Lottie Moon: "The Mother of Missions"
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Thread Three: Christianity Elevates and Empowers Women
"Now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you whatever you ask, for all my people in the city know that you are a woman of excellence.” Ruth 3:11 (NASB)
“It is much more important for her [a Chinese female] to have small feet than a pretty face. As to education, that is neither desired nor expected.” – Lottie Moon
In the China in which Lottie Moon served, women were considered mere property, and, as such, had no rights of their own. The Confucian philosophy which permeated the culture especially disparaged and devalued women. From the time of their birth, females belonged to their fathers. From the time of their marriage, which usually occurred during childhood, they belonged to their husbands. From the time of their widowhood, they belonged to their sons.
The effects of such a pagan philosophy dominated every moment and aspect of a Chinese woman’s life. They were given no education and were often berated by their husbands to the point of conceding they had no worthy opinions of their own. They could be sold by male relatives just like any other chattel. They were often married off at a young age and subject to the violent rule of their mother-in-law’s (a Chinese anecdote of the time actually congratulated the good fortune of women whose mother-in-law had died). Infanticide of female children was common. Concubinage, due to the need to have a male heir for ancestor worship, destroyed any semblance of family unity. In such a miserable state with no relief in sight, suicides among the female population, even girls, ran high.
Witnessing and ministering to women was impossible for male missionaries or even doctors, as no woman was permitted to speak to any man who was not a close relative. Many women never left their homes at all. Their wifely duties such as shopping were accomplished by merchants who brought goods to their homes, rather than they venturing out themselves even to the local markets.
It is estimated that two-thirds of the Christian missionaries who served in China from its opening to outsiders in the early 1800s through our own century were women. The vast population of Chinese women were a mission field ripe for harvest and the female missionaries who answered this call had their work cut out for them. Many began, as Lottie did, by starting schools for girls. But because the culture did not place a high value on females, it saw no purpose in educating them. In fact, a popular saying among the Chinese stated: “It is the virtue of a woman to be without talent.” However, because the Chinese placed such a high value on boys and their education, the missionaries established schools for the sons – with the stipulation that the daughters be permitted to come as well.
Missionary School in China mid 1800s
However, offering education for girls brought a new cultural dilemma to the forefront for these missionaries. Many Chinese inflicted a barbaric practice known as Foot Binding on their daughters. There are several theories as to how this tradition arose, but in the belief that small feet were to be admired and therefore made one a better marriage prospect, many Chinese began binding their daughter’s feet from early childhood in an effort to keep them small. The procedure required the foot to be bent in half with the four smaller toes tucked underneath and tightly bound to keep the foot from growing more than 3 inches in length. One can only imagine the unbearable agony this subjected little girls to! If the procedure were “successful,” the foot bones would be broken and the toes would atrophy. If the procedure were unsuccessful, gangrene could set in and cause the loss of the foot or even death. Girls who survived foot binding were maimed for life and had great difficulty in even walking. Missionaries such as Lottie were then faced with a choice: Do we demand a halt to this practice immediately? Or do we accept the girls as students while trying to convince the parents how ungodly this practice is?
“Has the time come and are we strong enough to make a decided stand on the question of foot-binding? Shall we make it a rule that all who come in (to school) shall unbind their feet?” – Lottie Moon
A Maimed Bound Foot
Contrasted with a Normal Foot
Lottie made the decision to educate any girl that came to her school, believing that this was the way to plant seeds and that as the prophet Isaiah recorded, “My Word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11 NIV)
After nearly 50 years of ministering in China, Lottie and her fellow missionaries saw foot binding lose much of its cultural influence and fall out of practice. Through the efforts of these Christians who knew that a relationship with Jesus Christ not only saves the soul but elevates the spirit and redirects the life, for the first time in its nation’s history millions of Chinese girls were able to acquire an education and escape the evils the philosophy of Confucianism had embedded in their society. They were able to be partakers in the promise, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3 (NIV)
“At another house two women learned very fast; I say women, but one was a girl about twelve or thirteen, already married, however. There was a little girl about three years old. My sister asked, “Who is the True God’s Son?” The little thing replied, in a very sweet voice, “Jesus.” – Lottie Moon