The United Nations has just launched a well articulated solidarity movement calling men to stand for gender quality alongside the women of the world. The following speech by Emma Watson, of Harry Potter fame, is a concise and inspiring example that’s worth the 13 minutes it will take to watch. She calls for men around the world to join the struggle on behalf of women around the world.
Equality for women doesn’t have to equal “man-hating” and feminism doesn’t have to be a bad word.
As I have said in my post explaining my own advocacy for women’s leadership in the church, the statistics say that evangelical leaders (and I suspect that most other Christian leaders) are supportive of women’s equality when asked in a survey. But too many of those men either believe that the issue is not critical enough to warrant speaking up or they are afraid of the consequences of doing so among their colleagues. Those men remain silent.
Maybe now is the time? Maybe this United Nations call to action will finally be the moment when Christian male leaders will stand up for the sake of their sisters?
This UN campaign called HeForShe is well produced and the call to action is not overly-politicized. Surely we can all agree that women should have equal opportunity to do what God has called them to do. Maybe this can be a movement where Christian men will lead the way as we commit to working for the advancement of women across the globe.
Will you sign the pledge? Will you take one action step today to work for gender equality? Will you use your voice as a preacher or blogger to advocate for women’s equality? Will you give a donation to your local domestic violence shelter or make a loan to one of these innovative women entrepreneurs? Will you challenge a sexist comment made about or to one of your colleagues? Women’s issues are our issues. Let Christian men lead this new movement as they advocate for God’s kingdom coming among our sisters.
The #HeForShe movement isn’t just for our sisters. It’s also a movement for God’s coming kingdom.
To read a strong case for the need for advocating for women for the sake of the church, see Half the Church: Recapturing God’s Global Vision for Women by Carolyn Custis James.
Click here for more of what I have written on women in ministry.
Dr. Jeremiah Gibbs 
Great post, Jeremiah… thanks so much for your persistence in this. We appreciate you so much.
I want to help her but not only her every and and women by bringing about world peace, the elimination of debt, and the advancement of technology into a new era of Person-kind/humanity. but need help in order to help me because I am unemployed and disabled which is what has allowed me to advance my own personal growth. they say to have a dream for change is wasted if not put into action. help me help everyone.
If I felt that women were as supportive of the issues that bother and concern men, I would have no real problem with this….but they aren’t. There are men that have cancer out there that are totally ignored while millions go to breast cancer. The only message I seem to get from women is that men don’t matter and are unnecessary…after years of supporting gender equality in ministry and in all things. I have no problem with #HeForShe, but it needs to be reciprocal. As of right now, I don’t believe that it is.
REJ, I feel you are hurting right now and feel the world isn’t paying attention to your problem. Let me say that the women in your life are probably very concerned about you. Don’t let the “funding” issue get in the way of your opinion of women in general. I for on am not happy with the Susan Komen promotions and all the pink ribbons and such. Breast cancer is tragic, but so is any fatal disease. Research funding is totally political and just about every kind of illness needs more research. (My husband has Parkinson’s disease, for which there is no cure. It is a fatal illness, and all that can be done is to delay the disease.} The truth is, national government funding of medical research has been dropping due to budget cuts. I pray that you will feel the caring love of God through your sisters and brothers to help you through whatever is concerning you. I will pray for you as well. Peace, Linda
I agree with much of Watson’s speech and even with the objective statement she made to be in control of her own body. However, abortionism has made this concept a code for destroying the bodies of other persons, i.e. female and male babies in women’s wombs. I will never support that concept and hope that she did not mean that she supports such killing. Given the history of the UN promoting the killing of unborn children, I suspect the so-called “abortion rights” are a part of this heforshe movement. Therefore, I will not sign the petition. I already do support and speak up for gender equality for women.