This week, I was going to parody another article that lamented the difficulties of being a Proverbs 31 woman in a feminist world. I'm surrounded by this rhetoric everywhere I turn: apparently, for a sizable population of American Christians, feminism and Christianity are incompatible. Somewhere in my preparation for this article, though, my saltiness turned into fatigue. I am tired of hearing that my feminism and my faith cannot coexist, especially since the assertion that a feminist cannot be a Proverbs 31 woman or vice versa is fundamentally flawed.

Very often, those who take issue with feminism have a flawed understanding of what feminism actually is. If you want a popular definition, feminism is the belief in the "social, political, and economic equality of the sexes." A scholarly definition is a bit more complex but essentially boils down to this: feminism is an intellectual and political movement that asserts not only that the sexes are equal but also that sexism must end. We're not just talking about the pink tax; we're also talking about young women's access to education around the world and female circumcision and women's economic opportunities in the developing world.

So, if a feminist believes in and pursues justice and equality, then how does the Proverbs 31 ideal present conflict? To put it bluntly, it doesn't. Consider the following excerpt from Proverbs 31:

She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks…
She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy…
She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue…
Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
“Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.”
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Honor her for all that her hands have done,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

This is a woman who can Do It All. She is kind, generous, clever, and hard-working. According to some interpretations, she may not even be a real woman: she may instead be the personification of wisdom. Acclaimed Christian author and blogger Rachel Held Evans—who, by the way, is coming to Lipscomb on November 12—states in her book A Year of Biblical Womanhood that some Jewish men recite this passage, known in Hebrew as eshet chayil, for their wives at the Sabbath meal. She writes that "[e]shet chayil is at its core a blessing—one that was never meant to be earned, but to be given, unconditionally" (88). It is a form of praise for women, not a checklist of things to achieve.

So, is the Proverbs 31 Woman feminist? It's very possible—very likely, even. The two templates of feminism and eshet chayil do not conflict, and a woman of valor best flourishes when she is able to pursue her good deeds in a society that doesn't hinder her due to her gender. A woman with access to education is better able to cultivate wisdom. A woman who is paid the same as her male counterparts is better able to provide for her family and/or herself. A woman whose voice is heard is better able to share her faithful instruction.

And isn't it awfully Christlike to love and respect others regardless of their sex or gender?