As a new editor of Orthodoxy in Dialogue, one of the first tasks I considered necessary was to look closely at the Archives and take stock of the wide array of subjects on which we have published thus far. In the eight short months of our existence, we have published articles by 18 different women authors, meaning that roughly 20% of our authors are women. Considering that Orthodox bloggers and academics online tend to be overwhelmingly male, this isn’t a bad number. But we, the editors, feel that we can do much better than this.

The importance of female voices cannot be understated. If we are to have real, honest conversations about the Orthodox Church today, we must have more women speaking up, and doing so with authority. In saying that, however, I want to be wary of falling into the all-too-common trap of relegating female writers to subjects that society considers to be traditional “women’s topics.” This, in my opinion, tends to be counterproductive in the long run, causing women to view themselves as lesser in the eyes of the Church, and their opinions to only be important in specific situations. Sexism is alive and well within Orthodoxy, and we wish for Orthodoxy in Dialogue to be a place where women can actively write, participate, and lead discussion on any issue related to the Church.

I would like to take this opportunity to openly invite women who are reading this to consider writing for us. You certainly do not have to be an academic or a theologian (but if you are either of those things, we want to hear from you, too!). You don’t even have to be Orthodox. Your insight is important, your experiences help others, and we will only grow stronger as a resource for open and constructive dialogue with more voices like yours.

If you have an idea for an article and want to contribute, please check our Submission Guidelines and reach out to us.

Kari Edwards is a PhD candidate in History at the University of Mississippi and a new editor at Orthodoxy in Dialogue. She attends St. Maria of Paris Orthodox Church (OCA) in Cleveland TN with her husband.

Addendum: Ms. Edwards resigned as associate editor on May 23, 2018.

Christ is risen! Indeed He is risen!

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