This is an interesting article about a woman who starts to come around to the idea that women, believe it or not, can be foolish and naive. Perish the thought!
In a Bible study she came across some 'troubling' verses:
Gen. 3:17— Then to Adam he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife … "
Deut. 13:6— If … the wife you cherish … entice you secretly, saying, "Let us go and serve other gods … "
Job 2:10— He said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women speaks … "
Prov. 9:13— The woman of folly is boisterous; she is naïve, and she knows nothing.
2Tim. 3:6— … captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses.
At first she was appalled. Women are not foolish, they are not naive, how dare the Bible say such things! She even considered--if God had the nerve to suggest such, then He is not worth knowing.
That type of thinking applies to dealing with people as well. Anyone, man or woman, who merely suggests that women are less than perfect, are also not worth knowing.
"I think men are more aware than women of their tendency to sin," one of the men suggested. "Maybe they can use this wisdom to help guide their wives."
Husbands do have a lot of wisdom to offer their wives. The trick though, is having a wife who can appreciate advice. One who doesn't arrogantly think, "I don't need guiding, I'm not that naive". When the word "husband" is used as a verb, it means "To till; to cultivate with good management". Therefore, a husband can be thought of as one who uses good management to till and cultivate his wife. As a woman, if you do not want to be tilled and cultivated, I suggest not getting married. Nothing wrong with staying single. The problems arise when a woman goes into marriage unaware that her husband will in fact, husband her. Curiously, there is not a verb usage for the word "wife". Maybe that says a lot right there. I think I will get deeper into this in another post.
What's also interesting is that her Bible group included men and women. And I think having the men in the group is what made her come around to the parts she found uncomfortable in the Bible. Had this been purely a women Bible group, verses such as those above would have been ignored or laughed at without a second thought. The women would all pal together and support each other in how dare God say such 'sexist' things. But because there were men (and maybe other women too) who said things such as the above, her rushed judgments were challenged.
While I can appreciate the theory behind women Bible studies, more often than not I am finding them as more of a place to reinforce feminist theology, not to mention--husband bash. I think mixed gender Bible studies are the way to go, so that you have the balancing opinions of men and women.
Eventually, the author comes to peace with such troubling verses by way of the following:
"I came across a passage where Tim Keller lays out a recommendation for how to approach sections of the Bible that seem confusing.One of the the other things that helped her realize female foolishness, was the TV Show "The Real Housewives". Here you have a bunch of women who to us home viewers can't be mistaken as foolish and boisterous. This is clear as day, but with other women in day to day life and especially with ourselves, we don't see that women can act just as foolish as the women we mock on TV.
Many people run from any consideration of the Bible once they find such a biblical passage. I counsel them instead to slow down and try out several different perspectives on the issues that trouble them. That way they can continue to read, learn, and profit from the Bible even as they continue to wrestle with some of its concepts. One possibility I urge them to consider is that the passage that bothers them might not teach what it appears to them to be teaching. Many of the texts people find offensive can be cleared up with a decent commentary that puts the issue into historical context.I'd been doing exactly the opposite of what Keller recommended. I'd run from God when I felt uncomfortable, instead of digging deeper to find out more about him. I began to search through commentaries to see whether they might help me gain clarity. In the process, I found biblical arguments that helped me understand what certain verses meant for their original audience."
8 comments:
I think mixed gender Bible studies are the way to go, so that you have the balancing opinions of men and women.
That is a valid point. I also sometimes wonder if it isn't dangerous to just hand women a Bible and say "read this", without written commentary/annotation or oral interpretation from a man. It is not always obvious to modern female readers that the Bible was addressed primarily to men, who were then supposed to interpret it for women. Some of the content doesn't make sense unless it is read in this light.
Only a modern American woman would have the nerve to talk back to God himself.
Still not convincing as a woman. Try harder.
Actually, you need to read the whole article.
The author says she is learning not to take Bible verses at face value.
She is learning to read them in the context they were written in, for the audience they were intended. She is learning to read deeper meaning that what is outwardly apparent on the service.
Your whole post made no sense. Read the whole article.
One of the commenters on that linked article says it was Adam's fault that Eve sinned, because he was not covering and leading her.
More man-fault.
I have seen Promise Keeper nitwits make the same mistake. In 1997, at their big convention, one man said sarcastically, "Where was Adam while Eve was eating the fruit?"
The answer is, he was where he was supposed to be, doing what he was supposed to be doing.
Furthermore, Adam was not Eve's spiritual leader in the Garden. GOD WAS!
God came down to them, and walked with them, and talked with them. God was her spiritual leader. Check it out. Maybe some of these conceited PK guys believe if they and their wives were in the Garden, and God came down and talked to them, their wives would ask them, "Is this God guy right, hon? Tell me, I want to know."
Once you understand with God as her personal leader and spiritual advisor, Eve still sinned, you can understand why I have no respect for the many m*r*ns who blame men when their wives commit adultery, etc.
This is another case where reality and Bible do not disagree.
God as Eve's spiritual leader could not stop her from sinning, but we husbands are supposed to be able to do so? How outrageous can you get?
Anonymous age 68
A woman is not to be tilled like soil, but loved with guidance. I don't think the Bible defines being a husband with the word "husbandry" like animal husbandry; the idea that women are naturally misguided and need to marry to have good sense is foolish and offensive. The Bible speaks of both husbands and wives giving each other guidance in love and setting examples.
"I also sometimes wonder if it isn't dangerous to just hand women a Bible and say "read this", without written commentary/annotation or oral interpretation from a man. It is not always obvious to modern female readers that the Bible was addressed primarily to men, who were then supposed to interpret it for women"
What a bunch of hokum.
You go, Anon age 68! nailed it.
Corry
Brilliant, Anon 68.
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