Christian Right is Wrong

Fundamentalist Christians

March 17th is my birthday.  As is my habit I decided to go to the cemetery to visit the graves of my parents.  I try not to go during the week after the time I was sitting at their graves and the sprinklers came on.  To get to the cemetery I had to drive past the church I went to all my growing up years.  I was feeling very nostalgic so I decided to stop for services.  

The male generic language was not a surprise just disappointing.  Especially, "Greet each other with a brotherly kiss."  My first shock was how few people were at church. I remember it as a large congregation.  My second shock was when the minister announced, "Bring a friend to church Sunday" and then asked the congregation to raise their hand if they had friends who were going to hell.  I tried to keep the shook from showing on my face as everyone raised their hands.  "Well," he said, "bring them to church and get them saved."  

My final shock came during the sermon.  The minister said, "God instituted capital punishment because murder is an assault against God's image."  I wrote his statement on the back of the bulletin  because I couldn't believe what I had just heard.  I wanted to ask about the sixth commandment, "you shall not kill."  Or, Jesus admonition to love your neighbor as yourself.  Or, what about the image of God in the person being executed?  

Unfundamentalist Christians

There are many unfundamentalist  Christian groups.  One on Facebook calls themselves Unfundamentalist Christians.  There is also, the Christian Left, Christians For Biblical Equality and The Evangelical, Ecumenical Women's Caucus-Christian Feminist Today to name a few.  They proclaim respect, inclusion, non-judgement, forgiveness and so much more that reflects and represents my faith.  I wrote the book, Prostitutes, Virgins and Mothers: Questioning Teachings About Biblical Women because I felt like my religion had been hijacked by fundamentalist.  

I will not go back to that church. I choose to believe in a God who would be just as disappointed with the male generic language, just as shocked by the judgement on the lives of other people and just as shocked to hear that the loving creator had instituted capital punishment.   
         

Women, Guilt and Lent

Where To Find The Reading For the First Sunday of Lent 

Sunday March 9 marked the first Sunday of Lent, for those of us who pay attention to such things.  The reading from the second story of creation found in Genesis 3:6 is about a woman who eats.  And that is where all the fuss begins.  I am not talking about the "original sin" thing.  That was developed by the misogynist, church father and saint, Augustine of Hippo who famously said, "I don't see what sort of help woman was created to provide man with, if one excludes procreation.  If woman is not given to man for help in bearing children, for what help could she be?  To till the earth together?  If help were needed for that man would have been a better help to man.  The same goes for comfort and solitude.  How much more pleasure is it for life and conversation when two friends live together than when a man and a woman cohabitate?"

Guilt

No, I am not talking about "original sin."  I am talking about women and eating.  I am talking about the culturally inflicted guilt that so often surrounds the necessary act of nourishing a woman's body.  Trader Joe's carries a line of "Reduced Guilt" products.  If you Google "guilt free" a list of foods that can be eaten without guilt appears.  I know I am totally screwed up.  Will, maybe not totally but enough.  I can remember the message when I was very young, "Don't drink your milk so fast or it will make your stomach stick out."  And, that was from someone who loved me.

The woman in Genesis was eating something that would make her wise.  Not a bad goal, but Christendom has blamed all the evil in the world on the innocent act of one woman nourishing her body in search of wisdom.  

The information is always changing around what we can eat and not feel guilty.  Don't eat wheat or drink milk.  Vegan is the only healthy way to eat.  Vegetarian is the only responsible way to eat. Coconut oil is bad for you.  Don't buy product that contain coconut oil.  Coconut oil is good for you.  Have some in your coffee, it will make you bullet proof.    

Lent

My goal this Lenten Season is to eat without guilt.  I had a mango for lunch.  I know, it is a tropical fruit and I should not eat tropical fruit because they have so much sugar. It was delicious!  I am going to have a baked potato for dinner.  I know, it is a starch and I shouldn't eat starchy vegetables, but I really like baked potatoes

At a church BBQ recently,  I recently wanted a hot dog on  a white roll with mustard and onion and some baked beans.  I loaded my plate with everything but what I wanted.  I told myself,  I can't eat white bread, there are probably nitrates in the hot dog and who knows what the meat is.  The baked beans are loaded with sugar.  I took my plate covered with everything except what I wanted and sat down.  The beautiful, slender, slim and fit woman sitting beside me was having a hot dog and baked beans.  "I never do guilt around food,"  she said, "I just eat what I want."

"So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desired to make on wise, she took of its fruit and ate."  Thank you biblical sister for setting a good example for the rest of us. 

Assertive Women

Women's Rights

Listening to Public Radio International during the height of the struggle in the Ukraine I was struck by the words of one woman.  "We are fighting for our rights," she said, "We have to fight for our rights.  No one is going to just give them to us!"

She reminded me of an obscure woman in the book of Joshua.  Her name was Achsah.  She was given to a Othniel, her father's nephew as a reward for the nephew's accomplishments in war. She was sent away to live in the desert with her husband.   

Where To Find Achsah's Story

Achsah's story is told twice.  First in Joshua 15:16 -19 and again in Judges 1:11-15.  She is also mentioned in Chronicles 2:49.  As historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich pointed out in 1976, "Well behaved women rarely make history."  Achsah must fit into the, "not well behaved" category.  Not only is her name recorded, her story is recorded twice, her mother's name is recorded, she is included in the list of her brothers and she has a voice.

Achsah Tells Her Story

"Since you have sent me to live in the desert, give me a spring of water."  Achsah's request of her father upon her arrival in the Negeb desert, in Joshua 15:19.

I was the spoils of war.  My father promised me to any man who was strong enough to attack and conquer Kiriath-sepher.  I am sure my father wanted a husband who was as strong and assertive as I am.  But he didn't just attack Kiriath-sepherit, it was the totally destructoyed.  There has been so much blood shed.  The destruction of Jericho was the worst.  The life of everything, except Rahab and her family, was rubbed out.  Every man, woman, child and animal destroyed. 

It was my cousin Othniel I had to marry.  We went to live in the hot, dry, dusty, desolate Negeb. I was determined I was not going to have a miserable life.  I convinced Othniel to ask my father for a field.  When my father asked me what I wanted I did not hold back.  "You have sent me to live in the desert.  I want a spring of water."  He gave me two.   

Observations on Achsah's Story

In my book Prostitutes, Virgins and Mothers: Questioning Teachings About Biblical Women I offer my own observations on the stories of biblical women.  While reading The Woman's Bible published in 1895 I was struck by the observation of Achsah's story written by Elizabeth Caddy Stanton.  The language is dated but the sentiment is timeless.

"Achsan's example is worthy the imitation of the women of this Republic.  She did not humbly accept what was given her, but bravely asked for more.  We should give to our rulers, our sires and sons no rest until all our rights-social, civil and political-are fully accorded.  How are men to know what we want unless we tell them?  They have no idea that our wants, material and spiritual, are the same as theirs; that we love justice, liberty and equality as well as they do; that we believe in the principals of self-government, individual rights, individual conscience and judgment, the fundamental ideas of the Protestant religion and republican government."   

Well said sister Suffragist!

Human Trafficking

Human Trafficking

I went to the anti-human trafficking task force meeting Wednesday.  An FBI agent was there to explain to us the work the FBI does for victims.  At one point she said, "Well in last weeks container incident..."  I raised my hand and said, "I know I don't want to know the answer, but what is a container incident?"  The answer, a container was off loaded from a ship and it was full of women and their children being shipped into this country for distribution and sales.  

Women as Property

What can we imagine were the circumstances which brought these women and children to a container  ship in the Los Angeles Harbor.  Did they go willingly?  Were they tricked by promises of good employment in America?  Were they kidnapped?  Are frantic families overseas desperately searching for their loved ones.  Were they sold by families who are so poor they could not take care of them or families who needed money and selling a daughter was an easy way to get it.  All of the above are probably true.  

In the book of Judges 19:16-25 there is a story of a young woman who is offered by her father to a mob of men intent on rape.  It is male guests in the house they want to rape but to protect the guests the father offers his daughter and another young woman.  The daughter is spared but the other women is not and her life is ended. 

Women's Safety 

The video below gives a glimpse into what people in containers may experience.  The most chilling moment is when the man being interviewed say if things don't work out the container can be dumped with the people inside.

The story is horrific.  The betrayal by family is horrific.  How many of the people in that container sailed across the Pacific Ocean with the knowledge that they had been betrayed by their families?  

Human Trafficking

Human Trafficking

January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month.  Ironic that the Super Bowl is played at the end of January.  The city hosting the Super Bowl boasts the largest number of trafficked women and children   in the United States during Super Bowl weekend.

Human Slavery

Human trafficking is modern day slavery.  Slavery has never gone away.  It is more lucrative than drug trafficking because a person can be sold over and over again.  Drugs can only be sold once.

Human Trafficking and Modern Day Slavery

Human trafficking and slavery are in our own neighborhoods, nail salons and farm fields. Slavery isn't someone else's problem.  It is our problem.  Shame on us that it exists.   

Don't call me "guy."

I am not a guy.

Yesterday I watched Sunday Morning, a CBS television magazine.  As they flashed pictures of events from 2013 on the screen a picture of Margaret Thatcher appeared.  The word used to describe her career was, "Statesman."   I was very disappointed.  I thought they knew better.  

I am not a kind of a man!

I also watched part of a program on The History Channel called Mankind: The History of All of Us.  If they mean all men than the title was appropriate.  During the time I watched the program I saw many women feeding children or killed by invading armies but there was no mention of the contributions of women to history.  Maleness is not the normative gender for the human race.  

Language creates reality.  Male generic language erases femaleness from our vocabulary and our consciousness.  

Not Counting Woman and Children

Each of the four gospels record an event where large numbers of people were fed. The story of the loaves and the fishes is found in Mark 6:32-44, Matthew 14:14-21, Luke 9:10-17 and John 6:8-20.     John says it was people who were fed.  Luke and Mark say it was five thousand men.  Matthew also says five thousand men were fed.  But Matthew adds the phrase, "Not counting women and children."  If Matthew had not added that phrase we might be left to believe only men followed Jesus.  Male generic language erases the presence of women and their children.  We look for ourselves in Paul's writing to the brothers and we add sisters believing that we must have been included.  Every time we call women "guy" or "dude" or assume that women are included under the umbrella of mankind we diminish and erase ourselves, our mothers, our daughters, our sisters and our friends.  I think women are too wonderful to be erased.    

Biblical Inerrancy

Biblical Inerrancy

I have not blogged for several weeks.  With the help of Cathy Winch and Vanessa Finney of Personhood Press I have been editing my manuscript for Prostitutes,Virgins and Mothers: Questioning Teachings About Biblical Women.  As I come to the end of this process I am compelled to draw a parallel between our editing process and the centuries of copying and recopying the biblical manuscripts. I am staggered by the amount of errors in the manuscript. Errors which either I made or were made by one of the four brilliant women who read and made editorial comments in the manuscript.  I'll tell you one thing I am never using a comma again!

Biblical Infallibility 

Halloween of 2009 a Baptist congregation in Canton, North Carolina used their belief in biblical inerrancy and infallibility to burn Bibles.  

Inerrancy

As Lee Martin McDonald states in The Formation of the Christian Cannon, "Those who would argue for the infallibility or the inerrancy of scripture logically should also claim the same infallibility for the churches in the fourth and fifth centuries, whose decisions and historical circumstances have left us with our present Bible." 

On the website Mainstream Baptist Dr. Bruce Prescott offers a test for "Inerrantist Truthfulness."  He says, "Here's a simple way to tell if you are getting a straight answer about claims for the Bible's inerrancy.  Ask inerrantists the questions listed below.

1. Is the Bible you read and hold in you hands inerrant?  If he says, "No," he is being honest.  If he says, "Yes," ask question 2. 

2. Do all the ancient manuscripts of the Bible say exactly the same thing?  If he says, "Yes," he or she is being honest.  He or she is simply uninformed about the history of the transmission of the Bible and needs to do some study. (2 Timothy 2:15)  If he says, "No," ask question 3.

3. How can you honestly say the Bible is inerrant when you know that all the manuscripts of the Bible have errors in them?  If he says, "The Original Manuscripts were inerrant."  Ask question 4.

4. Where are the "original manuscripts?" If he admits, "They have all been lost," or "They no longer exist on earth." Ask question 5.

5. Since God didn't bother to see that the Bible was preserved inerrantly, why is it necessary to believe it is inerrant?  If he says something like, "So men could be sure of their salvation." Ask Question 6.

6. Do you have to believe the Bible is inerrant to be saved?  If he says, "Yes," ask question 7.  If he says, "No," ask question 8. 

7. Do you have to place you faith in an inerrant book (unseen) before you can have faith in Jesus?  Doesn't that make the Bible an object of faith and another mediator between us and God? (1 Timothy 2:5)  Doesn't that make the Bible an idol?  Or, does belief in inerrancy prove that you are saved and is failure to believe proof that you aren't?  Is that why some inerrantists call Mainstream Baptist infidels? 

8. Why have inerrantist worked of 20 years to exclude Mainstream Baptist, divided the SBC and BGCO, and revise the Baptist Faith and Message to make it say the Bible is inerrant?  Was all the pain this has caused in the lives of God's people and churches really necessary?"   

I know this test doesn't work on several levels and it certainly doesn't work if one believes that it is the first King James translation which is inerrant.  I share it because of my passion for biblical literacy, my new found sensitivity to the errors that can creep into the written word and because of my experience at Liberty University where the doctrine of biblical inerrancy was used like a weapon.    

I also want to say that I found errors in the  questions above.  Some I chose to leave in like Original Manuscripts and original manuscripts.  Others I chose to change like mainsteam to mainstream.  Biblical inerrancy?  I don't think so!  How many errors can you find?