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Is the Bible Sexist
In Is the Bible Sexist?, Dr. Donald Bloesch breaks through the ideological polarization on the issues of male and female relations, while offering alternative that is grounded solidly in the heritage of biblical faith.
- GenresTheology
139 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1982
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January 5, 2021
Finally finished this one...
There are only like 4 chapters, a fairly quick read if you have an hour or two to devote to it. The whole first section of the book talks about sexism and patriarchalism in the Bible. The only weird thing about this, to me, was that the author listed a bunch of women who were strong, brave, intelligent, etc -- but glossed over the fact that they are punished for these traits?? Confusion.
The book had a fair amount to say about women's roles in the church/women as pastors and also the language/pronouns we use for God. I personally was somewhat surprised by the author's willingness to allow for female pastors -- his one caveat was that women should pursue ministry because they love it and feel called to it, not to advance a feminist agenda. This seems a solid point to me... even though I'm not necessarily against feminism, I can get behind the idea that being a pastor shouldn't be tied into a political agenda.
Overall, a pleasant surprise. Very tiny and short kind of "overview" introductory book, so it didn't go very in-depth. I would have liked a deeper, more detailed exegesis of some of the examples used and a closer analysis of some of the NT verses (Paul, Peter) about women. That said, there was a LOT I strongly disagreed with, as expected. Particularly not a fan of the whole "men take initiative, men have power, men take action, women are designed to receive, to be passive, to nurture and grow things." Um no thanks.
In closing, I'd love to do more reading on this topic! If you have ANY recommendations, please pass them along! Especially would like to have more female authors and perspectives on topics like gender roles (from a Christian perspective) and how to embrace (TRUE) femininity/masculinity and stuff like that :)
There are only like 4 chapters, a fairly quick read if you have an hour or two to devote to it. The whole first section of the book talks about sexism and patriarchalism in the Bible. The only weird thing about this, to me, was that the author listed a bunch of women who were strong, brave, intelligent, etc -- but glossed over the fact that they are punished for these traits?? Confusion.
The book had a fair amount to say about women's roles in the church/women as pastors and also the language/pronouns we use for God. I personally was somewhat surprised by the author's willingness to allow for female pastors -- his one caveat was that women should pursue ministry because they love it and feel called to it, not to advance a feminist agenda. This seems a solid point to me... even though I'm not necessarily against feminism, I can get behind the idea that being a pastor shouldn't be tied into a political agenda.
Overall, a pleasant surprise. Very tiny and short kind of "overview" introductory book, so it didn't go very in-depth. I would have liked a deeper, more detailed exegesis of some of the examples used and a closer analysis of some of the NT verses (Paul, Peter) about women. That said, there was a LOT I strongly disagreed with, as expected. Particularly not a fan of the whole "men take initiative, men have power, men take action, women are designed to receive, to be passive, to nurture and grow things." Um no thanks.
In closing, I'd love to do more reading on this topic! If you have ANY recommendations, please pass them along! Especially would like to have more female authors and perspectives on topics like gender roles (from a Christian perspective) and how to embrace (TRUE) femininity/masculinity and stuff like that :)
June 20, 2024
A THEOLOGICAL ‘ALTERNATIVE TO BOTH FEMINISM AND PATRIARCHALISM’
Theologian Donald G. Bloesch wrote in the Foreword to this 1982 book, “This book has been written partly to counter the growing demands of feminists to revise the language about God in Scripture and in the liturgy of the church … I have come to the conclusion that there is a biblical alternative to both feminism and patriarchalism… Biblical faith poses a challenge to both feminism and patriarchalism, but it does not oppose the legitimate concerns and values of either ideology… The conflict revolves about women in positions of spiritual leadership and the modification of the language about God. I intend to speak to both these issues in this book… In this book I speak as a man who is FOR woman… Yet I must raise my voice in protest against certain excesses in modern feminism which I regard as undermining women as well as the moral fabric of our society.” (Pg. 9-12)
He states in the first chapter, “It is my thesis that neither feminism nor patriarchalism … does justice to the deepest insights of the biblical revelation… both are oriented around the fulfillment of the self rather than service in the kingdom of God. In the case of patriarchalism, the accent is on the success of the husband in his career and on ensuring the continuity of his family name. In the case of feminism, the emphasis is on the fulfillment of personhood, even if this means freedom from traditional roles that stereotype both men and women.” (Pg. 22)
He observes, “Yet patriarchalism was mitigated among the Hebrews and sometimes transcended… Neither does the Bible support the strict role differentiation espoused by patriarchalists in which the husband works and the wife must stay at home. In Genesis, both the man and the woman are told to fill the earth and subdue it (Gen 1:28)… Children are not the special province of women. In Proverbs 31:10 ff, the ideal wife works outside as well as in the home… In Acts we read that Lydia was a businesswoman, a seller of purple goods (16:4) and Priscilla was a tentmaker (Acts 18:2-3)… At the same time the Bible regards with disdain a career orientation that neglects all other things, and this is true for both men and women.” (Pg. 26-27)
He asserts, “In Paul’s theology, subordination does not connote inferiority or passivity, but service-in-fellowship. He speaks of subordination in such a way that the emphasis is on mutual adaptation and coordination… The principal difference between ‘subordination’ in the Pauline epistles (and in the Bible generally) and in the partriarchalism of the ancient world is that the former understands this as a free and loving subordination... It is into subservience… but loving assistance.” (Pg. 29)
He argues that Galatians 3:28 “must … not be taken to mean that Paul did not acknowledge a differentiation in roles either in society or in the family of the church… The conflict between men and women portrayed in Genesis 3 is done away with in Christ (Eph 5), but not the hierarchical structure implied in Genesis 2 (though this is now seen in the light of Christ’s humiliation and exaltation).” (Pg. 32)
He notes, “Unlike many of the ancient Greeks and Gnostics, the biblical writers did not uphold an androgynous model. The distinction between man and woman is ontological, rooted in the very order of existence… Eternity does not cancel the distinctions between the sexes, even though sexuality in the narrow sense (i.e., genital sexuality) is transcended in the eternal kingdom of God (Mt 22:23-33).” (Pg. 35)
He contends that where 2 Timothy 2:15 “says that women will be saved through child-bearing, it undoubtedly does not denote the mere act of bearing children… Instead, it means that woman will enjoy the benefits of her salvation in Christ in the vocation of motherhood as opposed to presiding at public assemblies, yet the apostle qualifies this immediately by adding, 'if she continues in faith and love and holiness, with modesty.’ … The meaning is that women … will find the joy of their salvation in fulfilling their tasks as Christian mothers.” (Pg. 37-38)
He points out, “Nevertheless, women assumed positions of spiritual leadership even in Old Testament history, and occasionally their decisions on theological matters weighed more heavily than those of men. Miriam, the sister of Moses, was a prophetess in her own right… It was the prophetess Huldah who authenticated the contents of the scroll found during the reign of Josiah (2 Ki 22:14-20). Deborah was both a prophetess and a judge who ruled over the kingdom of Israel… As we turn to the New Testament, we read of the remarkable women associated with Jesus’ birth. The prophetess Anna… gave her message in the temple (Lu 2:36-38). Both Mary and Elizabeth were chosen to bear sons of destiny… Jesus was remarkably open to the possibility of women in ministry…” (Pg. 41-43)
He cautions, “We are often reminded by those who hold to an exclusive male priesthood that Jesus named only men to be his disciples. While this is true, we should remember one possible reason for this: the disciples had to live and work together in close proximity, and the society of that time would not have tolerated the mixing of the sexes in this way. Many of the disciples were already married, and false scandals would have arisen that would have undercut Jesus’ mission at the very beginning. At the same time, it should be recognized that on occasion groups of women accompanied Jesus and his disciples on their missionary journeys (Lk 8:1-3)… and that women were present in the upper room when Christ poured out his Holy Spirit upon the company of believers and so empowered them for ministry (Acts 1:14).” (Pg. 43) He adds, “The work of Phoebe is especially relevant … since it appears that she did not function merely as a patroness or helper, but that she held an office in the church, involving the apostolate or ministry of evangelism.” (Pg. 44)
He says of 1 Timothy 2:12, “It seems that Paul’s injunction must be understood in its cultural and historical context: prophetesses connected with heretical movements were beginning to exert undue influence in the churches. The apostle may be reminding the women in the churches under his jurisdiction not to neglect child-rearing and household duties, so that ‘no one will malign the word of God’ (Titus 2:5)… Paul’s comments in 1 Corinthians 14:34 should be treated in a similar manner.” (Pg. 45)
He argues, ‘While there have been sociological reasons, sometimes valid and sometimes invalid, for barring women from the ministry of the Word and sacraments, there are no compelling theological reasons… [T]o argue … that because Jesus Christ was male, therefore the priest as ‘another Christ’ should likewise be male has doubtful theological validity. It came to be believed in Catholicism that ordination … and that the priest therefore has a privileged spiritual status over the laity. But this contradicts the biblical and evangelical doctrine of the priesthood of all believers in which … all can hear confession and give absolution, all can preach and baptize in principle.” (Pg. 53-54)
But he adds, “God infinitely transcends human limitations and human sexuality, and yet God created man in his own image as male and female… God includes masculinity and femininity as movements within himself indicating initiative and power on the one hand … and receptivity and loving obedience on the other… In one respect he appears to be altogether masculine, and in another predominantly feminine.” (Pg. 66) He continues, “Feminine imagery concerning God is especially evident in the Wisdom Literature, where Wisdom is depicted as a co-worker with God the Father in creating and shaping the world…” (Pg. 67) He even suggests, “It might therefore be permissible on occasion to address the deity in terms such as ‘Holy Mother, Wisdom of God’ or ‘Wisdom of God, our Mother,’ since such usage has some biblical support… We must be guarded in our use of such language in public worship, however, since it is the church, not God, that is generally designated as feminine in the Scriptures.” (Pg. 73)
He states, “In summary, I contend for a confessional over a revisionist theology. To revise the language of Scripture in the light of the new consciousness of the world as male and female, as Virginia Mollenkott… and others suggest, is to alter irretrievably the content of Scripture… we must confess this witness---and in the language that is given to us in the Bible… The God of the Bible is closer to the patriarchal God of Islam than he is to the God beyond God of … the Eastern mystics. Yet this true, living God, who embraces a fellowship within himself, also infinitely transcends the God of patriarchal monotheism.” (Pg. 82-83) He concludes, “Iin contradistinction to both feminism and patriarchalism, I propose the biblical alternative of God’s covenant of grace. One can refer to this position as covenantalism … as an outlook on life that serves the gospel proclamation.” (Pg. 84) He adds, “the biblical alternative can be seen as a qualified patriarchalism, but it is one that is radically qualified.” (Pg. 95)
This book will be of great interest to Christians studying such issues.
Theologian Donald G. Bloesch wrote in the Foreword to this 1982 book, “This book has been written partly to counter the growing demands of feminists to revise the language about God in Scripture and in the liturgy of the church … I have come to the conclusion that there is a biblical alternative to both feminism and patriarchalism… Biblical faith poses a challenge to both feminism and patriarchalism, but it does not oppose the legitimate concerns and values of either ideology… The conflict revolves about women in positions of spiritual leadership and the modification of the language about God. I intend to speak to both these issues in this book… In this book I speak as a man who is FOR woman… Yet I must raise my voice in protest against certain excesses in modern feminism which I regard as undermining women as well as the moral fabric of our society.” (Pg. 9-12)
He states in the first chapter, “It is my thesis that neither feminism nor patriarchalism … does justice to the deepest insights of the biblical revelation… both are oriented around the fulfillment of the self rather than service in the kingdom of God. In the case of patriarchalism, the accent is on the success of the husband in his career and on ensuring the continuity of his family name. In the case of feminism, the emphasis is on the fulfillment of personhood, even if this means freedom from traditional roles that stereotype both men and women.” (Pg. 22)
He observes, “Yet patriarchalism was mitigated among the Hebrews and sometimes transcended… Neither does the Bible support the strict role differentiation espoused by patriarchalists in which the husband works and the wife must stay at home. In Genesis, both the man and the woman are told to fill the earth and subdue it (Gen 1:28)… Children are not the special province of women. In Proverbs 31:10 ff, the ideal wife works outside as well as in the home… In Acts we read that Lydia was a businesswoman, a seller of purple goods (16:4) and Priscilla was a tentmaker (Acts 18:2-3)… At the same time the Bible regards with disdain a career orientation that neglects all other things, and this is true for both men and women.” (Pg. 26-27)
He asserts, “In Paul’s theology, subordination does not connote inferiority or passivity, but service-in-fellowship. He speaks of subordination in such a way that the emphasis is on mutual adaptation and coordination… The principal difference between ‘subordination’ in the Pauline epistles (and in the Bible generally) and in the partriarchalism of the ancient world is that the former understands this as a free and loving subordination... It is into subservience… but loving assistance.” (Pg. 29)
He argues that Galatians 3:28 “must … not be taken to mean that Paul did not acknowledge a differentiation in roles either in society or in the family of the church… The conflict between men and women portrayed in Genesis 3 is done away with in Christ (Eph 5), but not the hierarchical structure implied in Genesis 2 (though this is now seen in the light of Christ’s humiliation and exaltation).” (Pg. 32)
He notes, “Unlike many of the ancient Greeks and Gnostics, the biblical writers did not uphold an androgynous model. The distinction between man and woman is ontological, rooted in the very order of existence… Eternity does not cancel the distinctions between the sexes, even though sexuality in the narrow sense (i.e., genital sexuality) is transcended in the eternal kingdom of God (Mt 22:23-33).” (Pg. 35)
He contends that where 2 Timothy 2:15 “says that women will be saved through child-bearing, it undoubtedly does not denote the mere act of bearing children… Instead, it means that woman will enjoy the benefits of her salvation in Christ in the vocation of motherhood as opposed to presiding at public assemblies, yet the apostle qualifies this immediately by adding, 'if she continues in faith and love and holiness, with modesty.’ … The meaning is that women … will find the joy of their salvation in fulfilling their tasks as Christian mothers.” (Pg. 37-38)
He points out, “Nevertheless, women assumed positions of spiritual leadership even in Old Testament history, and occasionally their decisions on theological matters weighed more heavily than those of men. Miriam, the sister of Moses, was a prophetess in her own right… It was the prophetess Huldah who authenticated the contents of the scroll found during the reign of Josiah (2 Ki 22:14-20). Deborah was both a prophetess and a judge who ruled over the kingdom of Israel… As we turn to the New Testament, we read of the remarkable women associated with Jesus’ birth. The prophetess Anna… gave her message in the temple (Lu 2:36-38). Both Mary and Elizabeth were chosen to bear sons of destiny… Jesus was remarkably open to the possibility of women in ministry…” (Pg. 41-43)
He cautions, “We are often reminded by those who hold to an exclusive male priesthood that Jesus named only men to be his disciples. While this is true, we should remember one possible reason for this: the disciples had to live and work together in close proximity, and the society of that time would not have tolerated the mixing of the sexes in this way. Many of the disciples were already married, and false scandals would have arisen that would have undercut Jesus’ mission at the very beginning. At the same time, it should be recognized that on occasion groups of women accompanied Jesus and his disciples on their missionary journeys (Lk 8:1-3)… and that women were present in the upper room when Christ poured out his Holy Spirit upon the company of believers and so empowered them for ministry (Acts 1:14).” (Pg. 43) He adds, “The work of Phoebe is especially relevant … since it appears that she did not function merely as a patroness or helper, but that she held an office in the church, involving the apostolate or ministry of evangelism.” (Pg. 44)
He says of 1 Timothy 2:12, “It seems that Paul’s injunction must be understood in its cultural and historical context: prophetesses connected with heretical movements were beginning to exert undue influence in the churches. The apostle may be reminding the women in the churches under his jurisdiction not to neglect child-rearing and household duties, so that ‘no one will malign the word of God’ (Titus 2:5)… Paul’s comments in 1 Corinthians 14:34 should be treated in a similar manner.” (Pg. 45)
He argues, ‘While there have been sociological reasons, sometimes valid and sometimes invalid, for barring women from the ministry of the Word and sacraments, there are no compelling theological reasons… [T]o argue … that because Jesus Christ was male, therefore the priest as ‘another Christ’ should likewise be male has doubtful theological validity. It came to be believed in Catholicism that ordination … and that the priest therefore has a privileged spiritual status over the laity. But this contradicts the biblical and evangelical doctrine of the priesthood of all believers in which … all can hear confession and give absolution, all can preach and baptize in principle.” (Pg. 53-54)
But he adds, “God infinitely transcends human limitations and human sexuality, and yet God created man in his own image as male and female… God includes masculinity and femininity as movements within himself indicating initiative and power on the one hand … and receptivity and loving obedience on the other… In one respect he appears to be altogether masculine, and in another predominantly feminine.” (Pg. 66) He continues, “Feminine imagery concerning God is especially evident in the Wisdom Literature, where Wisdom is depicted as a co-worker with God the Father in creating and shaping the world…” (Pg. 67) He even suggests, “It might therefore be permissible on occasion to address the deity in terms such as ‘Holy Mother, Wisdom of God’ or ‘Wisdom of God, our Mother,’ since such usage has some biblical support… We must be guarded in our use of such language in public worship, however, since it is the church, not God, that is generally designated as feminine in the Scriptures.” (Pg. 73)
He states, “In summary, I contend for a confessional over a revisionist theology. To revise the language of Scripture in the light of the new consciousness of the world as male and female, as Virginia Mollenkott… and others suggest, is to alter irretrievably the content of Scripture… we must confess this witness---and in the language that is given to us in the Bible… The God of the Bible is closer to the patriarchal God of Islam than he is to the God beyond God of … the Eastern mystics. Yet this true, living God, who embraces a fellowship within himself, also infinitely transcends the God of patriarchal monotheism.” (Pg. 82-83) He concludes, “Iin contradistinction to both feminism and patriarchalism, I propose the biblical alternative of God’s covenant of grace. One can refer to this position as covenantalism … as an outlook on life that serves the gospel proclamation.” (Pg. 84) He adds, “the biblical alternative can be seen as a qualified patriarchalism, but it is one that is radically qualified.” (Pg. 95)
This book will be of great interest to Christians studying such issues.
July 3, 2017
In this short book, Bloesch not only covers both Feminism and Patriarchalism (and various levels of these). but he also discusses marriage, celibacy, leadership, equality, the Trinity, subordination / superordination, ordination of women, and much more.
As in the past, I find Bloesch easy to read - and that he not only challenges me - but he often puts into much better words ideas / approaches that I already have. I really do like the biblical / covenantal approach to the relationship between men and women that he argues for in opposition to both Patriarchal and Feminist models.
An excellent read, and strongly recommended to those involved in Christian Leadership.
As in the past, I find Bloesch easy to read - and that he not only challenges me - but he often puts into much better words ideas / approaches that I already have. I really do like the biblical / covenantal approach to the relationship between men and women that he argues for in opposition to both Patriarchal and Feminist models.
An excellent read, and strongly recommended to those involved in Christian Leadership.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews