Restoring the imago dei

Kimberly George is one of those people on my "I want to be you" list. She's well-educated, socially-aware, and openly Christian and feminist. I stumbled upon a letter she wrote (courtesy of Burnside Writers Collective) from a feminist to Christian men. The excerpt below really encapsulates the struggle I've had with ideological labels, and whether to claim or dispose of them:

To a different degree, calling myself a feminist has similar discomfort to calling myself a Christian in a world where “Christian” seems to connote a pantheon of political agendas that are foreign to my own understanding of Jesus. And yet, for me to drop the word “Christian” is to no longer participate in reclaiming it. Perhaps you have struggled with this very tension: how do we use words that hold something of our vision, yet have been used to exclude or create misunderstanding? What do we do with words that must stay in movement to be vital, yet so often are petrified into ideological stonewalls?

Over time, I have realized that it is much more valuable to label myself as Christian and feminist, even though such terms dredge up so many negative connotations for people. I'd rather risk someone thinking "Oh, she's one of those Christians/feminists", and engage in conversations about why people think that than blatantly deny a label that should be inherently connected to the vision of Christ.

I gave up everything so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go with him to death itself.
(paraphrase from Philippians 3:10)

--- chRistie

PS: New blog template + new calendar year = (hopefully) posting more regularly.