Editor’s note: CBE’s President Dr. Mimi Haddad reflects on the Racism and Sexism in the World Church Conference held on February 15–17, 2024, at Truett Seminary, Baylor University.
It was an honor to join a team of world-renowned leaders in conversations around racism and sexism in the church. Hosted by Truett Seminary at Baylor University, an institution that has recently joined CBE as an organizational member, the event was hosted by two of the most gracious Christian leaders I know: Dr. Todd Still—dean of the seminary and professor of Christian Scriptures—and Baylor’s Dr. Greg Garrett, professor of English. Deeply committed to nurturing Christian communities that build biblical justice for women, especially those at the margins, both Greg and Todd have an impressive history of serving the church through their scholarship and by their example.
This year’s event was Truett’s third conference on racism. Sponsored by the Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation, the goal was to “study dynamics and illuminate ways various forms of American culture have promoted racial myths through the centuries, influencing how people perceive others of different races.”[1] According to Greg, “Racial mythologies have been deeply embedded in American life, from film to legal codes to theology to popular and material culture. . . Any myth that denies a person her or his humanity has to be excavated, examined and repented. So often, we are unconscious of the degree to which those mythologies are operating and even defining us.” [2]
This year, the event considered the dual impact of racism and sexism, not only in Scripture but also through history and in regions of war and conflict today. I was honored to specifically address this topic given CBE’s mission and core values, including our commitment:
To lament that the sins of sexism and racism have been used to historically oppress and silence women throughout the life of the church.
To resolve to value and listen to the voices and lived experiences of women throughout the world who have been impacted by the sins of sexism and racism.
The crossroads of racism and sexism holds a very painful yet precious place in my heart given the teachings of Scripture, Christ’s engagement of women at the ethnic margins, and my own experiences as the daughter of immigrants from the Middle East. Sharing these experiences was a priceless opportunity to observe, even more, the intentional welcome of Jesus for women outside Israel’s territory. Truly, our God is the “I Am” who sees what we often do not.
As each and every speaker spoke passionately from their hearts and through vigorous biblical and cultural reflection, the experiences of attendees were welcomed and included as discussion-built relationships, not only between speakers and leaders at Truett, Baylor, and beyond, but especially among those who attended, including press from the Baptist Standard. Over meals, breaks, and during forum discussions, we had ample time to grow awareness through the experiences of those who attended in person. Others participated remotely, and it was a huge blessing to hear from CBE’s former board chair, Dr. Rhonda Walton, who joined the conference at a distance.
As these conversations grew, I had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with a wise elder who rather quickly became our conference “oracle” in speaking truth to power. His wisdom came through an economy of words at strategic points throughout each day. A leader within the African-American community in Texas, he continually reminded us of the dehumanizing impact of racism and sexism, which had prompted him to write the stories of his family members and their experiences as slaves. Drawn to his wisdom, I eagerly awaited his insights during and after each session. One that struck a deep note for me was when he reminded us all that oppressors are banking on our silence. He said, “Do not allow others to dehumanize you. Speak up. Do not be silent.” As I am a people pleaser, these words were a significant reminder of the higher good of truth-telling despite the reaction of others.
My paper, entitled, “Racism and Sexism: Groans of a New Creation,” considered women at the ethnic margins who were used by God as strong agents of justice. This included Old Testament women like Rahab, the Egyptian midwives, Ruth, and Jael, but significantly Christ’s intentional welcome to women outside the Jewish territory. As the God who sees, Jesus initiated his public ministry by disclosing himself as Messiah to the Samaritan woman, John 4:6–30. His initiative inspired amazement, confusion, and even the shooing away of a non-Jewish woman by disciples. Not only did Jesus approach the Syrophoenician woman despite the disciples’ disapproval (Matt. 15:23), he also sat in the heat of the day waiting for the Samaritan woman (John 4:6–7); both became beloved family. And just as Christ placed his hands on the “unclean” the synagogue leader’s daughter, he publicly centered the bleeding woman—a daughter whose touch he welcomed (Matthew 15:21–28). Challenging gender and ethnic taboos that demean, isolate, and exploit the dignity, calling, and lives of women meant moments of much amazement and groaning as the disciples were moving through the Spirit’s birth canal in becoming a new creation.
My paper concluded by considering the women in our world today, who shoulder the double burden of sexism and racism in the very regions where the disciples once groaned. Here Christians today have an opportunity to challenge racism and sexism as an implicit part of theologies that press for women’s demeaning and exclusion. Consider the deeply flawed theological propositions that fuel horrific suffering in the Middle East—the very place where Jesus challenged patriarchy. Are we, even as Christians, complicit in advancing a flawed theology that we justify biblically, asserting divine sanction—the greatest authority one can evoke? Who suffers the most?
According to the UN’s Commission on the Status of Women, in times of war and displacement, the vast portion of those who suffer are girls and women. We need a theological declaration of human rights that rejects patriarchy with its sexism and racism, which demeans women and girls—especially those at the margins. Because we worship a God who sees: a personal God who sees what the disciples and the church today often do not. This is where the groaning of a new creation is needed most.
On that note, may I introduce you to Dr. Charles Malik, a Lebanese theologian and diplomat who worked beside Eleanor Roosevelt in writing the UN Declaration of Human Rights? A member of my grandmother’s church in Ras Beirut, Malik was known to weep every time the name of Jesus was mentioned. A highly respected leader, Malik was invited to speak at the launch of the Billy Graham Center though the committee who issued his invitation probably regretted it by the time he had finished his speech. Why? Though the occasion was celebratory, even triumphalist, Malik exposed the unwarranted confidence that had beguiled evangelicals and fundamentalists alike, who, in his view, had rightly lost their moral and intellectual influence in academia and in the broader culture. And, he said, it would take decades to recover what we had once enjoyed in the public square. There was groaning to be sure.
Malik’s admonition moved a young scholar that day, Dr. Mark Noll, seated in the front row, who then dashed off to research and write The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, which was followed by Ron Sider’s The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience. Like Noll, Sider also traced the link between failed theological and historical reflection and evangelism’s impact on social justice and American politics—a failure further critiqued by Dr. Kristen Kobes du Mez in Jesus and John Wayne and also by Baylor professor of history Dr. Beth Allison Barr, in The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth.
The Spirit continues to lay at the feet of each generation opportunities to clean house, to groan while becoming clothed in Christ, to confront and upend abuse and injustice, and to do so theologically, with Scripture in one hand, the news in another, and in proximity to those who suffer most.
Following my lecture, Beth Allison Barr and I held a conversation exploring CBE’s global work. While the conference considered racial challenges in the US, my conversation with Beth moved to the majority world, where egalitarian resources are scarce on the ground. From Brazil to Colombia, to communities in Southern and Eastern Africa, to the Middle East and Europe, CBE has been privileged to publish egalitarian resources in many “mother tongues,” that together we might engage Scripture’s teachings on women’s shared service in the home, church, and world. I was near tears several times remembering beloved colleagues like the Right Reverend Dr. Emily Awino Onyango—the first woman ordained as Bishop in the Anglican Church of Kenya. Professor of theology at Saint Paul’s University, Emily writes and speaks widely on gender and development. Her commitment to raising the status of girls and women is keenly noted in her ground-breaking book, Gender and Development: A History of Women’s Education in Kenya. How thankful we are for her leadership globally and within CBE.
Proximal to women at the margins in Africa, Egypt, Lebanon, Finland, and India, we celebrate the birth of a new creation, especially where abuse and exploitation are too common. As Beth considered whether egalitarians are making inroads among Southern Baptist communities where female leaders face enormous opposition, I felt certain that the God who sees is able to do more than we dream or imagine possible—not only through conferences like this but through CBE’s podcasts, radio spots, and website resources, available in more than thirty languages. And the Spirit draws us to a biblical witness to Christ’s welcome, expressed with precision in Galatians 3:28. I also expressed my concern that we too often center the concerns of Western churches, while there is significant receptivity in regions without egalitarian resources in their “mother tongue.” We must remember Christ’s proximity and welcome to the untouchables: to women from the hated tribes outside Israel and to women with bleeding and decaying bodies; these supremely, God centers and welcomes as family and heirs of Abraham! How can we do otherwise?
After this conversation, Baylor students approached me with much joy, declaring their intention of starting a CBE chapter at Baylor. Others expressed enthusiasm for CBE’s work outside the US—something that had not been on their radar. One young woman, who had worked in a region I have cited, was thrilled to learn of CBE resources in their language, given women’s marginalization by churches there. Such marginalization creates steep power imbalances for women—a problem the UN has expressed concern for, given that most people turn to their faith communities (and not to their government leaders) in addressing life’s most significant challenges.[3] Unfortunately, patriarchal teachings too often put women and girls at risk of abuse, as church leaders use Scripture to support male dominance and authority. Ideas have consequences, and speaking for God (as church leaders do) gives them the highest voice of authority for Christian women in their homes, churches, and the world.
As I walked to my car and headed to the airport, I glanced at a huge table where CBE journals and resources had been made available for free. When I first placed these on the table, I wondered if I had overestimated the quantity needed. To my surprise and delight, over two-thirds had vanished, and Dr. Still is eager for Truett students to have access to the rest in the coming weeks. CBE’s work is needed in the US and beyond. These sessions made real for me, once again, that while many in the Western world have access to egalitarian resources, there are too many who have yet to hear. Thankful for partners at Baylor and Truett and around the world, we watch and celebrate the God who sees, in whose womb a new creation groans as we’re increasingly remade in Christ’s image. May it bring us daily delight, amazement, and opportunities for lament and prayer.
Photo by Lanastance on Shutterstock.
[1] Derek Smith, “Baylor Researcher Receives $488,000 Grant to Study, Raise Awareness of the Ways American Culture Shapes Racial Attitudes and Myths” (Waco: Baylor University Media and Public Relations News, 2021), https://news.web.baylor.edu/news/story/2021/baylor-researcher-receives-488000-grant-study-raise-awareness-ways-american-culture.
[2] Smith, “Baylor Researcher.”
[3] 17 Rooms Global Flagship, Room 5: Gender Equality (Washington, D.C.: Center for Sustainable Development at the Brookings Institution and the Rockefeller Foundation, 2021), https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/2021-Room-documents_Room5.pdf.
Related Resources
Global Impact: The Work of Service not Power in the Anglican Church of Kenya with Rt. Rev. Dr. Emily Onyango
Intersectionality: Diversity as God’s Design: A Conversation with Rev. Michelle D. Williams – Part One
Global Impact: Partnering in East Africa to Bring Human Flourishing with Deborah Asio