Tonight is Purim

Tonight is Purim, the remembrance of Esther in the history of the Jewish people. You can read the heroic story in the book of Esther in the Old Testament.
       A short article in Patheos recently asked the question, Who are the Esthers Today? It is an important question, but not only because of the rise of anti-semitism in Europe and elsewhere.
       It is important because women are often treated as second-class citizens in a variety of religious contexts - the Church, Judaism, and Islam to mention the three great monotheistic faiths.
       Lest we quickly jump on the bandwagon of how some strains of Islam abuse women (which certainly happens), we in the West would do well to do some serious self-reflection.
       We are quick to see women as objects of sexual desire and look away at a scantily clad Miley Cyrus, but are largely silent about this kind of abuse.
       There is an invisible glass ceiling for many, many women in the corporate world. And that ceiling is not even invisible in the Church world of Catholics and Protestants, where well-meaning men hold to theological positions that severely limit women's gifts, talents, and abilities.
      So I also want to ask, Who are the Esthers today? And I also want to ask how men such as myself are identifying, empowering, and sending those Esthers to change the world for good.