Liberals Are Using their Faith and the Bible to Protect Women's Rights


There is at least a slight uptick in use by liberal political operatives of the Bible to defend the rights of women. Anti abortion whackos always refer to the fetus and all the rights they, not our laws, assign it. These anti women groups never mention the rights of the pregnant woman. I have asked commenters on this blog many times to lay out what right pregnant women have. The only reply so far has been the woman has the right to give birth.

To use the Bible to advance rights of women and gay people requires both knowledge and discipline. I admire those who do it well. I've been following events within the denomination of my childhood, the Evangelical Covenant Church.

This denomination, originally a breakaway from the state church of Sweden, brags it does not need a creed. The Bible provides everything needed for decisions about the faith it says. It is apparent the business strategy of the denomination is to successfully move from being a white rural denomination to one of mixed ethnicity in larger urban areas. This new demographic brings with it urban perspectives which trend to the left of those of white rural areas. The transition is bringing conflict.

I watched an interview with a staff member of the Evangelical Covenant Church who skillfully parried questions about "black lives matter" and white privilege.  In the interview there are implications he is talking also about gay marriage. The interview was supposed to be about a book he had written but provides an overview of the rural to urban transition taking place across all of U.S. Christianity.  

The author insists he will not discuss black lives matter, white privilege, gay rights or abortion rights. He will only discuss the Bible. He then makes the case that using "discernment" it's clear what God's message and instructions are. The Bible, not current specific positions, gives us the God's preferred direction. He used the word "discernment" often. My interpretation of him is "discernment" reveals that God endorses all the liberal positions the young staff member himself endorses. And, why not. That has been done and is being done the conservative Christians since forever.

Rural to urban migration along with the internet is taking the Bible in new directions. It's fun to watch both those moving it along and those trying to stop this movement.     

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