Biblical thoughts from a former feminist

When I have to do something manual around the house that doesn't require my brain, I often like to listen to things that I can think about, like a sermon or a talk. Today I ran across these talks given by Carolyn McCulley at a conference at Northridge Baptist Church. I've popped over to her blog a couple times and enjoyed what I read. Also I'm really looking forward to reading her book soon as well (Radical Womanhood). She talks about the home as not simply a place with four walls, going beyond that to being about the relationships and spirit of hospitality fostered there rather than the idea of simply making a house pretty. She challenges the philosophy of feminism and identifies ways it has sublty snuck into our thinking, even as Christians.

I loved her talk on "The Mommy Wars," and totally identified with what she was talking about in regards to people looking at the stay-at-home-mom as "someone who used to be a fully functional adult." That seems to be the look I get when people realize I used to be a doctor. So many people (including us homemakers) look at the repetitive tasks like the diapers and the laundry as drudery and then misinterpret the task we have in building our homes as menial, mindless, and dull. But every job has it's repetitive parts. When I was a working in the hospital, it took the form of writing note after note after note, not to mention the repeated rectal exams and pap smears on clinic patients. And you think diapers and burp cloths are gross?

I highly recommend Carolyn's talks and look forward to getting a copy of her book in my hands.