Dr. Mimi Haddad, President of the Center for Biblical Equality
Dr. Haddad gave a lecture in conjunction with Fuller Theological Seminary Texas on May 7 entitled “The #metoo Movement and the Church.” I drew heavily on CBE’s work for my master’s thesis, so I jumped at the opportunity to hear a (s)hero speak.
Dr. Haddad’s lecture outlined the ways women and girls are harmed by gender violence and harassment, drawing on statistics from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the UN, the IMF, and others, because
Gender equality is a pro-life issue.
Dr. Mimi Haddad
However, citing research from Barna, Dr. Haddad shows that evangelicals are far behind others in believing woman. Less that 1/3 of evangelicals believe barriers still exist for women in the workplace, despite only one out of every 11 pastors being women. Judging from the old white men who challenged Dr. Haddad after the event, the evangelical church’s skepticism seemed obvious. Quite frankly, the evangelical church needs to do better. Many of their churches have the perfect environments for gender violence to thrive:
Power minus empathy plus impunity equals Christian patriarchy
I’m so very grateful for Dr. Haddad’s bravery and passion and voice and her tireless advocating for women and girls in one of the least equal spaces for them – the evangelical church.
I’m also grateful to be in a denomination that fully embraces the gifts of women, following in the tradition that goes back to the early church of Phoebe, Junia, Prisca, and others.
Dr. Haddad’s lecture reminded me that after a few years in a denomination that affirms the gifts of women leaders, I had forgotten what it was like to be a woman in the evangelical church. It wasn’t so long ago that I was in the evangelical world that Dr. Haddad described. I watched my male ministry partner given his card for the recording of his ministry without even him asking for it. But when I inquired about becoming recorded, the response I received was “we don’t just record for the sake of recording.” Despite doing the same work and ministry, I was shut down by a gatekeeper while a man was given his recording without even having to ask. Even still, my experience was better than many. So many evangelical denominations wouldn’t have allowed me to even consider the process to be named in ministry.
But I don’t want to forget. My liberation is tied up with the liberation of all women. May God never let me forget the women still in evangelical circles fighting for their full inclusion into leadership.
-Scholar Steph