March marks the annual observance of Women’s History Month, and in today’s world, it can be difficult to know how to talk about gender, feminism, women’s empowerment, or the question of identity. In learning how to do so, it can be helpful to start with exploring how the Church has responded to these concerns, especially in recent years.
If you’re interested in learning more about issues of sex, gender, and feminism in America today, check out Lenny DeLorenzo’s interview with Dr. Abigail Favale on Church Life Today, the McGrath Institute’s podcast. Favale is the director of the William Penn honors program at George Fox University, as well as a distinguished author. When asked how the feeling of motherhood shaped her understanding of autonomy and womanhood, Abigail replied,
“I experienced the power of biology for the first time; I experienced the full force of my femaleness and it was really strange to see my body act not under the control of my own will.. The assumptions I had before that men and women are basically interchangeable; that most of what we think about as differences between the sexes are totally culturally or socially constructed, those ideas began to seem hollow as well. Because I realized my husband and I are not interchangeable, especially when it comes to reproduction and lactation.”
Listen to the full episode by clicking the button below:
Featured image by Miguel Bruna via Unsplash