Who we are

A welcome from Helen LaKelly Hunt

Two years ago I published a book titled Faith and Feminism: A Holy Alliance. Many have considered this an odd title and an erroneous assumption. Faith and feminism in harmony? The two have been battling forever, or so it seems. And yet a long journey of scholarship, reflection and prayer has led me to conclude the opposite. Faith and feminism can engender a vital synergy between one another. In fact, they need one another to accomplish their respective missions – peace on earth and good will to men and women.

While my Christian faith is the soul and foundation of who I am, it is also true that the history of Christianity reveals centuries of the silencing of women and the suppression of their talents and potential. This incongruity, I believe, is the reason for the astonishing popularity of The Da Vinci Code. Although the book is a work of fiction, it has nevertheless touched a raw nerve: the suppression of the feminine within all institutional religion.

If you are like me, this is an issue that troubles you. All thoughtful people of faith must reconcile themselves with the contradiction between what is written in our holy books and what is practiced with regard to women’s value and dignity. I watch so many who have suppressed their spiritual nature because of damage perpetuated by the faith that I struggle to claim as my own.

My story begins with my mother, a stalwart Christian and a pillar of our church. She was well known by church leaders—all men—as an intelligent and active behind-the-scenes power. But she was not allowed to lead the congregation in prayer—because she was a woman. The dissonance this created in me prompted my search, now many years ago, of the Bible, the gospels in particular, and I became persuaded that my mother had a rightful place as a vocal member and leader of the congregation. I came to believe this is the right of every woman and have dedicated my life to this vision.

The purpose of this website is to foster awareness of the power of faith and feminism by providing a space to share our stories. This is a place where women who have lost, or perhaps have found, their power as women in their faith tradition can meet and support each other. Such connection mirrors the literal meaning of “religion:” to reconnect; to tie back to the root. We hope this will emerge as we tell our stories.

Please share your story in this place of safety and communion. We want to hear about your challenges, and we also want to hear about your solutions and victories. Eventually our stories, our challenges and our solutions will coalesce into a larger web site where you can read more extensively the stories of other women of faith, deepen your understanding of the powerful alliance of faith and feminism, and take action in your own community to heal the split that exists between the two.

Faith and feminism are indeed a holy alliance, making our work together holy. I welcome you to our very spirited sisterhood, and I look forward to the day when women claim their rightful place in religious practice.