temptation and sin may be radically different from a man's."
34
Often, in classes and churches, the
assembled audience is comprised of both women and men. In this situation it is important for
teachers and pastors to be aware that the experiences of these two groups can be very different and
thus the extent of applicability of a particular teaching may not be equal for each group. It is the
responsibility of the teacher to understand the corrective theology of evangelical feminists in order
to best reach the audience.
The second manner in which evangelical feminist theology must move forward is simply in
affirming the writing of women theologians who utilize their experiences as a valid source. This
theology is not overtly feminist in its assertions but provides feminist distinctions in the recognition
of a partiuclar pool of experiences. It is the responsibility of the evangelical theological community
at large to affirm these women as a legitimate and necessary voice in the field.
Second, in the broader cultural arena there is need for the development of an evangelical
feminist theology. Evangelicals have successful identified the weaknesses of feminist theologies
but have not presented a viable alternative that seriously considers women's experiences. Today in
Western culture, there is an abundance of opportunities to cultivate "spirituality" for women but few
grounded in Truth.
Third, evangelical feminists have a responsibility to recognize and advocate for fellow
Christians around the world whose voices are suppressed in evangelical theological circles.
Evangelical feminists must acknowledge these parallel experiences of marginalization and be
willing to learn from others and be honest about their own presuppositions. With an abundance of
material resources, Western evangelical feminists must intentionally speak for and seek out the
voices that are not found in corporate systematic theology.
34
Mary Ellen Ashcroft, Temptations Women Face: Honest Talk about Jealousy, Anger, Sex, Money,
Food, Pride (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1991), pp. 27-28.