I was nervous when I first heard associate editor Tim Jones describe Katherine Kersten’s article on feminism. Not that I was unsympathetic to the point of view expressed, but the article tapped into one of my fears for the magazine: that we muddy our stand to be defined only by the gospel.
Despite the many connections evangelicals have with cultural conservatism, it is not the same as the good news of Jesus Christ. Christians can be found at almost all points on the political spectrum. For this reason, we are loath to identify culturally conservative positions with evangelical Christianity unless we come to those positions out of our commitment to Christ and his Word. That is why we can strongly oppose both homosexual behavior and homophobic hatred—we are simply imitating our Lord.
But does Jesus oppose feminism? He certainly doesn’t oppose the idea that women have equal standing and worth. That was his idea. But as Kersten points out, the feminist establishment has moved beyond this basic Christian idea to some unchristian ones. I discovered her critique to be profoundly Christian, a corrective to a movement that began with Jesus.
A few words about our new look: Regular readers will notice several changes. With a move to desktop publishing and the advent of a new art director, Tom Moraitis, we thought the time was ripe for some fine tuning. Our goal was to establish a classic, sophisticated design that improved readability and preserved editorial integrity. I think that is what we achieved.
