Dissatisfied religious feminists

Religious feminists are almost as unhappy the politically progressive theopolitical order as some Southern Baptist women are with their denomination's doctrine of submission.

Frances Kissling -- a visiting scholar at the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania and former president of Catholics for a Free Choice -- wrote on Tuesday:

Much is made by the theo-politicians of their work across ideological differences. But this has been achieved by excluding from their ranks those religious leaders who are progressive and outspoken on gender, sexuality, and religion. It is then easy to stand side by side with Rick Warren and Joel Hunter, for they actually agree with these conservatives on sexuality and reproduction and have only minor differences on LGBT issues. Center-left theo-politicians are silent on the meaning of sexual expression outside of heterosexual marriage; they have no interest in the theological construction of a new moral and ethical standard of relationship, justice, and friendship that governs sexuality. They are silent on the morality of LGBT sexuality, limiting their support to “civil rights.” They talk about women only as victims, never as moral agents. They take on the easy religious issues—poverty and peace. They do so either out of political expedience or because they actually agree with the religious right.

Either way, they hinder rather than help the justice-seeking project of progressive religious feminists. And that it not good for religion or justice.

As a corrective, Kissling and others would like to see more than "one identifiable advocate for women’s sexual and reproductive rights" appointed to President Obama’s Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships to counterbalance the "several anti-choice supporters."

A wish that will be at least partly granted, we suspect.