It seems to me that I get asked two questions more than any other about my existence. The first comes almost immediately after I meet a new person and it comes in three parts. The conversation usually goes a little like this:
Part one:
Me: “Hi, my name is Breeze.”
Person: *Slightly shocked look that person is trying to hide*
Part two:
Person: “Is that your real name?”
Part three:
Person: “Why did your parents name you that?”
I generally respond like anyone else would: “No, I’m lying to you. My name isn’t Breeze, I just made that up because I thought it would be fun and I don’t want people to know that my real name is Felicia (obviously). And the origin of my name is a long story that goes something along the lines of ‘My parents wanted to name me Breeze, so they did.’”
The second question comes after a little more conversation, after I drop the F-bomb. By that, of course I mean the word “Feminist.” The admission that I am, in fact, a feminist is usually enough to make someone stop in their tracks. Following a brief pause, during which I’m sure the other person is preparing for battle, I get asked probably one of the most ridiculous questions I hear in the course of my day. To me, this question is more ridiculous than when the Starbucks barista asks me if I want whipped cream on my Frappuccino or when the guy at Chipotle asks, “You know guac is extra, right?” Yes to both, forever. The question I get asked is basically some version of “How can you be a Christian and a feminist?” Well … do I look like I’m struggling with it? It’s not that hard for me because I believe in a God that created both men and women and who loves them both, equally. For some reason, we don’t. The fact that you think that me loving women because they are women means I’m not as good of a Christian is exactly why I’m a feminist. Thank you for validating my position, though to be honest, I don’t really need it.
I am a feminist because millions of women in Pakistan, in Afghanistan, in Libya, in Malawi, in Iraq, in Iran, in Bolivia and Chile and Brazil and Mexico and Argentina need me to be. Because ISIS is still a thing. Because the girl who got raped on her school’s campus last night and will probably be blamed for “asking for it” needs me to be. Because I need me to be. Because Jesus said “Let the children come,” and he didn’t just mean the boys.
You say, “Well, feminism isn’t in the Bible.” I would be curious as to what your definition of feminism is. To me, it is women being confident in themselves because they have a God who is confident in them and created them to be exactly as they are. Women who will stand up for what is right and take what is rightfully theirs without fear of retribution for the fact that they are women. In fact, I look to the Bible for strong examples of feminism. Rahab was a woman, saved Israel. Esther was a woman, saved Israel. Timothy’s mother and grandmother were independent women who lived well without a man and raised a great one. The women around the world need me to bring them Christ just as much as they need human rights. You ask me how I can be a Christian and a feminist. I ask you, “How can you not be?”
