Women in the Church Place

By Riah Roe
Contributing Writer

“When the missionaries came to Africa, they had the Bible and we had the land. They said ‘let us close our eyes and pray.’ When we opened them, we had the Bible, and they had the land.”
—Desmond Tutu
Africa is a vast continent with a wide variance in geography, development, and social problems. While in the United States and much of the Western world there has been much progress in the understanding of human rights and social equality this is not the case for all parts of Africa. War, poverty, rape, and oppression are all realities for millions of Africans today. Although substantial changes have been made in some areas there is still much work to do. Many African people take solace in their religious beliefs and the churches there have a great impact on society in many spheres, both private and political. However, there are many who would contest that the theological institutions are not infallible and many of their past and current practices impact society in negative ways; especially in regard to the treatment of women’s interaction with theology.

Many of these problems stem from historical sexist trends that have led to the construction of women as second class citizens. One example of these trends is viewing women as property or solely for procreation. This mindset can cause oppressive forces as seen in the sexual stigmas of today’s African society. African women are very often criticized for being celibate, lesbian, or victims of rape (sometimes going so far as to saying that the women are damaged and unfit to be married). These stigmas are reinforcements that subtly tell women that they are not independent agents capable of controlling their own bodies and having intrinsic worth; instead it sends the message that they are only as valuable as a man will allow them to be. This clearly can cause problems for societies that are caught in the crux of former traditional mores and new progressive egalitarian desires. It is quite clear that deeply ingrained traditions of the past have a major impact on everyday life for African people.

These progressive egalitarian desires arise because of women’s exclusion from theological discourse and the church. It is clearly an issue both in Africa and Western culture. A organization called the Roman Catholic Womenpriests movement has shown the great lengths that Western women are willing to go to gain entry to a theological institution that does not want them (presumably because of historical precedent). The Womenpriests movement involves ordaining and setting up churches for women in Western Culture even though they and any supporters face excommunication for these practices. This is the same spirit that is driving an organization of women called the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians to gain entry to the institutions that are excluding them.

There is no one solution for changing cultural precedent when it comes to major social entanglements such as the issues mentioned in this article. There are actions that can be taken to open the floor for conversation that can affect change. In the West, the Roman Catholic Womenpriests are doing a good job at starting the conversation in the United States. Likewise, the conventions and meetings that the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians have regularly is one platform for these conversations to occur but there needs to be more if there is to be substantial change within African communities. These changes need to take place not only within church walls but also within the universities, the public mindset, and the private sphere.

If there is to be a take-home message for my fellow feminists interested in looking at the intersection of theology and women’s access to these institutions, it is to look at the modern conversation; locally, nationally, and globally and see where the issues are occurring. There is nothing inappropriate about stepping forward and learning and educating others about these issues. I think we could learn from the Circle of Concerned African Women. The main way that the Circle is combating these issues is by banding together and forming mentoring partnerships between established women theologians and those wishing to break into the theological arenas they have been previously barred from or hindered from joining. These partnerships often times work towards getting the newer women published.

Special sensitivity is delegated to the fact that much of African women theology is a result of both oral traditions and black liberation theology. This is paralleled in our society where gender norms are told through our media, fairy tales, and rhetoric. In our community we need to look at gendered norms of femininity and see if the way we are approaching the socialization of our young girls in our schools and churches may be impeding them from entering the theological realms. If not, how can we help institutions that may not be so progressive? These are the questions that feminists interested in theological access should be asking not only of themselves, but of their leaders, churches, and schools.

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