I have grown up in a generation in which terms such as “women's lib,” “feminism,” “equal rights,” and “egalitarian marriage” are practically household words.

Our society no longer promotes God's values for the woman. Femininity, modesty, discretion, virtue, and graciousness are seemingly relics of a bygone era—as out of place in contemporary culture as the horse and carriage.

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Instead, the “ideal” woman of our age is glamorous, sophisticated, aggressive, powerful, outspoken, career-minded, independent, self-sufficient, and sensuous. She needs no one and nothing. She is in control of her own life, as well as the people and circumstances around her.

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​In its more radical forms, the feminist movement is easily identifiable. We associate it with efforts to eliminate all legal distinctions between men and women. We think of attempts to abolish traditional family structures (such as monogamous marriage, husbands as providers, mothers as nurturers), and to replace them with deviant alternatives (free sex, homosexual marriages, no-fault divorce, etc.). We picture strident, angry women marching for abortion rights and salaries administered by "comparable worth."

As Christian women, we recognize such efforts for what they are, and we deplore and decry the obvious attack on biblical standards.

However, the women's liberation philosophy has not confined itself to the secular arena. Many not-so-obvious elements of this philosophy have penetrated and permeated our Christian institutions and homes. A bevy of supposedly-Christian periodicals, writers, and speakers have subtly promoted the self-centered, rights-oriented philosophy that is at the heart of the feminist movement. Most of us as Christian women, as well as our homes and churches, have been far more influenced by this way of thinking than we realize.

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