Words of Faith
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Switch-eroo
What do you think a character from the Bible's story would be like if they were the opposite sex? If Noah was a woman called to save all the animals and family from the flood, if Mary Magdeline was a male disciple, if Joseph were a young girl in a family of sisters...how do you think their story and/or relationships would change?
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Switcheroo in deed. What if Jesus was a woman? How would that have changed things? There were certainly many goddess religions. The key one was Artemis. Here temple in Ephesus was one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world.
ReplyDeleteI think there are some obvious differences and some others. Would she have been crucified? How would our worship and ecclesiology have changed?
Would the church's whole structure be different, not just women replacing men in men's roles. Are daughters treated differently than sons by fathers? How so? How would that effect our theology?
Lastly, does this thinking shed light on how we can conceptualize ecclesiology and theology in light of it? What to others think?...... Doug
Great thought. The patriarchy has run with Jesus' masculine gender far too long. I use Word Become Flesh alot just to highlight the reality of incarnation. The story would unfold in most interesting ways if Mary had an eldest daughter! May the discussion be passionate as Passion Sunday arrives.
Deleteronaldo
Saint Paul becomes Saint Pauline!! I can imagine theology being more relaxed and concerned about enjoying relationships for the sake of relationship, rather than being hierarchical and structured. Maybe we would hear more about the conversation between Jesus and Mary at the tomb, and imagine what more they said to one another. Perhaps the story of Mary anointing Jesus's feet would take center stage. Could it be possible that the story of crucifixion would bow to the story of resurrection and restoration of creation - not go away but step aside more often? I think often how theology IS different and IMPROVED since women became recognized as theologians and pastors. Thank you, dear sisters, for teaching me!
ReplyDeleteJoel Lohafer
Deleteforgot to sign my post
In 1968, Luther Seminary included 4, four, women in the student body. Their courage, their insight, their struggles touched us all. Today I'm told the student body is about half female and male. We, theologians, must ever promote truth in all shades, in all contexts, in its joyful complexity as the conversation is held. Sinners/Saints all, rejoice.
Deleteronaldo
Natalie
ReplyDelete(Nathan)
I often dream vividly, sometimes several a night.
This was stranger than usual, ‘twas in the day.
Spirit came with vision so clear, so bright,
Like a scene from a drama, its moral did say.
High above King David’s sleeping porch I did see.
He was looking over the edge as Bathsheba did bathe.
Instead of giving Uriah’s wife her respect, her privacy,
He stole the private moment, his hormones raged.
My vision followed the king to his war plan meet.
I heard him tell the general to move Uriah to the front.
Almost a guarantee his death, nearly caused our defeat,
Valiant fighters often die, not at a kings’ order blunt.
I woke from my trance, took up my role as tribal seer.
Made my way to the vision point overlooking the river,
Clearly a message must be brought to evoke David’s fear.
My only question, which the right arrow from my quiver.
Spirit led my deliberations, I followed close beside.
“My fearless one, your king needs to feel God’s wrath.
If he continues his despicable ways, the nation can’t abide.
He clearly violated Uriah and Bathsheba, during her bath.”
From my holy place to the king’s house the way seemed short.
I met his head servant of affairs with my duty and boon.
“The king has little time for a woman’s idle words in court.”
“My word comes from God Almighty, ‘tis vital must be soon.”
David granted my meeting, a holy woman brings God’s word.
Told the story of the poor woman’s single lamb, the rich man’s greed,
Spirit touched him deeply, his lustful choice and action heard.
Witnessed his broken spirit, repentance, God’s mercy, our creed.
Follow the Lord’s leading, don’t let any block your path.
Trust the truth, your most important guide, use faith’s power.
Culture can set constraints untrue, often fueling sin’s wrath.
When you bring correction or healing, comes from Spirit’s bower.
The Rev. Ronald Allen Melver, M.Div.
19 March 2013
As a women's studies major in college, I lamented where all the women in the Bible had gone. Silenced. Forgotten. Now, as I am reading through (as much as I can of) it for the first time, I can see women all over the place! Unnamed, perhaps. Underrepresented, surely. But they are there.
ReplyDeleteI am going to turn my own writing switch-eroo prompt around and wonder what if Miriam was a brother? Certainly a better one than all 11 of Joseph’s. Also a relationship unlike Jacob and Esau’s. What if brothers united and nurtured each other?
Would the story of Ishmael, a woman who demanded to know God’s name and got what Jacob never did be the same if she was a man demanding it of God? She had nothing left to lose. And God gave her a name. Why? Was it because she knew the pain of birthing a heart that would then walk outside of her body each day, even to the scorn of society?
What if the story of Jesus and his mother was replaced with a more detailed account of Jesus and his Father, Joseph? Was Joseph pondering all those things in his heart at the birth ofhis son as well? We never get to find out for sure. He seems just a wooden crèche figure in the nativity.
My point in writing in this way is not to merely uplift more men in the Bible OR to replace women’s already scant or unnamed stories with more men. It is to point out some themes - that of caring or connecting with others, for example - are missing for men to be able to look to in the Bible, just as women's leadership themes are not common in the Bible Joseph of the old testament welcomed his brothers back, but only after a test. Would a sister have done the same? Perhaps, but we’ll never know.
Part of the strength of God being beyond gender is that we can look to God’s strength in both our socially-concieved norms of masculine and feminine or simply be. God is the great I AM and is stronger than gender boxes. Perhaps we should look to that in our own lives as well. Be strong. Feel connection. Tend to others and fight for your blessing to be who God intended you to be. Whole.