, I still sometimes envision them as male. I believe that culture influences language and vice versa. So, let’s change the conversation.
By the way, that excellent sermon was given by an inexperienced female preacher. And she nailed it.
Erin Martine Sessions is a writer, poet, parent, and lecturer at Morling College. She enjoys bending space and time to binge-watch Netflix. This article was first published by Ethos: EA Centre for Christianity and Society.
