A Post About LifeWay, Vaginas, and @RachelHeldEvans

The following post is my opinion, one based on experiences and conversations that I’ve had over the years.

Rachel Held Evans is trending. Huffington Post, Yahoo, Slate.com, and many more have covered posted stories about Rachel. On Monday, Rachel, along with her husband, Dan, will be on the Today Show. And I couldn’t be more excited for my friend. I had the privilege of reading A Year of Biblical Womanhood this past summer and offering an endorsement of the book.

A Year of Biblical Womanhood is thoughtful, witty, and eye-opening, one of the most important books I’ve read in a long time. In detailing her “Old Testament” adventure, the always earnest Rachel Held Evans flexes her writing muscle by painting vivid scenes, inspiring prose, and offering well-played opinions doused with persuasive theology. A Year of Biblical Womanhood is a brave book, proving Evans’ knack for packing a powerful punch while still managing to remain devout, humble, full of grace.

Much of the current buzz about Rachel and her new book is about LifeWay Christian Stores refusing to carry the title because of the word “vagina”. And yes, that’s ridiculous on many levels. But of course there’s more to all of this than just the word “vagina”. There always is. And let’s face it, none of us are exactly surprised by this news regarding Lifeway. LifeWay has a long list of books that its refused to carry. Several of my books have sparked inside conversations between my publishers’ sales team and LifeWay’s buying team. One of my books was banned because of the word “masturbation” and another time it was because of a joke I wrote that referenced Baptists. Rachel’s in good company. Even Donald Miller’s “Blue Like Jazz” was banned AT FIRST. The popular title was deemed too controversial, too. But then it became too popular and a too “good of a sales opportunity” not to sell. So LifeWay’s moral code got trumped.

LifeWay has every right to stock what they want to stock. Some have called it censorship, and of course it’s censorship. Censorship is a part of LifeWay’s brand as a “Christian” retail establishment. Those who shop at LifeWay do so because they desire a certain level of censorship. Customers trust LifeWay to have screened the content that they sell. And they do. And trust me, they take that responsibility very seriously.

But regarding Rachel’s book, the word “vagina” is only the beginning of why LifeWay won’t carry the title. Another reason that we don’t like talking about is because Rachel has a vagina. Let me explain. Even before LifeWay read the first word of Rachel’s book, the fact that she is a female author, limited what those words were allowed to say and also to whom Rachel was allowed to say them to. Being a woman limits an author’s biblical platform according to LifeWay.

The only thing that would put Rachel at a bigger disadvantage on the front end would have been if she was a female pastor. A book by a female pastor wouldn’t have made it through LifeWay’s security checkpoint at the entrance to their Nashville offices.

Why? Because LifeWay is owned and operated by the Southern Baptist Convention. The SBC has rules regarding what women are allowed to say and do. Those rules trickle down to the retail level, influencing what and whom LifeWay is willing to support and sell in their retail stores.

Sure, LifeWay carries a multitude of books written by women. In fact, books written by women are some of their biggest moneymakers. But all of their biggest selling female authors fit into the “role” that the SBC believes is “biblically” fitting for women.

Beth Moore is a perfect example, she’s a non-pastor who “speaks” and “teaches”. Beth’s primary reader and conference attendee is the female who is engaged in church. While men might read her book or see her live, you will rarely see an advertised “Beth Moore teaching event” that is not marketed directly to a female audience. That’s on purpose. Men are usually allowed to attend if they want, but the event is rarely for them. And they are never the marketing focus, because it is against the SBC policy for a female to “teach Bible” to men. Beth “speaks” in front of mixed crowds all the time. But speaking and teaching are different. The language used in the marketing material to advertise A Beth Moore “teaching event” and a Beth Moore appearance is carefully shaped and massaged so that her ministry fits within the context of the SBC rules for women.

I’ve read where some have asked, “Why does LifeWay carry Mark Driscoll’s sex book? It contains the word ‘vagina’ and rather lengthy sexualized descriptions.” To be frank, because he’s a man. And furthermore, because he’s a man who is a “pastor,” which puts him “two LifeWay points” ahead of Rachel from the start.

I have many friends who have worked at LifeWay. Years ago, when she was getting ready to hand in her notice, I remember a friend telling me, “I’m a woman. I’m limited as to what I can do here. I can’t go any higher than I am right now.” Another former employee once said, “sexism bleeds throughout this company in the most subtle ways. Sometimes, because it’s such a part of the culture here, you hardly notice it.”

Oh, people with vaginas work at LifeWay. And they sell lots of books by people who have vaginas. But LifeWay only associates with vagina people who know and respect the rules they have in regards to people with vaginas.

Let me write it one more time… vagina.

The conversation happening all over the Internet about Rachel’s book is a very important one. And it’s not simply about the word “vagina”. This conversation is about equality in the eyes of God. It’s about the limitations that one denomination continues to subject women to simply because they are women. It’s about how a large part of the Christian culture undermines and devalues the role and words of women in conversations regarding theology, church, and spiritual growth.

So please don’t miss the bigger issue here, the story that affects all of us, not just Rachel. Because in the end, Rachel doesn’t need LifeWay to sell her books. She knows that. But this conversation is not just about Rachel and her book. And it’s not just about LifeWay.

It’s about equality in the church. It’s about empowering women to speak up. It’s about encouraging women to embrace their voice/thoughts/opinions with freedom. It’s about the church (all of the church) becoming a safe place for people, people with and without vaginas. And it’s about our daughters, our moms, our sisters, our friends who have vaginas being nourished in spiritual environments where they are not the “weaker partner” but rather a strong valued soul who know and feel loved and accepted fully by God.

Like life itself, the conversation about Rachel’s book begins with the vagina, but that’s only the beginning.

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