The Boko Haram kidnap of over two hundred school girls in Nigeria says much that is negative about the bad treatment of others and females in particular.
It says that:
- people are expendable for political purposes
- females are things to be owned and sold off
- girls are not worthy of being educated, and especially that of a secular variety
I freely admit that the Church has not always practised the teachings of Jesus and has often reinforced sexual stereotypes and been guilty of sexism.
Never-the less, Jesus taught –
- respect for all people (Matthew 5:27-48)
- females are not a thing to be disposed of of as one pleases (Matthew 5:31-32)
- and he has females who sat his feet as learners (Luke 10:39)
Our society owes a lot of its best attitudes to the legacy that Jesus left. These did not arise in a vacuum but in the context of Judeo-Christian heritage and the work of many Christian reformers.
Meanwhile we pray for those girls and their families for their safe deliverance and that those who seek to abuse and use them as tools for political gain will be brought to account.