Last week I found myself in discussion with an associate minister in our annual conference. She is having problems in her current appointment, as the senior minister treats her as an assistant minister rather than an associate minister. This happens all too often -- when my mother served as an associate, she sometimes encountered this. I get the feeling it happens to both male and female associates, but that it's more common with female associates. Nothing like a power trip and sexism, eh?
Well, as I empathized with her, I said something about how awfully "senior ministers often treat those working under them." Using the phrase "under them" was entirely an accident - this is the attitude that associates fight against. They are associates, thus they do not work under, but in association with colleagues in ministry that have the unfortunate title of senior minister.
Well, immediately I regretted my slip of the tongue and corrected myself. It was a reminder that even when trying to fight against the attitude of associates being assistants, I am still a product of a system that promotes this attitude. Sometimes we are faced with such realities: that we all possess attitudes that are wrong, even attitudes we disagree with, and sometimes a fight against a wrong attitude includes a struggle within our own souls.
Thinking about the impact of your words and systemic oppression? What has Candler done otyou?
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