What’s slavery got to do with it? This long but fascinating article, written by a Christian lawyer who left Gothardism as a young adult, shows the connection between the Christian Patriarchy movement (led by people like Bill Gothard of Institute in Basic Life Principles, Jonathan Lindvall of Bold Christian Living, and Douglas Phillips of Vision Forum) and the teachings of Confederate theologian R.L. Dabney, who was Stonewall Jackson’s chaplain. Please, if you have any connection with people in the Christian Patriarchy movement, you must read this to understand the ideological origins and ultimate trajectory of the ideas they are promoting. Yes, many people in the Christian Patriarchy movement are wonderful, loving, godly people with great families. I envy many Quiverfull women’s parenting and household management skills. But that doesn’t mean that the patriarchal principles those movements are promoting aren’t destructive, and dishonoring to God and the precious people God created.
Along those lines, check out this 1916 pamphlet opposing women’s suffrage. Any of those arguments sound similar to ones you hear nowadays?
Carolyn Custis James had a great take on Super Bowl, human trafficking, and how women are portrayed in American society–and in the church.
“Research demonstrates that sex-trafficking activities surge dramatically in cities hosting major sporting events like the Super Bowl–meaning women and girls against their will are bought and sold repeatedly that night to satisfy men. So I was heartened to read how New Orleans law enforcement had mobilized to prevent these atrocities from happening in their city. With that battle raging on the streets of New Orleans on behalf of trafficked girls, America sat back, munchedon chips and dip, and watched a collection of commercials that devalued, degraded, and objectified women as sexual objects.
Here’s a list of handy rape prevention tips written for the people who really need them. Words of wisdom include “Use the buddy system! If it is inconvenient for you to stop yourself from raping women, ask a trusted friend to accompany you at all times,” and “Carry a rape whistle. If you find that you are about to rape someone, blow the whistle until someone comes to stop you.” Yeah!
So, what have you been reading? Link to your faves in the comments!
Ed Stetzer says that sex trafficking is real, an important problem to talk about, but that the stats don’t show it is influenced by the superbowl. I think it is a good read.
http://www.edstetzer.com/2013/02/the-superbowl-sex-trafficking.html
Interesting. I can see Stetzer’s point, but it makes me wonder, where do people get hard and fast stats on issues such as human trafficking, anyway? Couldn’t most of it be referred to as “incidental”? From what little I know of it, it seems to me that these sorts of issues might have to be based more on experiencial than empirical evidence. Hmm. Now I’m curious!
I agree with you that actual stats would be hard to come by. But not impossible. Freakenomics guys have done some pretty good research into prostitution and there are others that research criminal activities.
Ed frequently rails on Christians for bad use of stats so this is just one in a series. If you have any interest in stats and how to use them better then read Bradley Wright’s book Christians are Hate Filled Hypocrites and other lies you’ve been told. Very interesting look at common stats that Christians regularly used and why we shouldn’t. He second book Upside is also a very good look at why Christians need to stop complaining that the world is going to hell in a hand basket all the time.
Thanks for the book suggestions! And also the Freakenomics info. A friend of mine was involved in collecting trafficking data in my area, but it seems like it had to be gathered mainly through public health and social services, so it was highly dependent on the experiences people were willing to report having had on anonymous surveys. It just seems like a slippery issue to get any sort of handle on. I agree about the importance of using good stats, though, or leaving them out if there just AREN’T any good stats.
Love the ant-suffrage poster. Their arguments are that women have enough responsibility without adding the ballot to their burden, giving women the vote is undemocratic, that men haven’t been able to fix things with the vote and adding women to the rolls is no guarantee they will do any better, etc. It must have sounded like rubbish even back in 1916!
I’m about half way through the patriarchy post, and loving it. I may come back to comment more after I finish it off, but wanted to say that it is well worth clicking over and reading despite its lengthiness.
Thanks Jen, and have a happy Friday.
Tim
P.S. I wrote a little valentine to my wife on the blog yesterday. You might get a kick out of it.
OK, finished the patriarchy post and it was eye opening. It also made me feel like I need to go take a shower.
It’s quite the read, isn’t it?
Jenny,
I love your new Friday Favorites! I am so happy that you take the time to put all the clarifications in your posts, such as “Yes, many people in the Christian Patriarchy movement are wonderful, loving, godly people with great families. I envy many Quiverfull women’s parenting and household management skills. But that doesn’t mean that the patriarchal principles those movements are promoting aren’t destructive, and dishonoring to God and the precious people God created.” This is so important. For the last year and a half I have struggled with how to reconnect (if at all) with some friends whom I love dearly but who are steeped in this movement. They are wonderful but sorely misguided. It got to the point I couldn’t associate with them for fear of how their children looked down on my children. I am discouraged by the downtrodden nature of some very talented, gifted strong-willed women all in the name of man-as-head-of-household. It is sad. Thanks for this. So much. I may comment again after I read the article.
Thanks Angie! I truly do love my friends in the Quiverfull movement, and have enormous respect for them, but I also worry about their daughters in particular. If they’re never exposed to anything else, that sure makes it hard to make independant, educated choices as a young adult.
Thanks for the re-post, Jenny!
And yes, I felt like taking a shower after writing it.
It is, at least, a great relief to know that I did the right thing in leaving the movement. I should now be rather free from any remaining guilt.
Thanks so much for taking the time to research and write that post! I’m sure it was a big job, but it was very helpful.