Brief Review of Vision Forum's Women in Military Articles

Some Christian leaders, realizing silence is consent, are beating the drum about women in the military. They're dismayed that America (and the church) is largely silent about the presence of female soldiers in hostile enemy territory. Caught up in the emotions of Jessica Lynch's quick rescue, America didn't have time to be outraged that she was there. Christians didn't raise an outcry that young mothers were off fighting a war while able-bodied men stayed home.

Their point is not that women can't meet the demands of military life (although they provide the standard rationale for why they can't), but whether or not they belong in the military at all. Their argument is based on Biblical gender roles; women are to be busy at home and men are to protect women.

"Women in the military" is a timely platform for these leaders to voice their more wide-ranging complaint; our culture has neglected motherhood. Sure, with women fighting the wars our military will have more casualties, but the much larger loss is the institution of the family. The raising of godly seed, the building of the kingdom of God, is all tied up with the health of the family. When the majority of women choose career over child rearing, a very weak family and church result. For the unbelieving culture this may not be a concern, but for the servants of Christ it must be.

For my part, their arguments resonate. Regrettably, apart from God's grace Biblical arguments won't convince our apathetic culture about a woman's valuable role. But for Christians it's a call for faithfulness to God's decrees for men, women, and children.