Equality not promoted
COMMENTARY
Eugene Chu

The TCU Chapel held a special “Celebration of the Matriarchs” service Wednesday, featuring pink-colored church programs, an all-women’s choir and women’s-themed hymns to celebrate Women’s History Month.

Even though I wholeheartedly support women’s advancement, I did not respect last Wednesday’s service, which, at times, tended to degrade men rather then promote equal rights.

Before somebody calls me a sexist, I should clarify my stance regarding women. I believe that in both the past and present women have received unfair, humiliating and downright degrading treatment. I wholeheartedly believe women should be allowed to compete for advancement opportunities and for leadership positions in fields previously dominated by men.

I am proud to say I have seen professional women soldiers serving in the U.S. Army. I am also proud to say that I have seen first-rate leadership ability from women officers and sergeants in the U.S. Army.

My criticism is not toward women, but at the tone and appropriateness of Wednesday’s church service.

I kept the program from the service. While it was a women’s celebration service, I saw a subtle tone in the statements that seemed more anti-male than pro-female.

One example: “For women who worked at menial jobs and read into the night, who waited outside the lecture halls while young men strode in past them bearing the scent of cologne and lamb chop dinners.”

Another example: “Feminist biblical scholars and theologians continue to peel away the patriarchy inherent in the Genesis texts and their traditional interpretation as they seek a new understanding.”

Yet another example: “... the patriarchal culture which gave us the text and so much of its interpretation has succeeded in diminishing the positive aspects of the same Genesis narrative, obliterating any kind of gender equality ...”

Those statements and others seemed more spiteful to men than respectful to women. I also question the appropriateness of those statements in a church service.

I am not an extreme traditionalist. I believe a church service can and should discuss secular matters or world events. My objection is the tone used within the environment of the church.

In secular matters or world events such as Independence Day or the Sept. 11 tragedy, many churches held special services to praise God and country or to mourn and pray for innocent victims. In those services, most churches refrained from criticizing or condemning specific groups despite their malicious past or recent actions.

While I did expect to hear about the greatness of Biblical women, I did not expect to hear disparaging words about men. If other church services have shown more restraint from criticism in the matter of patriotism, I think the writer of the church service should have also shown a little more restraint from criticism in the matter of women’s advancement.

Two of the leaders of Wednesday’s service told me that they wanted the service to be respectful to Biblical women — not to be insulting to men in general — and they did not write the program for the church service. I respect their cooperation and I praise them for their noble intentions.

But even though its true women have been mistreated in both the past and present, bashing men in a church service is not the way of showing proper respect to women.

Regardless of the past, both men and women are subordinate when compared to the greatness of God. Amen.

Eugene Chu is a junior political science major from Arlington.