Good evening from Texas! After waking up at 5 am, I had a rather uneventful flight from Louisville to Charlotte and from Charlotte to Dallas. Then I hopped in my rental car (I’m still amazed that they just let me drive away with those things) and drove north to Sherman, home of Austin College. And the only calamity thus far is the discovery that I didn’t pack my business cards as I had originally intended. Drat.

Tonight I met with students at Austin College for Bible study and for the Selah spirituality group. Selah is the least structured of all the campus groups in NNPCW’s far-flung network. Tonight, I sat in a circle with a group of about ten women. We lit some candles, introduced ourselves, and then I asked, “What does it mean to be a person of faith as a woman?” The conversation, which started out as a reflection upon our childhood experiences of women in the church, eventually branched out to discussions about everything from women in professional life to The Vagina Monologues. We talked about our mothers, some of whom had to wear skirts to dinner in college and had no other professional options outside of teaching. We reflected on the opportunities open to us. Perhaps the most striking question posed, though, was whether we will really ever be able to see others for who we are, as humans, and truly overcome the centuries of oppression inherent to women’s experience.

I don’t necessarily have an answer, but I do have a piece of the discussion from our Bible study on Numbers 27:1-8 on the daughters of Zelophehad that may shed light on this question. Normally, this passage inspires me with its depiction of young women standing up for justice and demanding a place in the society. Today, though, what struck me was Moses, in a position of power, giving up his power to God in order for justice to be served. Rather than immediately answering when the women come before the congregation, Numbers 27:5 says, “So Moses brought their case before the Lord.” Moses, one who had the power and prestige among the people to deny the daughters, relinquishes his power to God and does God’s bidding.

This concept of giving up institutionalized power to God reminds me of a passage I read today about racism, one that I think relates to all forms of patriarchy and oppression. The passage is from Otis Turner’s article, “The Web of Institutional Racism,” in the Sept./Oct. 1991 issue of Church and Society magazine:

“Racial prejudice alone, however, is not racism. When prejudice is combined with power it is transformed into racism. This is a critical distinction we must be clear about.... Power transforms prejudice into racism and institutionalizes it. Racism gives shape and direction to power. It is the combination of power and prejudice that is destructive” (18).

We follow a Christ who essentially gave up all power, serving others and suffering crucifixion to affirm the value of every human. So maybe a bit of the secret to the change Selah questioned tonight lies in giving up power to God and to others in order to affirm God’s love for them and to serve God’s justice. It is a difficult concept, but one that God just might be calling us to hear as we claim space for ourselves as women and also share that space with others.

“Be devoted to one another in brotherly (and sisterly) love. Honor one another above yourselves.” --Romans 12:10

Kelsey