Archive for the ‘Sexism’ Tag
Above: Jephthah
Image in the Public Domain
Texts of Terror
MARCH 3, 2024
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The Collect:
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
Judges 11:29-40
Psalm 57:1-3
1 Timothy 2:11-15
Luke 19:41-44
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David Ackerman, in Beyond the Lectionary (2013), gravitates toward “texts of terror,” from which the Revised Common Lectionary shies away from more often than not.
- I object to a father sacrificing his daughter for any reason, especially because he made a rash oath to God. Surely God will not blame a man for not killing his child, an innocent victim whose name the Bible does not even record.
- Likewise, the chauvinism of 1 Timothy 2 is beyond the pale. I detect a recurring theme in many of the epistles: “Go along and get along; be respectable to pagan society. Besides, Jesus will be along soon to sort everything out. So accept slavery as well as sexist household codes of conduct.” The problem, of course, is that such an approach, however popular in early and vulnerable Christianity, betrays the ethics of Judaism and of Jesus, a boat-rocker (even boat-sinker).
- I am certain that the Gospel of Luke, postdating the First Jewish War and the destruction of the Second Temple, interprets events from the life of Jesus through the lens of the year 85 C.E. or so. The temptation to commit invective is an easy trap into which to fall, is it not?
Psalm 57 is a plea for divine pity. Yet the story of the misuse of the other three texts to oppress people and justify violence against them is not only old, but devoid of human pity. Ackerman encourages preachers to oppose such texts and offer hope; I agree. After all, we Christians follow Jesus, crucified with the consent of religious leaders, who quoted scripture as justification.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 7, 2017 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF FREDERICK LUCIAN HOSMER, U.S. UNITARIAN HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT ANTHONY MARY GIANELLI, FOUNDER OF THE MISSIONARIES OF SAINT ALPHONSUS LUGUORI AND THE SISTERS OF MARY DELL’ORTO
THE FEAST OF CHARLES AUGUSTUS BRIGGS, U.S. PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER THEN EPISCOPAL PRIEST
THE FEAST OF SAINT ROBERT OF NEWMINSTER, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT AND PRIEST
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2017/06/07/texts-of-terror/
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Above: Abraham and Lot Separate
Image in the Public Domain
Legalism and Fidelity
MARCH 10 and 11, 2022
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The Collect:
God of the covenant, in the mystery of the cross
you promise everlasting life to the world.
Gather all peoples into your arms, and shelter us with your mercy,
that we may rejoice in the life we share in your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 27
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The Assigned Readings:
Genesis 13:1-7, 14-18 (Thursday)
Genesis 14:17-24 (Friday)
Psalm 27 (Both Days)
Philippians 3:2-12 (Thursday)
Philippians 3:17-20 (Friday)
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The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom then shall I fear?
the LORD is the strength of my life;
of whom then shall I be afraid?
–Psalm 27:1, Book of Common Worship (1993)
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Sometimes the portrayal of Abram/Abraham in the Bible puzzles me. In Hebrews 10:8-22 the patriarch is a pillar of fidelity to God. Yet he hedges his bets and lies in Genesis 12, and the only people who suffer are the Pharaoh of Egypt and members of the royal household. Abram exiles his firstborn son, Ishmael, in Genesis 21:8-21. The patriarch intercedes on behalf of strangers in Genesis 19 yet not for his second son, Isaac, three chapters later. Abram, who is wealthy, refuses even to appear to have enriched himself by means of the King of Sodom in Genesis 14. In so doing the patriarch, who has just paid a tithe of war booty to Melchizedek, King of Salem (Jerusalem) and priest of El Elyon, a Canaanite sky deity, invokes YHWH, not El Elyon. I do not know what to make of Abram/Abraham.
Circumcision is a major issue in Philippians 3. St. Paul the Apostle refers to rival missionaries who favor the circumcision of Gentile male converts to Christianity. He calls these Judaizers “dogs,” a strong insult many Jews reserved for Gentiles. One can find the mandate for circumcision of males (including some Gentiles) in Genesis 17:9-14, where it is a sign of the Abrahamic Covenant. It has been, for Jews, a physical sign of the covenant for millennia. It has become an emotional issue for people who favor it as a religious obligation and a mark of identity as well as for those who consider it cruel.
In Philippians 3 circumcision is, for St. Paul the Apostle, a physical sign of righteousness based on law, not on active faith in God. The line between legalism and righteousness can be difficult to locate sometimes. One should obey certain commandments out of fidelity and love and respect for God. One loves and honors God, so one keeps the commandments of God.
If you love me you will obey my commands…,
John 14:15 (The Revised English Bible, 1989) quotes Jesus as saying. But when does keeping commandments turn into a fetish of legalism? And when does the maintenance of one’s identity transform into exclusion of others? Where is that metaphorical line many people cross?
One sure way of knowing if one has crossed that line is catching that person obsessing over minute details while overlooking pillars of morality such as compassion. If one, for example, complains not because Jesus has healed someone but because he has done this on the Sabbath, one is a legalist. If one becomes uptight about personal peccadilloes yet remains unconcerned about institutionalized injustice (such as that of the sexist, racial, and economic varieties), one is a legalist. If one’s spiritual identity entails labeling most other people as unclean or damned, one is a legalist. If one thinks that moral living is merely a matter of following a spiritual checklist, one is a legalist. If one becomes fixated on culturally specific examples of timeless principles at the expense of those principles, one is a legalist.
May we who claim to follow and love God eschew legalism. May we also care for our close friends and relatives at least as much as we do suffering strangers for which we harbor concern.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
NOVEMBER 14, 2015 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF JOHN AMOS COMENIUS, FATHER OF MODERN EDUCATION
THE FEAST OF THE CONSECRATION OF SAMUEL SEABURY, FIRST EPISCOPAL BISHOP
THE FEAST OF WILLIAM ROMANIS, ANGLICAN BISHOP AND HYMN WRITER
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2015/11/14/legalism-and-fidelity/
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Above: Moses on Mount Sinai, by Jean-Leon Gerome
Image in the Public Domain
Epiphanies of God
FEBRUARY 29, 2024
MARCH 1-2, 2024
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The Collect:
Holy God, through your Son you have called us to live faithfully and act courageously.
Keep us steadfast in your covenant of grace,
and teach us the wisdom that comes only through Jesus Christ,
our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 28
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The Assigned Readings:
Exodus 19:1-9a (Thursday)
Exodus 19:9b-15 (Friday)
Exodus 19:16-25 (Saturday)
Psalm 19 (All Days)
1 Peter 2:4-10 (Thursday)
Acts 7:30-40 (Friday)
Mark 9:2-8 (Saturday)
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The law of the LORD inspires reverence and is pure;
it stands firm for ever,
the judgements of the LORD are true;
they form a good code of justice.
–Psalm 19:10, The Psalms Introduced and Newly Translated for Today’s Readers, Harry Mowvley (1989)
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We are always in the presence of God.
Where can I go from your spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?
If I climb up to heaven, you are there;
if I make the grave my bed, you are there also.
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
Even there your hand shall lead me,
your right hand hold me fast.
–Psalm 139:6-9, Common Worship: Daily Prayer (2005)
Nevertheless, sometimes the presence of God becomes evident in an unusually spectacular way. How one ought to respond to those occasions is one topic in the assigned readings for these three days.
1 Peter 2 and Exodus 19 bring up the point of the faithful people of God having the responsibility to be a light to the nations. First, however, the faithful people must become that light. This was originally the call of the Jews, who retain that call as well as their status as the Chosen People. Far be it from me to give short shrift to the Jews, my elder siblings in faith! I, a Gentile, belong to the branch which God grafted onto their tree.
But how should one respond to a spectacular manifestation of the presence of God? Those details, I suppose, are culturally specific, as is much of the Law of Moses. Moses removed his sandals in the presence of the burning bush. At Mt. Sinai the people were to wash their clothing, abstain from sexual relations for three days, and avoid touching the mountain. There was a case of fatal holiness, a repeated motif in the Hebrew Scriptures. People were supposed to maintain a safe distance from God. As for sexual activity, it would cause ritual impurity (see Leviticus 15:18) in the Law of Moses, which they were about to receive. And, in the words of scholar Brevard S. Childs:
The holy God of the covenant demands as preparation a separation from those things which are normally permitted and good in themselves. The giving of the covenant is different from an ordinary event of everyday life. Israel is, therefore, to be prepared by a special act of preparation.
—The Book of Exodus: A Critical Theological Commentary (Philadelphia, PA: Westminster Press, 1974), page 369
As for women and the Law of Moses, I cannot help but notice that the code reflects a negative view of gynaecology. May such sexism become increasingly rare in today’s world.
One pious yet misguided response to a spectacular manifestation of the presence of God is to seek to institutionalize it. That was just one error St. Simon Peter committed at the Transfiguration, the description of which I understand as being more poetic than literally accurate. (Could any description do the event justice?) Another error was that the three proposed booths would be the same size; one should have been larger than the others.
Although we dwell in the presence of God and might even be aware of that reality most of the time, we still need moments when we experience it in unusual and spectacular ways. Mundane blessings are wonderful and numerous, but sometimes we need another variety of blessing and a reminder of the presence of God. I have had some of them, although they were substantially toned down compared to the Transfiguration, the burning bush, and the giving of the Law of Moses. They were, however, out of the ordinary for me. Thus I remember them more vividly than I do the myriads of mundane blessings and encounters with God. These unusual epiphanies have edified me spiritually at the right times. They have also called me to continue on my spiritual walk with God through easy and difficult times. That journey is one for the glory of God and the benefit of others–perhaps including you, O reader.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 10, 2014 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN ROBERTS, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MARTYR
THE FEAST OF HOWELL ELVET LEWIS, WELSH CONGREGATIONALIST CLERGYMAN AND POET
THE FEAST OF KARL BARTH, SWISS REFORMED THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF THOMAS MERTON, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND MONK
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2014/12/11/epiphanies-of-god/
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Above: Moses With the Tablets of the Law, by Rembrandt Van Rijn
Image in the Public Domain
Wrestling With Biblical Texts
MAY 27, 2023
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The Collect:
O God, on this day you open the hearts of your faithful people
by sending us your Holy Spirit.
Direct us by the light of that Spirit,
that we may have a right judgment in all things
and rejoice at all times in your peace,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 36
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The Assigned Readings:
Exodus 20:1-21
Psalm 33:12-22
Matthew 5:1-12
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Shall we unpack the Ten Commandments, at least a little?
- Many more commandments follow immediately, starting in Exodus 20.
- Many of the Ten Commandments are self-explanatory, so not committing adultery against a neighbor are straight-forward, for example.
- Swearing falsely by the name of God refers to insincere oaths and to attempts to control God, not to certain curse words and related expressions.
- On the troubling side, the text classes wives with property and livestock (20:14) and allows for slavery (20:10).
- The commandment to have no other gods might deny the existence of other deities or mean simply not to worship them while acknowledging their existence. Hebrew Bible scholars debate that point. Yet I know that many Hebrews during Biblical times not only acknowledged the existence of other deities but worshiped some of them.
- Sometimes displaying the Ten Commandments constitutes idolatry, which intention defines.
Exodus 20:5-6 requires some explanation. Does God really punish descendants for someone’s sins? Or is this a description of behaviors repeated across generations? The ultimate context in which to consider any passage of Scripture is the entire canon thereof. Thus I point out that a note on page 149 of The Jewish Study Bible (2004) lists Deuteronomy 24:6; Jeremiah 31:29-30; and Ezekiel 18:1-20 as passages which state that God punishes a person for his or her sins alone. This nuance helps to fill out the picture. Sometimes Biblical authors wrote of effects as if they were divine purposes, even when they were not. Human understandings have changed, even if God has not.
If we read Exodus 20:5-6 as descriptive and interpret it within the context of the previously listed passages from Deuteronomy, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, a certain understanding takes shape. One’s good and bad behaviors might echo for three or four or more generations. I can, for example, identify positive and negative legacies from two of my paternal great-grandfathers which have affected me. I, being aware of my responsibility for my own actions, have endeavored to keep the good and to break with the bad. God know how successful that has proven so far.
The Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes are about, among other things, how faithful people of God ought to live with God and in community. Depending on one’s community, living with God properly might contradict the former and lead to persecutions–even death. The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12 and Luke 6:20-23) say that God’s order is not the dominant human one in which a person lives. The Beatitudes are counter-cultural. And Luke 6:24-26 (the Woes) goes beyond anything Matthew 5:3-12 indicates. If one really reads them, one should recognize that the Beatitudes and Woes remain political hot potatoes.
One part of the honest–not autopilot–interaction with the Bible I like is that we must wrestle with texts and reconsider aspects of our opinions, culture, politics, and economics–even ones which we like and which benefit us. This is healthy to do. We will do it if we take the Bible seriously and seek to cut through confirmation bias and defense mechanisms.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 20, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE TWENTIETH DAY OF ADVENT, YEAR A
THE FEAST OF SAINT DOMINIC OF SILOS, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT
THE FEAST OF SAINT PETER CANISIUS, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST
THE FEAST OF KATHERINA VON BORA LUTHER, WIFE OF MARTIN LUTHER
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2014/01/26/wrestling-with-biblical-texts/
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LENTEN AND EASTER DEVOTIONS 
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