International Women's Day

This is International Women's Day and at our breakfast table we heard radio reports about the arrests of women in Iran who have been vocal about their right to freedom, and of violence against women in Central America.

This may have prompted my wife, Ruth, to tell me about a contact with a woman yesterday who has left a tyrannical situation where her husband controls every aspect of her life. She is not allowed access to money, does not drive, does not have possession of her own passport. She is regularly abused physically, verbally, sexually. Ruth is an outreach worker for a local shelter and while she is extremely careful about what she shares with me (no names or identifying specifics), the snippets I hear remind me that the issues of equality for women are not just in distant lands.

Our older daughter is taking a feminism and religion course at her university this term and has been challenged by the discussion of patriarchy and abuse in Christianity. She realizes that her background in a church that uses inclusive language and has women clergy has left her somewhat uninformed and unaware of how oppressive religion can be at times.

We need to make that links between our faith in Christ and our commitment to gender justice and equality. None of this can be taken for granted. Our witness to the world begins with our own practice and example.

We also need to remember that there are women and children close at hand who are desparate for support and sanctuary, even though they may not be linked to a Christian community. Our congregation is connected with the shelter in town in a number of ways, but we can pray for a day when it is no longer necessary for these shelters to exist.