Over the past few decades, the roles women play in public life have evolved significantly, as have the pressures that come with needing to do it all, have it all, and be all things to all people. And with this progress, misogyny has evolved as well. Today’s discrimination is more subtle and indirect, expressed in double standards, microaggressions, and impossible expectations. In other ways, sexism has gotten more brash and repulsive as women have gained power and voice in the mainstream culture.
Patriarchy is still sanctioned by every institution: capitalism, government, and even–maybe especially–the church itself. This is perhaps the ultimate irony–that a religion based on the radical justice and liberation of Jesus’ teachings has been the most complicit part of the narrative against women’s equality. If we are going to dial back the harmful rhetoric against women and their bodies, the community of faith is going to have to be a big part of the solution.
Erin Wathen navigates the complex layers of what it means to be a woman in our time and place–from the language we use to the clothes that we wear to the unseen and unspoken assumptions that challenge our full personhood at every turn. Resist and Persist reframes the challenges to women’s equality in light of our current culture and political climate, providing a new language of resistance that can free women and men from the pernicious power of patriarchy.
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Summary
Erin Wathen happens to be the former pastor of the church I currently attend. She was already gone before I found the church and started going there, but I’ve been happy to get to know her a little through her writing. The more of her work I read, the more convinced I am that I would have loved her if I’d gotten to know her in person. Our church book club previously read her first book, More Than Words, and I was very impressed with it. But after reading Resist and Persist, I think I like it even better. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because gender equality is a timely topic with the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements in the spotlight or maybe it’s just because I related so well to everything Reverend Wathen had to say. Whatever the reason, I very much enjoyed this book and feel that it was a strong and much-needed manifesto on feminism and the role faith should play in furthering the cause.
Both Reverend Wathen and I come from a mainline protestant denomination that tends to have more progressive views, so I’m sure that she’ll likely receive pushback on many of her ideas from the church at large. However, I can’t help but agree with her on the fact that the patriarchy found in many churches is partly to blame for the misogyny and sexism that a lot of women face. I’ve seen it firsthand in churches I used to attend, and I see it frequently in news stories of abuse or abuse cover-ups in faith communities. So in that respect, I know that persons of faith must do better. We must clean up our own houses of worship first before we can take it into the wider world and expect to be respected.
I really liked how Reverend Wathen takes a look at not just patriarchy but all the different aspects of the gender equality issue. She discusses internalized misogyny and how women themselves can contribute to the problem, as well as privilege, and how women of color sometimes get left out of the equation. She also takes a look at etymology and how the language of equality can be a useful tool to promote healing. In addition, she covers topics such as The Motherhood Myth, Equal Pay and Representation, Double Standards and Demanding Routines for women, and the silencing of women in public spaces. I especially appreciated her coverage of Domestic Abuse and Sexual Assault, issues that are now making headline news, but which we still have a long way to go to eradicate. And finally she wraps it all up with a discussion of one of the hottest hot-button topics: abortion. Yes, she did dare to go there, but in a sensible manner which I think more people need to examine as a possible way forward in this debate.
Whichever aspect of gender equality she was discussing, Reverend Wathen did so in a straightforward way while still embodying compassion, love, and understanding. And whatever the topic, I agreed with her wholeheartedly. I know many will not agree with either one of us, but if we are ever to make progress and stop treating women like second-class citizens, logical and balanced steps like the ones the author presents in this book are desperately needed. I didn’t used to think that I was a feminist, maybe because of the old connotations associated with the word or maybe because I’ve made choices in my own life that I felt many feminists would disdain. But the older I get, the more I realize I actually am one, no matter what the rest of the world may think, and my absolute love of Resist and Persist has only solidified that belief, as well as my understanding of the issues of gender equality. I highly recommend the book to anyone who is seriously looking for a way to put their faith into action in the fight for gender equality.
Review provided by The Hope Chest Reviews (http://www.thcreviews.com)