Concerned Women for America’s (CWA) Young Women for America (YWA) National Director, Faith Ozenbaugh and I, CWA’s House Legislative Strategist, had the privilege of visiting Liberty University on Tuesday to participate in a “Hot Topic” panel discussion on the masculinity and femininity crisis. Josiah Schrock, a Turning Point board member at Liberty, and local Pastor Jonje Tate, were also part of our panel.
The discussion began where the crisis began: Genesis and The Fall.
After Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command, He said to the woman;
Your desire will be for your husband,
and he will rule over you.
This has rung true both in the temptations of the individual woman and remains ever-present in the trajectory of false “women’s empowerment” schemes of modern-day society. The feminist movement at large has been no friend to family values, traditional gender roles, or, lately, any efforts to dignify women by protecting private spaces. Feminists operate on a sex-abolition premise, foregoing any recognition of the differences between the sexes, and thus distorting both femininity and masculinity beyond recognition.
Here lies the crisis. The unique ways God crafted His creation to tell the story of the Gospel is actively being rejected in nearly every sphere of civil society. This not only has devastating effects on public life, which is on full display as men beat on women in sporting events and children are ripped apart in the womb, but on spiritual life as well. If headship and submission are deemed oppressive, what does this tell the world about Christ’s relationship with the Father? Or with His Church?
We, as Christians, must embrace the way God created us, male and female, to better tell the story. But what does that mean? Leaning too far into gender stereotypes also robs of the fullness of God’s beauty as it is displayed and leads to dangerous ideologies that minimize womanhood solely to wearing a dress and makeup.
In their recently released training booklet, “Biblical Femininity,” CWA’s Young Women for America showcases a wide range of ways femininity is displayed in the Bible. Examples include:
- Sarah’s loyalty
- The bravery of Miriam
- The Shunamite woman’s hospitality and respect for her husband
- Deborah’s advocacy
- The nurturing care of Elizabeth
- Mary’s sacrificial motherhood
- And many more
While the panelist did mention some of these examples, the primary objective of the event was to empower young students to embrace the principles of Biblical masculinity and femininity in modern contexts. For example, how has the masculinity/femininity crisis, as well as social media influences, affected how young Christians date? How do you balance marrying young with marrying well? Should young women who desire to be mothers pursue further education?
Common themes rang true; our foremost relationship is with God. Other relationships should serve that mission, and in doing so, we must seek His discernment for how to best glorify His name with our lives. It is true that motherhood is a beautiful manifestation of that, but it is also true that God doesn’t call everyone to marriage. We must honor Him and our fellow brothers and sisters accordingly and not limit ourselves or “wait for life to begin” in marriage, but serve Him in every area of life, uniquely as men and women.
On her reflections on the panel, YWA of Liberty Chapter President Emma Dayton said, “It is so important that we actively celebrate Biblical masculinity and femininity because they are facing attacks from all sides of our culture. I love how Faith and Macy highlighted that Biblical femininity doesn’t begin with marriage, but with the very moment we give our lives to Christ. No matter what stage of life we’re in, we can all model the courage of Esther, leadership of Deborah, faith of Hannah, and patience of Ruth.”
CWA is committed to promoting Biblical principles to the next generations, as it is the best way for our society to heal and our country to thrive. That is why it was a privilege to be part of this important ongoing discussion among college students. Help us pray for them as they continue to face the unprecedented circumstances of our time.
