Posted By Alice C. Linsley,
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Updated: Saturday, February 21, 2015
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 E. Janet Warren
The words sin and science are seldom mentioned in the same sentence. However, I suspect that sin, both individual and societal, is a contributing factor to the fact that male scientists outnumber female ones. This suggestion is not intended to produce the guilt and shame that is already so common in women, but intended rather to illuminate an issue and perhaps guide strategies to change. The gender gap in science has been addressed primarily in feminist and sociological literature; there has been little discussion from a Christian perspective. In this presentation, I first review the literature on the gender gap in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), and then summarize the biblical/theological literature on gender equality. I next turn to the biblical/theological concept of sin (typically construed as pride and arrogance, which tend to be associated with men) and discuss how considering so-called "feminine” sin (neglecting responsible dominion and undervaluing oneself) can contribute to both our understanding of and our response to the gender gap in STEM.
That is the Introduction to Janet Warren's paper Feminine Sin and Female Scientists published in the March 2015 issue of the American Scientist Affiliation (ASA) Journal.
Janet Warren in a Family Physician/Independent scholar in Hamilton, Ontario. She has been practising Family Medicine for 20 years, with a special interest in mental health care and counselling. She recently attained her PhD in Theology and published her thesis as Cleansing the Cosmos: A Biblical Model for Conceptualizing and Counteracting Evil. Her current research interests include the integration of psychology/neuroscience and theology. Janet has been involved with CSCA since 2011 and is excited to be part of the executive council.
Janet holds multiple degrees:
BSC (McMaster University)
MD (University of Toronto)
MTS (Tyndale Seminary)
PHD (University of Birmingham
Janet Warren has written: Strangely, Christian feminism, actually feminism in general, has never been a strong interest of mine. I would rather not argue the issue but simply and quietly get on with using my God-given gifts as best I can. Yet somehow the topic tends to jump in my path frequently, forcing me to address it. Strange. Now psychology and theology are interests of mine and I had been researching the complex topic of sin shortly prior to ASA 2014. This was in relation to my counseling practice as well as a course I taught on the integration of psychology and theology. I was intrigued by the concept of "masculine” and "feminine” sin and wondered how this could relate to the newly formed Christian Women in Science group. As a physician I had fortunately not encountered many limitations as a result of my gender. Although, strangely, years ago I wrote an article for Focus, the journal of the Canadian Christian Medical Dental Society, titled "I Ain't Gonna See No Woman Doctor” in which I pointed out some societal prejudices and unfair expectations of female physicians. My research revealed that there is still a large gender gap in STEM fields, and I wondered if one contributing factor is the tendency in women to undervalue ourselves. Sadly, this tendency is sometimes reinforced in Christian teaching, under the guise of humility. And, also sadly, I have experienced more limitations of my gifts in churches than in my medical profession. But I plan to continue to use my gifts to serve God as best I can. In fact I recently presented a paper at a conference on evangelical feminism. Strangely, feminism is not a strong interest of mine... However, for those who may be interested in Christian feminism, I refer you to the organization "Christians for Biblical Equality” http://www.cbeinternational.org/ as well as a recent blog post by fellow CSCA/ASA member Patrick Franklin https://patrickfranklin.wordpress.com/
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Posted Saturday, February 21, 2015