What does it mean to imitate Christ? Moreover, what does it mean for women? Here are the thoughts of one woman that I thought were quite thought provoking:
“Imitation of Christ, understood as self sacrificing martyrdom, is a highly problematic model for women. Whether a male saviour is beneficial to women needs to be examined, not in terms of biological difference, but in relation to gender-specific conditioning in Western societies. The adaptability of the model of imitation of Christ for purposes of social control – for men and women – is obvious. Perhaps the imitation of a self-sacrificing Jesus has been a useful corrective for men, socialized to vigorous competition in societies orientated to male aggression. Self-sacrificing attention to the needs of others has, however, been part of the socialization of women, and therefore does not provide a correction to gender conditioning that encourages and rewards women’s self-abnegation and single-minded attention to the needs of men and children. As Valerie Saiving, Judith Plaskow, and others have shown, women are tempted to neglect their own talents and gifts, depending on others for self-esteem, and to scatter time and energy in a variety of task rather than to sustain a focus on a central task.”
“The imitation of Christ’s gentleness, compassion and self-sacrificial love is damaging to women in societies that demand of women, and socialize them to, such attitudes and behaviour. If twentieth-century women are to find the metaphor useful, it will need to be on the basis of carefully selected characteristics of Christ that confront and challenge women’s social conditioning rather than those that sustain it. Christ’s anger at injustice, Christ’s practices of self-remembering and centering, Christ’s rejection of the social role expectations of his day, and the creativity with which Christ met difficult situations and awkward questions about himself and his ministry could be useful to women in the twentieth century.” (Miles, 1988, 40)
Now, I will say from the outset that I think this goes too far, that a more nuanced and less stereotyped vision of contemporary gender roles would have gone a long way with me. And I will also say that I think her exploration of scripture in this book fails to reach the same depth as her exploration of the devotional classics, and that this is a serious weakness.
But, that being said, I think her call for women to pay more attention to Christ’s social revolutionizing ways, in their devotion to him, has definite merit. It has long been my opinion that the church and the world in this era needs more prophetesses – women of focussed passion and spiritual depth who will not wait for permission, from men or other women, before speaking God’s word into situations of injustice and insanity.
But can this be divorced from a commitment to sacrificial love? I don’t think so. And at this point I am drawn to reflect on Ephesians 4:11-33:
It was he [Jesus] who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Here we see that prophecy and service are deeply interrelated, so I am inclined to say, if women are more deeply conscious of service, that’s good, let’s not devalue that. Rather, if men are exercising their leadership and gifts in a less than servant-like manner maybe this is precisely where we need more prophetesses, so that those men concerned may be challenged to grow for the building up of the church.
References
Miles, Margaret R. 1988 The Image and Practice of Holiness: A Critique of the Classic Manuals of Devotion, SCM Press, Britain, pp40
Curious Christian 
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