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Petros Zivengwa
Media outlets are awash with cases of church leaders who reduce female congregants to sex objects. Recent “sexcapades” involving clergymen, chiefly the RMG End Time Message Robert Martin Gumbura, have raised eyebrows as to the authenticity of men of the cloth.The church has been subjected to scepticism, painted with the RMG brush, following the landmark case which saw the serial rapist sentenced to an effective 40-year jail term.

Another talking point has emerged out of the escalating scandal; that of the church’s relationship with women.
Going by the trending issues, it seems some clerical figureheads have resorted to preying on rather than praying for the female section of their laity.

The struggle for gender equality in religion is still an issue despite the progress that has been made in bridging the divide.
The church is expected to take the lead as a progressive rather than a repressive entity. It must socialise communities in the mutually beneficial roles of men and women in the church and society.

Women have been treated as second class citizens, surrogates and appendages of men from time immemorial.
Whether women’s oppression is attributed to prejudice and stereotyping in terms of their biological anatomy, their plight demands uncompromising redress.

The church’s mandate in the society in which it operates is important yet difficult to delimit.
It should be noted that church and society have shared moral obligations as the church is part of society.

The church saddles the burden of moral stewardship. It must play the bastion of virtue and voice of conscience to steer society in the right direction.

Ironically, the church leaders who are supposed to upgrade women and maximise their potential in line with its obligation to society are abdicating the responsibility to take advantage of gullible congregants.

Women, who constitute the greater part of the laity, come, like their male counterparts, for spiritual renewal and to network with others for a joint front against their problems.

The moral function of the church is to bridge a gap and contribute to gender equality. Biblical egalitarianism from the example of Christ’s teachings and conduct and the New Testament holds that gender parity must be the order of the church.

Scriptures indicate that men and women are equally created in God’s image; equally responsible for sin; equally redeemed by Christ; and equally gifted by God’s Spirit for service; and equally obliged to use their God-given gifts.

On the other hand, women must face up to the realities of their sexist environs and assert their rights.
Any move to dismantle their shackles is bound to draw reactionary backlashes but women need to stand up for their self-actualisation.
They must free their minds from heresy which diminishes them to sub- human levels and assert their God-given dignity and avert the risk of being relegated to a peripheral, doormat existence.

There are intellectually able women who can transform the society but their voices have been muzzled by the culture of dependence.
More needs to be done for all sectors of society, organisations and companies alike to acknowledge that women are just as good as men.
Women must not relent in the struggle to emerge from the state of subordination and blaze new roles and identities for themselves.