The concept of “biblical headship,” or the idea that a man should have ultimate authority over his wife and/or women in the church, is primarily based on interpretations of four key New Testament passages (Icons of Christ, William G. Witt, 121). The one I will deal with in this post is 1 Corinthians 11. Verse 3 of this chapter reads as follows: “But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the husband is... Read more
As we enter the Christmas season, I want to reflect on Jesus’ birth as the herald of a watershed reversal in history that brings gloriously good news to a wounded, broken world. His birth is the second Genesis, creation’s second chance, and the reversal of our grim fate that he accomplishes is reflected in other, smaller reversals, even a reversal of gender roles, which becomes evident in comparing Adam and Eve to Mary and Jesus. Without negating the customary Christian... Read more
Equal in the Grammars In 1882 a woman writing in the Memphis Free Trade presented her qualms with gender exclusive language: “As the law of grammars now stand, the use of “he” when “she” may be meant is an outrage upon the dignity, and encroachment upon the rights, of woman. It is quite as important that they should stand equal with men in the grammars [my emphasis] as before the law”. Nearly 150 years later, women are equal before the... Read more
Why Christianity and Feminism? Christianity and feminism can be mutually inclusive: if Jesus saves us from sin’s horrible consequences, including patriarchy, then feminism – which (very broadly) aims to restore the gender equality lost in the Fall – ultimately needs Jesus. Despite this natural affinity between Christianity and feminism, I probably wouldn’t identify as a feminist (although I’ve always been a Christian) if not for a negative experience I had in church as a girl. As I learn from other... Read more
In pondering the Trinity and gender relationships, I am reminded – as important and unique as this doctrine is to Christianity – how remarkable it is that the Trinity per se is never mentioned in the Bible. Evidently, neither Biblical authors, nor Jesus, felt the need to define it as such; yet, the concept of the Trinity is articulated clearly enough in the Bible that it is identified, if also unnamed, in our creeds. Of course, the Trinity is a... Read more
Why did God Confront Adam First after the Fall? Someone once posed this question to me after speculating that, although both men and women are sinners, men may be deeply responsible for human sin in a way that women are not. The exegetical influence on his thinking comes from his reading of the order in Genesis 1-3: God commands Adam directly not to eat of the tree of life, then confronts Adam first after both he and Eve sin. Since... Read more
What’s Wrong with Dethroning Sex? I was inspired to write on the centrality of conjugal love after reading Todd Wilson’s book, Mere Sexuality: Rediscovering the Christian Vision of Sexuality, which presents the historical Christian vision of human sexuality. Within this survey, Wilson breaks new ground with a chapter on the sexuality of Jesus, and his spotlight on this neglected topic is both refreshing and relevant. However, many of Wilson’s conclusions within that chapter deserve more critical examination: “From the story... Read more
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