I frequently am accused by certain men of being a feminist. At this point, I think that feminist means different things to different people. If a feminist is a woman who expects women to have all of their God-given rights and expects women to be seen and treated as equally valuable and important, so be it.

If feminist means anything that goes against God’s design and His will, then no, I am not a feminist. I noticed that some men with certain oppressive religious views call me a feminist. I think what it boils down to is when I don’t agree with them, to them, I must be a feminist.

I must be against men, in their minds. The reality is that some people seem to have a need for women to be less than men. They seem to have unholy desires for women to be less than and treated accordingly. Some have contempt of women. Women are not less than.

I will state it again for the people in the back. Women are not less than men.

The average non-believer off the street seems to be aware of this obvious fact. It’s often some of the religious people that seem to not be able to accept it. If you are a man who does not feel sufficient unless you believe women are less than men, then I recommend you examine yourself, seek God.

Ask Him to align your heart, mind and understanding with His heart for women. I encourage you to come into right relationship with God and to know your identity in Him to resolve any feelings of inadequacy you may have. Please don’t take your insecurities out on women.

Rather than considering myself a feminist, I am a follower of Christ and a firm believer that neither men or women are second class citizens in the kingdom of God.

Here are a few of my Bible-based foundational beliefs on men and women being of equal value and importance.

• Men and women are created in the image of God.

“This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;

Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.” Genesis 5: 1-2.

• There is no male or female in Christ, for we are all one in Christ. In other words, our identities are in Him. This is a crucial equalizing, uniting factor. This does not mean that men become women and women become men. But in Christ, there is no inferiority or superiority between men and women.

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” – Galatians 3: 28

• Husbands and wives are heirs together of the grace of life. The Bible doesn’t say husbands are moreso heirs than wives are. The Lord thinks so much of women that He inspired Apostle Peter to warn men that their prayers will be hindered if they do not honor their wives.

“Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.” -1 Peter 3: 7.

• We are to love our neighbors as ourselves.

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. – Mark 12: 30-31.

Men and women are neighbors. When a man and a woman get married, they become the closest of neighbors, becoming one flesh. Loving others as ourselves indicates there is no inferiority.

• Husbands are commanded to love their wives as themselves, wives are commanded to respect their husbands.

“So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.” – Ephesians 5: 33.

• Husbands and wives become one when they marry. The two become one. There is never any indication of superiority and inferiority between the two here either.

“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” -Genesis 2: 24

These are only a few of many examples of why I cannot gather from God’s word that women are less than men, and why I do not support that women are inferior to men.

I don’t consider myself a feminist. On behalf of God and humanity, I just don’t believe in putting down one gender in an attempt to raise up the other.

God loves and values both His sons and daughters. He created us for Himself, for His glory. What an honor!

“I will say to the north and south,
    ‘Bring my sons and daughters back to Israel
    from the distant corners of the earth.
 Bring all who claim me as their God,
 for I have made them for my glory.
 It was I who created them.’ ” -Isaiah 43: 6-7