The evangelist

My friend said, “You don’t come to church regularly. I haven’t seen you since Good Friday.”

I moaned, “My leg is injured. I can’t stand for a long time.”

She looked disbelieving. “ You manage your work and exercise very well. Anyway, I will have a prayer meeting in your house,” she announced. “It will do your soul some good. I will set it up.”

(I think her family had refused.)

My  protests fell on deaf ears. The meeting was fixed and a visiting foreign gora (white) evangelist was to preside. I had to provide coffee and snacks. In addition,  the crowd swelled as word spread. Not about my cooking (very mediocre at the best of times) but the fact that he was an excellent speaker . His words were reputed to be a stairway to heaven.

On the fateful day, after a few mandatory hymns and introductions, the evangelist took off in full force. As far as I could tell he was a misogynist, convinced that women were responsible for all the ills of the world and the down fall of mankind. He worked his way backwards in time.

“Look at Paul, he said all women should cover their heads and be submissive and silent. Now,” he said angrily, ”we have world leaders who are women. Even England has had female prime ministers.”

I began to wish Margaret Thatcher had attended the meeting.

“Look at Samson, a great judge, Delilah with her wiles reduced him to a blind weak object of ridicule.”

He was just getting started.

“Look at King David, the rot in his kingdom started because of  his obsession with Bathsheba and his obedience to her words.”

The women at the meeting started lowering their eyes and heads , ashamed of what their sex had done. The men sat up a little straighter.

“Adam was  happy in the garden of Eden until Eve persuaded him to eat from the tree of life and knowledge. “

The women slunk into their chairs.

“Excuse me,” I interrupted, unable to bear theses insults to my sex and race a minute longer, “ they could have said NO!”

There was a stunned silence.

“Who could have said no?” asked the evangelist puzzled.

“All the men you mentioned”, I said, “If they are so superior and we women have to listen, surely when we say something like eat from the fruit God has forbidden or where do you get your strength from? They can say no.”

The convener had the presence of mind to stand up and burst out loudly into a hymn. The others joined and the meeting wound up.

As the evangelist left he politely thanked me, “ I didn’t think Indian women were like this. I will never forget you.”

Dr. Gita Mathai

http://velloretimes.blogspot.in/