This message still exists in the church and in society. The church must lead the way in changing these discriminatory attitudes in the world. We must proclaim in our liturgy that women are good and holy and created in God's image and likeness. If we tell women ministers they cannot stand near the altar, we discredit the very gospel we seek to proclaim. Every day, women suffer from discrimination, abuse, rape, and degradation.
Women struggle for equal pay, equal benefits, equal voice, and respect in relationships.
Because they are valued so often for their bodies and for what they can do for others, women often struggle with their own self esteem. Women begin to discover their self worth when they discover how much God loves them and that they are created in God's image. It is the church. And if the church proclaims God's love for women and tells the stories of how Jesus related to women, and then at the same time refuses to allow women near the altar, it mocks the very gospel it seeks to proclaim. We as a church must be a light to the world shining against the darkness of discrimination.