The U.S. feminist movement’s perpetual quest for gender equality has suffered notable setbacks during President Donald Trump’s second term — including the dismantling of various nondiscrimination programs and the ouster of several high-ranking women in the military.
Yet strikingly, outspoken women from the Catholic Church and the ranks of conservative evangelicals are engaging with gusto in ongoing political and social debates even as their faiths maintain longstanding rules against women serving as priests or senior pastors. Many of these women see these ministry barriers as a nonissue.
In a Dallas suburb, more than 6,500 conservative Christian women attended an Oct. 11 conference organized by commentator Allie Beth Stuckey. “Welcome to the fight,” was her greeting.
Ahead of the conference, Stuckey evoked the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, saying she had been inundated with messages from Christian women saying, “We’re done sitting on the sidelines of politics and culture.’’
“We’re not backing down; we’re doubling down,” Stuckey declared. “We’re unapologetically saying no to the lies of feminism and progressivism and yes to God’s Word.”
Some Catholic Nuns on the Front Lines
Among Catholic women, there is a different kind of passion exhibited by sisters from religious orders who are on the front lines of social-justice advocacy.
A striking example came in September after Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York, praised Kirk as 'a modern-day St. Paul' who was a worthy role model for young people.
Leaders of the Sisters of Charity of New York issued a public rebuke.
“What Cardinal Dolan may not have known is that many of Mr. Kirk’s words were marked by racist, homophobic, transphobic, and anti-immigrant rhetoric, by violent pro-gun advocacy, and by the promotion of Christian nationalism,” the nuns said. “These prejudicial words do not reflect the qualities of a saint.”
“In this moment,” the nuns added, “we reaffirm our mission: to walk with all people who are poor and marginalized, to welcome immigrants and refugees, to defend the dignity of LGBTQ+ persons, and to labor for peace in a world saturated with violence.”
Another religious sister, Norma Pimentel of the Missionaries of Jesus, is a leading migrant-rights activist along the U.S.-Mexico border. She runs Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, including a respite center for beleaguered migrants in McAllen, Texas.
At a recent forum in Washington, she recalled visiting immigrant families at a detention center in a “terrible condition,” and being moved to tears.
“I saw Border Patrol agents looking at us, and they, too, were moved and were crying,” she said. “When I walked out of there, the officer turned to me and said, ‘Thank you, sister, for helping us realize they’re human beings.’”
Natalia Imperatori-Lee, a professor in the theology department at Fordham University, praised Pimentel’s advocacy and the Sisters of Charity leadership’s statement as “the model of the way women show up in the public square.”
“Women religious are the face of the church,” she said.
Overall, Imperatori-Lee expressed dismay at the “very serious backlash to the gains that women and other minorities have made.” Yet she finds hope in the activism among young people advocating for women’s equality within the church.
Conservative Evangelical Women Navigate a Patriarchal Doctrine
After the Catholic Church, the second largest denomination in the U.S. is the Southern Baptist Convention, whose evangelical doctrine espouses traditional gender roles at home and in the church. This includes barring women from being pastors, a belief that has put the SBC in the spotlight in recent years following high-profile ousting of churches that disobeyed the prohibition.
However, Susie Hawkins, a Bible teacher and wife of a former denominational leader, states that this doesn’t mean Southern Baptist men are domineering nor that the women are doormats. “The women I know have the freedom to speak their mind to their husbands,” said Hawkins.
She spoke of the joy in the roles chosen by many Christian women, exemplified by Erika Kirk, wife of the late Charlie Kirk, whose satisfaction in her roles as wife and mother is celebrated within evangelical circles.
Hawkins believes figures like Erika Kirk can have a significant voice in the church and beyond. “I think her voice — it will be heard from this point on,” Hawkins adds.
Stuckey, who grew up Southern Baptist, recently addressed women’s roles in church and society on her 'Relatable' podcast, reiterating her belief that women should not be pastors nor preach from the pulpit on Sundays. “A gentle and quiet spirit is something that women should have in Scripture, but that does not mean silence,” she asserted. “Women are also called to raise a voice and to be a bastion and refuge of clarity and courage.”
Most Southern Baptist women embrace accepted church roles, with recent commissioning services celebrating their contributions. Pastor Robert Jeffress expressed a desire to recognize the various ministries women can engage in, focusing on the positive aspects rather than restrictions.
Advocates of Women’s Ordination Vow to Persist
Long-established boundaries remain in the Catholic Church as well. Even as Pope Leo XIV, the first American Pope, settles into his papacy, he has no immediate intentions of advocating for women to serve as deacons or to be ordained as priests.
However, women continue to serve in high-level administrative roles within the Vatican and at U.S. institutions, such as Catholic Charities. “Within the Catholic Church when we look only at priesthood, we fail to look at the primary mission of the church — it’s education, healthcare, and social service agencies,” said Susan Timoney, a professor of pastoral studies at The Catholic University of America.
The largest organization advocating for women’s ordination, the Women’s Ordination Conference, is preparing to mark its 50th anniversary. Its executive director, Kate McElwee, expresses alarm at the anti-women rhetoric taking hold globally but remains hopeful as more activists find their courage amid societal polarization.
As feminism faces broader attacks, she believes the movement for women’s rights in the church will become a symbol of vital resistance.
