I Am The Nines... And I Don't Like It

I will be honest with you, I have never followed the Leadership Network known as "The Nines."  I had heard about the ministry answer to TED talks, but never followed it much.  That is, until Rachel Held Evans pointed out that only four of the one hundred speakers are women.  More importantly, that the conference "couldn't find women to speak."  I can only imagine one scenario where this is possible:  No one at the Nines tried very hard. 

I am loaded with righteous indignation and it wouldn't be hard for me to go on a long tirade.  But I can't- not because the Nines' leadership board is right, but because I have the same problem they do.  I examine my shelves and the titles are mostly written by men; white men, to be specific.  My shelves are strangely bereft of women authors as well as minority authors or international authors.  White American men have a near monopoly on my thought patterns.  Blogs and Twitter feeds are the only place I get perspectives which do not match my own. 

I could blame the publishing industry, but that wouldn't be right.  From years working in a bookstore, I know that my purchasing dollars fuel the direction of publishing companies.  I am the Nines... and I don't like it.  Fixing the problem begins with me and making sure that I am listening to all the voices out there- not just the voices the publishers are pushing and the conferences are booking.

If the book of Revelation teaches me anything, it is that God welcomes all voices before the throne. I don't like that one of the larger Christian leadership conferences is overpopulated by men, it doesn't match the Church and it doesn't match God's vision for the world.  And so I repent of closing off the voices of talented women from teaching me in ministry and theology, and hope I can be a part of the solution and not the problem.