CBE is a nonprofit organization of Christian men and women who "believe that the Bible, properly interpreted, teaches the fundamental equality of men and women of all racial and ethnic groups, all economic classes, and all age groups, based on the teachings of Scriptures."

Mimi Haddad, president of CBE, wants women to be viewed not through gender roles and expectations but through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Citing 19th century Christian women such as "Sojourner Truth" and Catherine Booth, Haddad says "the most important factor in the equation of life was not gender, but our newness of life in Christ."

Some of the speakers scheduled to lead sessions at the annual conference include Dr. Brian Howell, associate professor of Anthropology at Wheaton College, and Miriam Adeney, associate professor of World Christian Studies at Seattle Pacific University.

Adeney will be addressing the question "Does Christianity raise the status of women? Or do women sometimes experience greater freedom and influence before the gospel arrives?"

Other topics speakers and attendees will discuss include: "Are gender differences God-given, shaped by culture, or biologically determined?", "Does God Have Gender?" and "Reading the Bible for its Original and Contemporary Meaning."

The conference comes after former president Jimmy Carter and a group of "Elders" released a statement this month in London's The Observer saying the "justification and discrimination against women and girls on grounds of religion or tradition, as if it were prescribed by a higher authority, is unacceptable."

They called for equality and an end to religious and traditional practices that discriminate against women.

The statement drew a media storm although Carter's belief on equality is nothing new, as prominent Southern Baptist theologian Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr. noted.

Carter argues that "the carefully selected verses found in the holy scriptures to justify the superiority of men owe more to time and place - and the determination of male leaders to hold onto their influence - than eternal truths."

Mohler points out in The Washington Post/Newsweek forum "On Faith" that the former U.S. president rejects the inerrancy of the Bible and thus dismisses Bible passages that "clearly establish different roles for men and women in the church and the home."

Carter's argument, Mohler states, "is grounded in little more than his own sense of how things ought to be."

Chuck Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship, found Carter's statement imprudent and presumptuous.

"It is plain hubris when some people play God, telling us what the Scripture ought to say," Colson writes in the "On Faith" forum.

Explaining gender roles as described in the Bible, Colson says, "In the Bible, men and women play complementary roles. For example, the wife is to submit to the husband, exactly as the Church submits to Jesus, because the husband is to give his life for the wife, just as Jesus gave his life to the Church. Hardly discrimination or oppression."

Colson also advises Carter not to "confuse Christian teaching with the offensive practices of other faiths" such as Islamist discrimination against women.

The CBE conference in St. Louis will feature general sessions, workshops and a panel discussion. A student paper competition on faith, gender and culture will also be held.

*****

Losing my religion for equality

by Jimmy Carter
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/losing-my-religion-for-equality-20090714-dk0v.html?page=-1
July 15, 2009

Women and girls have been discriminated against for too long in a twisted interpretation of the word of God.

I HAVE been a practising Christian all my life and a deacon and Bible teacher for many years. My faith is a source of strength and comfort to me, as religious beliefs are to hundreds of millions of people around the world. So my decision to sever my ties with the Southern Baptist Convention, after six decades, was painful and difficult. It was, however, an unavoidable decision when the convention's leaders, quoting a few carefully selected Bible verses and claiming that Eve was created second to Adam and was responsible for original sin, ordained that women must be "subservient" to their husbands and prohibited from serving as deacons, pastors or chaplains in the military service.

This view that women are somehow inferior to men is not restricted to one religion or belief. Women are prevented from playing a full and equal role in many faiths. Nor, tragically, does its influence stop at the walls of the church, mosque, synagogue or temple. This discrimination, unjustifiably attributed to a Higher Authority, has provided a reason or excuse for the deprivation of women's equal rights across the world for centuries.

At its most repugnant, the belief that women must be subjugated to the wishes of men excuses slavery, violence, forced prostitution, genital mutilation and national laws that omit rape as a crime. But it also costs many millions of girls and women control over their own bodies and lives, and continues to deny them fair access to education, health, employment and influence within their own communities.

The impact of these religious beliefs touches every aspect of our lives. They help explain why in many countries boys are educated before girls; why girls are told when and whom they must marry; and why many face enormous and unacceptable risks in pregnancy and childbirth because their basic health needs are not met.

In some Islamic nations, women are restricted in their movements, punished for permitting the exposure of an arm or ankle, deprived of education, prohibited from driving a car or competing with men for a job. If a woman is raped, she is often most severely punished as the guilty party in the crime.

The same discriminatory thinking lies behind the continuing gender gap in pay and why there are still so few women in office in the West. The root of this prejudice lies deep in our histories, but its impact is felt every day. It is not women and girls alone who suffer. It damages all of us. The evidence shows that investing in women and girls delivers major benefits for society. An educated woman has healthier children. She is more likely to send them to school. She earns more and invests what she earns in her family.

It is simply self-defeating for any community to discriminate against half its population. We need to challenge these self-serving and outdated attitudes and practices - as we are seeing in Iran where women are at the forefront of the battle for democracy and freedom.

I understand, however, why many political leaders can be reluctant about stepping into this minefield. Religion, and tradition, are powerful and sensitive areas to challenge. But my fellow Elders and I, who come from many faiths and backgrounds, no longer need to worry about winning votes or avoiding controversy - and we are deeply committed to challenging injustice wherever we see it.

The Elders are an independent group of eminent global leaders, brought together by former South African president Nelson Mandela, who offer their influence and experience to support peace building, help address major causes of human suffering and promote the shared interests of humanity. We have decided to draw particular attention to the responsibility of religious and traditional leaders in ensuring equality and human rights and have recently published a statement that declares: "The justification of discrimination against women and girls on grounds of religion or tradition, as if it were prescribed by a Higher Authority, is unacceptable."

We are calling on all leaders to challenge and change the harmful teachings and practices, no matter how ingrained, which justify discrimination against women. We ask, in particular, that leaders of all religions have the courage to acknowledge and emphasise the positive messages of dignity and equality that all the world's major faiths share.

The carefully selected verses found in the Holy Scriptures to justify the superiority of men owe more to time and place - and the determination of male leaders to hold onto their influence - than eternal truths. Similar biblical excerpts could be found to support the approval of slavery and the timid acquiescence to oppressive rulers.

I am also familiar with vivid descriptions in the same Scriptures in which women are revered as pre-eminent leaders. During the years of the early Christian church women served as deacons, priests, bishops, apostles, teachers and prophets. It wasn't until the fourth century that dominant Christian leaders, all men, twisted and distorted Holy Scriptures to perpetuate their ascendant positions within the religious hierarchy.

The truth is that male religious leaders have had - and still have - an option to interpret holy teachings either to exalt or subjugate women. They have, for their own selfish ends, overwhelmingly chosen the latter. Their continuing choice provides the foundation or justification for much of the pervasive persecution and abuse of women throughout the world. This is in clear violation not just of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights but also the teachings of Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul, Moses and the prophets, Muhammad, and founders of other great religions - all of whom have called for proper and equitable treatment of all the children of God. It is time we had the courage to challenge these views.

----Jimmy Carter was president of the United States from 1977 to 1981.