"Of course it's just a myth that women prefer big
government. Size doesn't really matter to a woman
as long as the heart is in the right place."     
                                 - Sheila Sharkey

You've got to love Mr. Colson criticizing women for their relationship with the government. Where would Mr. Colson be today were it not for his intimate involvement with Uncle Sam? Of course in his own special way he did try to make the government smaller, but he's paid his debt to society so we won't talk about that.

Back to the topic at hand. Even if every man was a responsible, faithful, age-appropriate, heterosexual there still would not be enough men to go around. There are now, and always have been more women on earth than there are men. When the music stops there will always be a few women left standing without chairs. What are all these bridesmaids supposed to do but rely on their own resources and the government services for which their tax dollars pay? And according to Mr. Colson's own statistics the marriages of Christian Fundamentalists and Evangelicals are more likely to fail than those of couples that claim no particular faith. Whether Christian men are deserting their wives or driving them away is not clear.

Unmarried women have been at risk throughout history. Widows, and/or women heads of household, were and are particularly vulnerable. Consider the Biblical paragon Ruth who slipped into a man's bed at night as a way of arousing his interest in marriage.(2) Ruth was painfully aware of the fate that she and her beloved mother-in-law Naomi faced were she not able to marry again. Biblical dictates to minister to widows and the fatherless were mandated without qualification.

"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world."

James 1:27

In the middle ages and beyond unmarried or widowed women were accused of witchcraft and burned at the stake or tortured to death by their Christian "protectors". The church, or the inquisitors themselves, often confiscated the accused's property. In many cases the fact that women had property or power was enough to bring an accusation of witchcraft.(3)

Mr. Colson comments about the Suffragette Movement,

"...this argument assumed a troubling premise: that men could no longer be relied on as champions of family values. As one suffragette argued, women need the right to vote 'because men, even good men, cannot be trusted to take care of women's interests.' Already women's political activism was taking the shape we see today: reliance on the state to make up for the moral deficiencies of men."(7)

(We'll assume that Mr. Colson supports the participation of women in the free democratic process.)

I support Mr. Colson's efforts to reform men, it will keep him very busy. Yet until the day men realize their dream of becoming the guardians of the world's morals TRUE Christian men will make every effort to protect women (and born children) in the here and now. Equal pay for equal work is a good start. Enforcing child support and funding domestic violence programs would show good faith. Ensuring that women are not discriminated against in the workplace, in education and in the marketplace would help tide women over until that glorious day we can all go home and bake cookies. It's a tall order but with a little prayer and dedication they should be able to do it. We'll wait by the phone. We promise.

One last word from the Bible about the virtuous woman,

"Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates."

Proverbs 31:31

(1)"Why Women Like Big Government: The sexual revolution promised liberation from traditional morality, but the only folks liberated were men.", by Chuck Colson's and Nancy Pearcey 1996, Christianity Today, Inc/Christianity Today Magazine. November 11, 1996, Vol. 40, No. 13, Page 112

(2) The Holy Bible, Book of Ruth

(3)The Vulnerability of Women to Witchcraft Accusations

(4) "Violence Against Women: Estimates from the Redesigned Survey", Single copies of the special report, "Violence Against Women: Estimates from the Redesigned Survey" (NCJ-154348), written by Ronet Bachman, Ph.D., a BJS (Bureau of Justice Statistics) statistician, and Linda E. Saltzman, Ph.D., a senior scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, may be obtained from the BJS (Bureau of Justice Statistics) Clearinghouse, Box 179, Annapolis Junction, Maryland 20701-1079. The telephone number is 1-800/732-3277. Fax orders to 410/792-4358. 95-52 (CS) After hours contact: Stu Smith at 301/983-9354 (Yes, I did rely on the government to help me put together this article. - Poppy Dixon)

(5)"Child Rape Victims, 1992", Single copies of the Bureau of Justice Statistics Crime Data Brief, "Child Rape Victims, 1992" (NCJ-147001), as well as other BJS (Bureau of Justice Statistics) statistical reports may be obtained from the BJS (Bureau of Justice Statistics) Clearinghouse, Box 179, Annapolis Junction, Maryland 20701-0179. The telephone number is 1-800-732-3277. Fax orders to 410-792-4358. 94-81 After hours contact: Stu Smith 301-983-9354

(6)National Coalition for Homelessness, Fact Sheet, Domestic Violence and Homelessness.

(7)"Why Women Like Big Government: The sexual revolution promised liberation from traditional morality, but the only folks liberated were men.", by Chuck Colson's and Nancy Pearcey 1996, Christianity Today, Inc/Christianity Today Magazine. November 11, 1996, Vol. 40, No. 13, Page 112