Gender equality: opening up spaces for reflection and calling for action

To this day, women* and people whose sexual orientation differs from the heterosexual norm still have to fight for adequate forms of participation and opportunities, even within the Church.

The issue of ‘gender’ is therefore fundamental, particularly when it comes to questions of justice. This applies to our partner and sponsoring churches just as much as it does to the ELM itself.
In fact, efforts to establish equitable gender relations are increasingly facing setbacks. In many countries, gender-based violence has risen. Arguments are often made by invoking supposed social or even church traditions. People from the partner churches, too, emphasise gender justice and the empowerment to act autonomously in accountability to God.
The belief that we are created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27) and the promised abolition of all social categories in favour of a community in Christ (Galatians 3:28) provide the foundation for the biblical perspective that opens up spaces for reflection on gender justice and calls for action.

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