In every culture and in every part of the world, this injustice is present. What is the oldest injustice in the world?
It is the way that "we" view, treat, and oppress women.
As a young Korean man, I learned through the Confucian culture and worldview that women were born to serve their fathers as young girls, their husbands when they got married, and their grown sons when they were older mothers. Their lives revolved around men.
As a Christian man, I learned that women should be our "partners." They should be quiet, submissive, and know their place, obey and honor their fathers, love and submit to their husbands, and raise godly sons and daughters.
Why didn't I learn that women and men are both created in the beautiful image of God? Why didn't I learn that while we have different roles, we are also created equal in the image of God? I still recall this e-mail that I received from a female congregant after a sermon I gave at Quest regarding the injustice against women:
But at one point today, you said, "Women, you were created equal to men in the image of God." I mainly write because I don't know if you realize how powerful that statement was. I don't know if you realized what it would feel like to hear that statement coming from a man - what it would mean to me, and possibly to other individual women and men. You didn't even say it to me individually
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