Today: a possible victory for women subjected to sexist practices partnered with the long-running “Christian” and unquestionably sexist practice of keeping women’s voices subjugated.

In the New York Times April 19, 2017, edition, the major editorial title reads, “Is Your Pastor Sexist?”  It’s a piece about the extremely famous NYC pastor, Tim Keller, an excellent preacher who has created a network of rapidly growing conservative evangelical churches in that notoriously unchurched city. Keller also holds strongly to the insistence that women may not have equal roles in the church or home. The man is in charge. Period.

And yes, it is sexist. I lived in it a long time. It’s full of good people who mean well, and as long as the women play by the rules, all is well. But let one of them start to think “Wait a moment–does the Bible REALLY teach this?” all hell breaks loose.

One female Presbyterian pastor, Carol Howard Merrit, describes its toxic dynamics this way:

If a husband wants his wife to lose weight, she must go on a diet. If he wants to have sex, she must acquiesce. If he wants her to home-school their children, she should obey.

“None of this is considered abuse,” she [Merritt] said. “It’s considered the husband’s God-given authority. And if a woman questions that authority, the full force of the church community, their social connections and their Christian doctrine backs him up. I can tell you that growing up in this environment as a little girl was very abusive for me.”

Now, Keller himself does not condone abuse. But that is how the system works out way too often, because, according to the theology of the system, God always gives to the man the last word. That can and does play out in seriously nasty ways in private. With the woman denied public voice from the pulpit, corrections to the theology cannot work their way into the system.

Women lose.

But sometimes, there’s a chance the women will win. The battle will be bloody, and bodies will fall. But this is the hope: start shouting from the rooftops every single time a male tries to take advantage of a female. Every time. Then perhaps we’ll see more stories like the one below pop up.

Is Fox News Firing Bill O’Reilly?

Fox News host Bill O’Reilly, who is facing accusations of “sexual harassment or other inappropriate behavior” by at least six women, might be fired from the network, sources reportedly said Tuesday. O’Reilly has been on a pre-planned vacation, which he revealed on his show last Tuesday saying that he was taking a break from work. “The…