Thread by @sheilagregoire

Thread:

A 21-year-old woman made an awesome video combatting legalism & telling girls that God values them.

In response, an army of middle aged men attacked her, calling her a sl@t, wh@re, & Jezebel all in the name of Jesus, often quoting Bible verses. This is that story.

My daughter made a video against the “men prefer debt-free virgins without tattoos.”

She was saying God loves us despite our pasts, and if people made mistakes (or, even worse, if they’re a sexual assault survivor), they should not be labelled unloveable.

Her tribe of young, female fans loved it. In the comments section, many shared personal stories of redemption and coming to know Jesus better. So many shared about shame they have carried that they are trying to surrender to God. So many also shared stories of sexual abuse.

Then angry, middle aged men found the video. And they started leaving horrendous comments. (Note: Katie doesn't see these comments, nor do the fans.) I decided to moderate one day & read before the comments disappeared. These are some that I found:

The same comments, for easier reading:

I especially love that guy who told the girl to go to Calvary Chapel. That was after he had left comments to a bunch of other girls who said they have a past, but are now forgiven, calling them sl@ts. Yeah, that’s a great advertisement for Calvary Chapel.)

Many commenters simply used Bible verses to say, "shut up, you're a woman."(this is a very common tactic; I get this all the time on my blog, too. Whenever I say something controversial men don't want to argue with, they simply quote a verse saying shut up):

(Please, male leaders, imagine what that is like for women. Whenever we say something that men disagree with, people use the Bible to try to silence us. Do you have any idea what that is like?)

Let me reiterate: this is a group of very young girls and women who are seeking Jesus. Katie is pointing them to Jesus. And middle-aged supposedly Christian men think it’s okay to call them sl@ts, wh@res, & b*tches. Middle aged men seem to think that this is evangelism.

Just look at the profile pictures of many of these guys. These are older men. The majority are landing on this video after being sent by blogs and YouTube channels catering to middle-aged male Christians. In what universe is older men calling young women vile names okay?

I was thinking about that last question—“in what universe is this okay”—and I think I have an answer.

Middle aged “Christian” men think this is okay because they are going to churches that do not actively preach against this. They are reading websites like @desiringgod that say wives need their husbands to get them ready for Jesus; that women can’t be police officers or bosses.

They are attending churches that teach feminism is the biggest evil in the world today, rather than the sexual assault crisis in the church, the porn epidemic ruining marriages, or human trafficking.

They are going to churches where pastors have been taught in seminaries by the likes of Paige Patterson, who said that he would “beat down” a rape victim to see if he could get her to recant her story.

They are going to churches where women’s voices are ignored, and where only men make decisions. They thus naturally believe that women should not matter, and so it’s not a very far leap to then conclude that if women speak up, they should be beaten down.

They are going to churches where the context of verses like 1 Timothy 2:11-15 and 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 is never discussed, so that these men feel empowered to say “women are more easily deceived”, “women should stay silent”, and “women should shut up."

All pastors do not believe these things. But misogyny—the kind that would make 50 YO men attack a vibrant 21 YO girl calling people to Jesus—is a cancer in our church. The only way to attack it is with a broad treatment of chemotherapy, preaching that God values women.

So pastors, let me be clear: If you are not administering this chemotherapy & fighting back against these attitudes, if you are not actively calling them out—then you are allowing that cancer to grow. Even if you do not hold these horrible beliefs, they are in your church.

Ask yourself: "If a person sat in my pews for a year, would they know that God values women? Would they know that women's opinions matter? Would they know that calling women names is ungodly—especially if those names have sexual overtones?”

“Would they know that, according to Ephesians 5:21, we are all supposed to submit to each other—and that includes 50 YO men submitting to 21 YO YouTubers calling others to Christ? Would they know that telling women they are more easily deceived and thus should shut up is wrong?”

Because they will only know these things if you explicitly teach them. Even then, evil men will likely reject the Truth. But at least then their actions will not be on your head. Right now, they are. And as a mom, I am incensed. As a Christian, I am brokenhearted and lamenting.

But as a woman, I believe a sleeping giant has awakened. Women are looking at the church, with all the #churchtoo stories & coverups, and how women are treated like second class citizens. And the dam is breaking. God is pouring out His Spirit, and His daughters will prophesy.

And God will call down judgment on men like these commenters who blaspheme against His name in this horrible, wicked way.