The Myth of Sexual Equality - Hardcover

King, Howard Douglas

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 159160723X ISBN 13: 9781591607236

Publisher: Xulon Press, 2003

Synopsis

The Myth of Sexual Equality [Hardcover] [Jun 17, 2003] King, Howard Douglas

About this title

About the Author:

Howard Douglas King is a Reformed Christian, a staunch Biblicist and anti-Modernist. He studied at Toronto Baptist Seminary and Reformed Episcopal Seminary. He formerly served as a deacon and licensed preacher in a Calvinistic Baptist church, where he edited the quarterly Gospel Clarion. He has been a frequent contributor to Patriarch Magazine, and his articles and lectures appear on numerous Christian websites. He now writes and edits a biweekly newsletter, Foundations. His written works include essays: "The Biblical Basis for Christian Agrarianism ", "The Myth of Intellectual Property", "Against Usury", "Counterfeit Liberty", "Is the Auburn Avenue Theology Biblical?", and "Postmillennialism: A Conservative, Moderate, and Biblical Eschatology". Howard resides with his wife, Elizabeth, in Germantown, Tennessee.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

A Woman's Place in the Modern World

The common view is that women today are emerging from a long, dark tunnel of oppression by men. They are still struggling for full participation in society as the equals of men in every way, but nearly everyone concedes their equality in principle in this modern world. The oppression and exploitation is almost at an end -- or at least, the end is in sight.

Our view is that the end is indeed in sight -- the end of society, that is. For when we have succeeded in eliminating all the God-given differences in society and leveling the sexes, we will have lost the only things which can provide stability and structure to society -- and meaning as well. The truth is, while women are being told that they are being set free, the program for their exploitation has been stepped up a notch. For what place do women as women have left to them in a society like ours?

When I say, "what place", I have several things in mind. Women used to have a "place". In traditional society, woman had a role to play that was crucial to the well-being of the community. That role was no mystery to her, as she was brought up to it from earliest infancy. Her education was to prepare her for marriage, a beneficient institution designed by God for the mutual strengthening of both partners, and the bringing-up of children. The woman's place was a well-defined place.

Hers was a protected place. She also knew what to expect from the men in her life. Every woman was in the charge of someone stronger than herself whose duty was to protect her. Strong social taboos prevented any trespass against her person by enlisting the whole community in the protection of womankind.

Hers was an honored place. There was respect shown for a woman who knew her place and served well and faithfully in that role. Respect was shown by younger women and girls who sought to learn her skills, as well as by her peers. Tokens of respect were vigorously enforced in such a society -- they were fundamental expressions of submission to the rules that made society work.

A woman's place was well-defined, protected, and honored. What is a woman's place today? There is no such thing anymore. There is no well-defined place. She is told that she can become anything she wants to be. There is no protected place. Young women go off to college and then to work to become prey for the males. There is no honored place. A talented woman in a man's world soon finds that she succeeds best by failing, for if she outshines the men, they will never give her credit. But many women are not capable of excelling men in the world of work, and so many must rely on special treatment for advancement. There is no honor there.

But many women today still choose to marry, bear children, keep the house. Have they not found their place? The answer to that is twofold. First, if anyone thinks those words mean the same thing they did 400 years ago, he needs to take some time out to study modern history. Neither marriage nor child-rearing nor managing the home bear much resemblance to what they once were -- even in Christian families. And the surrounding society effectively prevents any substantial reform in these areas without great effort and sacrifice.

Second, the woman's role is no longer well-defined, protected or honored as it once was. In many cases, the role is gone -- only the functions remain: food preparation, housekeeping, child-care, transportation provider. The integration of functional and personal in social roles has been lost. Now, she has become replaceable, and most of the functions can be performed by substitutes. There is no well-defined, protected and honored woman's role anymore.

The modern world is an equal-opportunity exploiter. Men, women, children and old folks are alike grist for the mill. Efficient ways exist to use all of us to make money for some of us. What it does to us is of secondary importance, in the same way that it is important to the cattleman that his herd is healthy and fat enough to command a good price at market. (Humans bear a strong affinity to cattle -- we tend to run in herds and to go where we are led.)

What is to become of our daughters and grand-daughters in such a world? Truthfully, there is little hope of them finding fulfilling lives in a traditional social setting anywhere on earth today. When we have done all we can, it will be too little, too late to help this generation or the next in a substantial way. We are in a deep hole. Most of us do not realize -- and none of us wants to believe -- how deep that hole is, or how far we have to go just to get even. Quick fixes will fail. We must embrace the long view, and become followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

About this edition

• Publisher: Xulon Press
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 159160723X
• ISBN 13: 9781591607236
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 216