Breaths of Life

I am not surprised that a man like Donald Trump exists in the world; disrespect for women is no new thing. Trump, nevertheless, is a distinct outlier. His comments to demean women are so frequent, and at times so generalizable, as to succeed in belittling every woman, everywhere. It is one of his most notable skill sets, and he enjoys flaunting it. Although his recorded boasts of sexually assaulting women in 2005 were shockingly inappropriate, few can deny that the words are perfectly in line with his character. As reprehensible as Trump may be, again I am not surprised that a man like him exists in the world. What does surprise me is that you, male church leader – pastor, theologian, missionary, elder, deacon – are supporting him and even advocating for him.

To the many male leaders in the church who have rejected Trump and who respect and love women well, I value you and thank you. The way you act towards women glorifies God and gives me hope.

But to the Trump supporters, I now see you differently, wondering if some of your teachings came from a different place in your heart than I knew. You see, it is not just men in secular environments who can make women feel small. I have been made to feel small for being a woman in Christian settings as well. Both groups have objectified women, reducing her worth to one small aspect of her personhood. While secular environments tend to value a woman according to her appearance or sexual desirability, some Christian groups reduce a woman’s value to homemaking or childrearing. Once you have developed the habit of viewing a particular group of people in a one-dimensional way, I suppose that it becomes easy to tolerate disrespect for them.

I have personally experienced thinly veiled misogyny in Christian settings. Remembering these, perhaps I should have known.

Eleven years ago during my undergraduate years at the University of Oklahoma, I remember the girls being separated from the guys at a Christian student gathering. A speaker told the girls that the only reason we should be getting a college education was to facilitate intellectual conversations with our husbands. A woman’s role was solely the home, I was told. The speaker must have forgotten that the beloved Proverbs 31 woman was an example of a workingwoman, wife, and mother.

At two of my past churches, a book table has included a particular book on theology for women with a bird on the front cover, the back cover asking us if we had ever thought that theology was “just for men” or felt put off by the “daunting vocabulary” or the “complex sentence structures” of the more manly theology books. Whatever your interpretation of Biblical passages pertaining to women, I challenge you to find any scripture saying that God made girls dumb.

Take also the time I was dating a divinity student at a Baptist seminary. Though I was in my fourth year of medical school at Vanderbilt University, he said during our break-up, “I knew you wanted to be a doctor, but I didn’t realize that you really wanted to BE a doctor,” as if he had assumed that medicine was just some cute hobby of mine.

Most upsetting to me are the times I have seen women abused in Christian marriages, only to be told by church leaders that the problem is the wife’s lack of “Biblical” submission. Whatever the Biblical definition of “submission” may be, what is not debatable is that husbands too often use Ephesians 5 for selfish agendas, manipulation, and abuse, failing to live up to their part to “love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Eph 3:25).

With this backdrop, I cannot help but question your motivation for supporting Donald Trump. I cannot help but wonder if individuals who are minimally offended by Trump are those who have been seduced by the lie that women are less.

Essentially all women have felt belittled for being female, whether in the church or out of it. A large percentage of women have even been verbally abused or sexually assaulted by men. How do you expect these women to receive your advocacy for Donald Trump?

When male church leaders stand up for Trump, how different is this from male bystanders who encounter a girl being sexually abused or objectified, only to defend the guy and not the girl? We are not voting for a Sunday school teacher, you say. We are not defending the way he treats women, you say. But why would you vote for anyone, anywhere, who is abusing your sisters and daughters? The men who should be protecting us the most are standing up for the abuser.

Please, do not bring up Bill Clinton’s infidelities now. If that is your reflex retort, it only serves to prove my point. Is a husband’s affair the wife’s fault? No wife advocates for her husband to cheat. Whatever Hillary’s reasons for staying with Bill, it is an example of a promise she kept, when few would have blamed her for breaking it. Even if Hillary did intimidate Bill’s victims, have you forgotten that she also is a victim of Bill’s infidelities? Might I suggest that this would not be the first time that in trying to protect one vulnerable population, you became blinded to the plight of many others.

Though your purported goal is to protect Christian values, you have lost track of the person of Jesus. Jesus was an advocate not just for women, but also for the poor, the weak, the sick, the suffering, and the immigrant (Matthew 25:31-46, Deuteronomy 15:10-11). How can anyone see Jesus in you if you overlook the many groups of people being trampled on and belittled by Trump, in the hope that Trump might protect your Christian values? Christianity cannot be protected in that way – like a garment can only be torn by a game of tug of war, the Christianity you are trying so hard to protect will only be damaged beyond recognition.

In your attempts to protect Christian values, you are undermining the most important of them. When you advocate for Trump, which Christian value does this convey? I can assure you that many only see fear and selfishness. They see that their value as a person is less important to you than your laws. Jesus himself said, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12). If Christians instead insist on protecting our religious freedoms or values above all others, why should we be surprised when others are unwilling to protect us?

You have put your hope for advancing Christian values on your ability to control laws, but laws can only fail at this. A main point of the Old Testament, as far as the New Testament is concerned, is that laws cannot change people. Only Jesus can do that (Romans 3:21-26). Representing Jesus in the way we treat others is the primary way to change culture and to advance Christian values. You want to protect Christian churches and schools, but if the church is not representing Christ in the way we love others, why not just close them all? We have already lost.

Though disheartened, I still believe that the solution to sexism or racism or nationalism or classism is the Biblical principle that all people, both male and female, are made in the image of God and thus of great value (Genesis 1:26-28). Jesus, who is God, gave his life for people – all kinds of people – and His Kingdom is not of this earth. “You [Jesus] were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God” (Revelations 5:9b-10a). Those who are given to sexism or racism or classism or nationalism have lost Christ’s Gospel for another gospel. They have lost track of the person of Jesus. In Christ, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galations 3:28). This is the Christ I fell in love with, and He looks nothing like Donald Trump.