Friday, February 13, 2009

"Kitchen wives" need not apply

Texas women do Theology!

I'm not exactly a lace collar or twinset and pearls kinda gal, either. But really, could Mrs. Frank James (you know, the one who isn't a kitchen wife) be any more condescending?

This wasn't your typical "women's" gathering. There were no doilies in sight. And the handshakes, I have to say, were noticeably firmer than I usually encounter in women's groups across the country.

I have to tell you, I didn't find any of that at the last women's conference I went to, either. No lace doilies, no limp handshakes, no simpering questions. Can't say I've ever been to a "women's" gathering of any sort, honestly. But at the ENDOW conference last year - I mean to tell you those women are serious about their faith, about doing theology and about influencing their world. In fact, those women make Mrs. James's warriorettes look like camp followers.

Ever heard a nun talk about how she uses Natural Family Planning to guide her prayer life? Ever heard an official of your church dare to publicly call abortion, "little murders"? Ever been to a women's conference where most of the material taught from is older than you? Ever been to a women's conference where a respected and well-known professor of theology digs deeply into the dignity and vocation of women?

I'll take ENDOW over the James gang any day.

addendum, two links of possible interest:

The way Teas women do theology is "we"

Pay attention to how this page loads

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

> I have to tell you, I didn't find any of that at the last women's conference I went to, either. No lace doilies, no limp handshakes, no simpering questions.

I guess she likes her women manly? Yeah, like you, I've not run into groups of women like that. It almost sounds like she is hating on women who aren't being overly assertive and aggressive. That's poor.

She wouldn't look good in a lace doily I don't think.