Unlike most viral trends inspired by mealy-mouthed feminist icons, my immediate reaction to this one was not repulsion—it was heartbreak. Waking up to see people I know and love posting “Me too” was a smack in the face. It started because Alyssa Milano tweeted:

If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet. pic.twitter.com/k2oeCiUf9n

— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) October 15, 2017

This comes at an odd time for me, as I’ve been knee-deep studying the Doctrine of Intersectionality. Did you know that according to this doctrine one of the worst, least helpful things you can say to an oppressed group you’re not a part of is, “I understand”? Or…perhaps…”me, too”? I flipped on a favorite podcast of mine the other day and the liberal feminist cohosts droned on for ten minutes about how the worst thing you can say to someone of another race/gender/religion is how you understand them, because, according to the world, the walls between us are so impenetrable that to truly be an “ally” of another “group” is to shut up and admit you can’t understand. To see the same people latch onto and unify around “me too” is, to be euphemistic, odd.

We have attempted to make much in the past of the harm caused by the feminist myth of “rape culture” in America because the research most often to used to perpetuate the myth is bad–it often equates unwelcome sexual advances to rape, and that kind of a narrative harms actual victims of assault. If rape culture in America were a thing, it would certainly be the fang-toothed sexual freedom crowd that created it. After all, their message is that sex should be free, meaningless, easy, and come with no consequences or responsibility. Is it surprising that people who believe we are apes on ego trips would treat each other accordingly? But “rape culture” in America is not a thing, and whenever you hear the phrase, please know that whatever university campus it spawned from also offers free condoms, STD screenings, and crazy cheap birth control at its campus health center.

However, I don’t believe that pointing out the hypocrisy in the movement is the most powerful thing Christians can do right now. After all, abuse thrives in silence, and God is the ultimate protector of the abused. Over and over in the Old Testament we see God giving His people laws specifically designed to protect those (particularly women!) who were similarly unprotected in neighboring nations (see Deuteronomy 21, 22 & Exodus 21). We see from the very beginning, God stamps his image upon humanity, both male and female.

In Genesis 16, we are told the story of Hagar, a mistreated slave that God cared for in her misery and pain. Hagar had been mistreated to the point that she ran away, but God did not leave her to her misery. An angel of the Lord was sent to the wilderness where she was, and he blessed her. Hagar responds by calling God “the God who sees me.”

This is why saying “me too” is not enough, dear Christian. For while you may say, “me too”, please don’t forget to say, “but God.” Because God does not leave us in our miserable wilderness. Because God sees the injustice. Because God sees your pain. He IS the God who sees you. He is the God who has redeemed you and will continue to redeem you (Phil 1:6). The world doesn’t have this hope. The world can only say, “Me too.” You and I can say, “Me too, but God.”

The great tragedy of “Me too” is not just that the world can say it. It’s not just that sin is so pervasive. It’s not just that it might wake us up to the reality that evil men and women are everywhere. “Me too”, while it may offer a temporary comfort of not feeling alone, does not offer the hope everlasting that is offered to us through the blood of Christ.

The God who sees victims doesn’t just give victims a pass. He doesn’t say, “Oh well, move on.” In the Old Testament, God put to death the rapist and removed all shame from the victim, saying that the sin of the abuser was not hers. While many victims of sexual abuse feel shame, the God who sees us is not silent. Not only are abusers treated with zero mercy, they are given the full penalty for their actions, and the victim cannot be treated remotely in the same way.

There is a time to discuss due process. False accusations. The role men must play to protect women as the weaker vessels. How often us women don’t want to admit we are the weaker vessel. For me, that time is not today. For me, my encouragement in this discussion is not to end “me too” with a period, but a comma. Let’s try “me too, but God…” How has God seen you? How has God redeemed you? How has God loved you? How has God fought for you? If you want to tell your story, if you want to help the hurting, give them the everlasting hope, the peace that surpasses all understanding. We are not apes on ego trips. We are, men and women alike, made in the image of God and there will be justice to the abuser, whether in this life or the next. So to my brothers and sisters who feel the weight of “me too”, don’t forget our loving Father, our ever present help in trouble. He does more than just see you. He comes to you in your pain. And He redeems.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,  even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).

But God’s truth stands firm like a foundation stone with this inscription: “The LORD knows those who are his,” and “All who belong to the LORD must turn away from evil.”

But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong.

Unlike most viral trends inspired by mealy-mouthed feminist icons, my immediate reaction to this one was not repulsion—it was heartbreak. Waking up to see people I know and love posting “Me too” was a smack in the face. It started because Alyssa Milano tweeted:

If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet. pic.twitter.com/k2oeCiUf9n

— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) October 15, 2017

This comes at an odd time for me, as I’ve been knee-deep studying the Doctrine of Intersectionality. Did you know that according to this doctrine one of the worst, least helpful things you can say to an oppressed group you’re not a part of is, “I understand”? Or…perhaps…”me, too”? I flipped on a favorite podcast of mine the other day and the liberal feminist cohosts droned on for ten minutes about how the worst thing you can say to someone of another race/gender/religion is how you understand them, because, according to the world, the walls between us are so impenetrable that to truly be an “ally” of another “group” is to shut up and admit you can’t understand. To see the same people latch onto and unify around “me too” is, to be euphemistic, odd.

We have attempted to make much in the past of the harm caused by the feminist myth of “rape culture” in America because the research most often to used to perpetuate the myth is bad–it often equates unwelcome sexual advances to rape, and that kind of a narrative harms actual victims of assault. If rape culture in America were a thing, it would certainly be the fang-toothed sexual freedom crowd that created it. After all, their message is that sex should be free, meaningless, easy, and come with no consequences or responsibility. Is it surprising that people who believe we are apes on ego trips would treat each other accordingly? But “rape culture” in America is not a thing, and whenever you hear the phrase, please know that whatever university campus it spawned from also offers free condoms, STD screenings, and crazy cheap birth control at its campus health center.

However, I don’t believe that pointing out the hypocrisy in the movement is the most powerful thing Christians can do right now. After all, abuse thrives in silence, and God is the ultimate protector of the abused. Over and over in the Old Testament we see God giving His people laws specifically designed to protect those (particularly women!) who were similarly unprotected in neighboring nations (see Deuteronomy 21, 22 & Exodus 21). We see from the very beginning, God stamps his image upon humanity, both male and female.

In Genesis 16, we are told the story of Hagar, a mistreated slave that God cared for in her misery and pain. Hagar had been mistreated to the point that she ran away, but God did not leave her to her misery. An angel of the Lord was sent to the wilderness where she was, and he blessed her. Hagar responds by calling God “the God who sees me.”

This is why saying “me too” is not enough, dear Christian. For while you may say, “me too”, please don’t forget to say, “but God.” Because God does not leave us in our miserable wilderness. Because God sees the injustice. Because God sees your pain. He IS the God who sees you. He is the God who has redeemed you and will continue to redeem you (Phil 1:6). The world doesn’t have this hope. The world can only say, “Me too.” You and I can say, “Me too, but God.”

The great tragedy of “Me too” is not just that the world can say it. It’s not just that sin is so pervasive. It’s not just that it might wake us up to the reality that evil men and women are everywhere. “Me too”, while it may offer a temporary comfort of not feeling alone, does not offer the hope everlasting that is offered to us through the blood of Christ.

The God who sees victims doesn’t just give victims a pass. He doesn’t say, “Oh well, move on.” In the Old Testament, God put to death the rapist and removed all shame from the victim, saying that the sin of the abuser was not hers. While many victims of sexual abuse feel shame, the God who sees us is not silent. Not only are abusers treated with zero mercy, they are given the full penalty for their actions, and the victim cannot be treated remotely in the same way.

There is a time to discuss due process. False accusations. The role men must play to protect women as the weaker vessels. How often us women don’t want to admit we are the weaker vessel. For me, that time is not today. For me, my encouragement in this discussion is not to end “me too” with a period, but a comma. Let’s try “me too, but God…” How has God seen you? How has God redeemed you? How has God loved you? How has God fought for you? If you want to tell your story, if you want to help the hurting, give them the everlasting hope, the peace that surpasses all understanding. We are not apes on ego trips. We are, men and women alike, made in the image of God and there will be justice to the abuser, whether in this life or the next. So to my brothers and sisters who feel the weight of “me too”, don’t forget our loving Father, our ever present help in trouble. He does more than just see you. He comes to you in your pain. And He redeems.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,  even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).

But God’s truth stands firm like a foundation stone with this inscription: “The LORD knows those who are his,” and “All who belong to the LORD must turn away from evil.”

But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong.

SUMMER WHITE

Writer | Sheologian
Summer White is @SummrWrites on Twitter. She is a mother of two and she occasionally blogs when taking a break from making crock-pot meals. She grew up traveling with her dad and watching him debate all over the country. She does not like long walks on the beach.