Good morning sisters and brothers,
This is my least favorite passage in 1 Corinthians. Passages like this made me distrust Paul for a long time and continue to keep many women from connecting with this apostle and with church tradition. The important thing to remember here and elsewhere is that Paul was a product of his time. He grew up in a culture that was convinced that women and men were not equal. The law of Moses didn't allow women to be witnesses in trials, and Greek philosophy understood men to be logical and women to be overly ruled by emotion. Paul's reading of scripture here is suspect as well. Going back to the creation story he says that men are created in God's image, but women are created in man's image. In fact women and men are both made in God's image.
Before we totally discount what Paul has to say here, notice that he does expect women to prophesy. Despite Paul's shortcomings, he knew that God spoke through women as well as men. He was simply trying to figure out how to help the church follow God in a challenging world. Like all of us, he had blind spots and imperfections, but he also has much to teach us.
Blessings as you keep faith today,
Sam
1 Corinthians 11:1-16
Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. 2I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions just as I handed them on to you. 3But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the husband is the head of his wife, and God is the head of Christ.
4Any man who prays or prophesies with something on his head disgraces his head, 5but any woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled disgraces her head—it is one and the same thing as having her head shaved. 6For if a woman will not veil herself, then she should cut off her hair; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or to be shaved, she should wear a veil. 7For a man ought not to have his head veiled, since he is the image and reflection of God; but woman is the reflection of man. 8Indeed, man was not made from woman, but woman from man. 9Neither was man created for the sake of woman, but woman for the sake of man. 10For this reason a woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.
11Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man or man independent of woman. 12For just as woman came from man, so man comes through woman; but all things come from God. 13Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head unveiled? 14Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair, it is degrading to him, 15but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering. 16But if anyone is disposed to be contentious—we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God.
Showing posts with label Paul's shortcomings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paul's shortcomings. Show all posts
Friday, February 11, 2011
Monday, September 20, 2010
Paul's limits
Good morning sisters and brothers,
Today's reading is one I sometimes wish wasn't in scripture. Passages like this one have soured a lot of Christians on Paul because of his limited thinking about women and their role in the church. We believe that God speaks to us through scripture by the power of the Holy Spirit; we also believe that people, with all their flaws and limits wrote the Bible. Paul was a man of his time who inherited a hierarchical way of thinking about relationships between men and women and among other groups.
Some scholars believe that Paul was careful to support these then traditional beliefs about women because women in the church were given greater leadership roles in the church than in society at large, and he wanted to make sure the church wasn't seen as too radical when it came to social relations. We know that Paul wrote to women as leaders in the church. It's even thought that a woman was the initial public reader of the Letter to the Romans, maybe Paul's most important letters. So certainly he is not consistent about "not allowing a woman to teach." Ministry always happens in a real time and place with people who are not perfect. We bring our biases and mistakes into our ministry. Fortunately, God still works through us to minister to the world. Paul's writing and the churches history on gender relations is a mixed record. From Paul's pen we also get perhaps the best statement on equality anywhere: "There is no longer Jew or Greek; there is no longer slave or free; there is no longer male and female, but all are one in Christ Jesus." We long for the day God's kingdom will erase all divisions between people, saying, "Come, Lord Jesus."
Blessings,
Sam
1 Timothy 2:8-15
8I desire, then, that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument; 9also that the women should dress themselves modestly and decently in suitable clothing, not with their hair braided, or with gold, pearls, or expensive clothes, 10but with good works, as is proper for women who profess reverence for God. 11Let a woman learn in silence with full submission.
12I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she is to keep silent. 13For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 15Yet she will be saved through childbearing, provided they continue in faith and love and holiness, with modesty.
Today's reading is one I sometimes wish wasn't in scripture. Passages like this one have soured a lot of Christians on Paul because of his limited thinking about women and their role in the church. We believe that God speaks to us through scripture by the power of the Holy Spirit; we also believe that people, with all their flaws and limits wrote the Bible. Paul was a man of his time who inherited a hierarchical way of thinking about relationships between men and women and among other groups.
Some scholars believe that Paul was careful to support these then traditional beliefs about women because women in the church were given greater leadership roles in the church than in society at large, and he wanted to make sure the church wasn't seen as too radical when it came to social relations. We know that Paul wrote to women as leaders in the church. It's even thought that a woman was the initial public reader of the Letter to the Romans, maybe Paul's most important letters. So certainly he is not consistent about "not allowing a woman to teach." Ministry always happens in a real time and place with people who are not perfect. We bring our biases and mistakes into our ministry. Fortunately, God still works through us to minister to the world. Paul's writing and the churches history on gender relations is a mixed record. From Paul's pen we also get perhaps the best statement on equality anywhere: "There is no longer Jew or Greek; there is no longer slave or free; there is no longer male and female, but all are one in Christ Jesus." We long for the day God's kingdom will erase all divisions between people, saying, "Come, Lord Jesus."
Blessings,
Sam
1 Timothy 2:8-15
8I desire, then, that in every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument; 9also that the women should dress themselves modestly and decently in suitable clothing, not with their hair braided, or with gold, pearls, or expensive clothes, 10but with good works, as is proper for women who profess reverence for God. 11Let a woman learn in silence with full submission.
12I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she is to keep silent. 13For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 15Yet she will be saved through childbearing, provided they continue in faith and love and holiness, with modesty.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
veils and prophesy
Good morning friends,
Amazingly enough, yesterday was my first anniversary at Laurelton. Time really flies, and it's been a blessing to serve with you this last year. Today's reading is a tough one. We see clearly here that Paul was a man of his time and inherited the limits that come along with being a product of his environment, just as we all inherit the limits of our environments. Some scholars have argued that this section might not be original to the text, but was inserted later. I appreciate Paul, so I would like to believe that, but I'm not convinced.
Paul assumes here, as his audience assumed, that women and men are not equal. Some of the language he uses to express this is pretty shocking to us: "the husband is the head of his wife" and "If a woman will not veil herself, then she should cut off her hair," stand out especially. I don't think we can honestly understand the text without admitting that this is Paul's assumption. With that in mind, I'd like to say three things that soften Paul's project before moving on.
First, Paul assumes here that women are going to have public leadership roles in the church. He wouldn't tell them to wear a veil when prophesying if he thought they shouldn't prophesy in church. This idea is also supported by the fact that Paul acknowledged women leaders in the early church. He often mentions Priscilla as a leader and he refers to a woman named Junia as an apostle. Second, it seems one of Paul's concerns with limiting the role of women was how it would be perceived by those outside the church. He may have feared that "too much" equality would make people outside the church ignore the message because of the packaging. Third, Paul has a sense that the radical transformation that comes with being "in the Lord" changes the relationship between the sexes. Here he writes, "In the Lord woman is not independent of man or man independent of woman. For just as woman came from man, so man comes through woman; but all things come from God." More radically in Galatians he writes that in Christ there is no longer male or female.
What Paul says is often helpful, but it is not speech directly from God. One of Paul's arguments for women being subordinate is that God is the head of Christ. That's not the only time Paul makes a statement about Christ's subordination to God in this letter, either. A few centuries after Paul, this question of the Father and Son's relation was a topic of controversy and the Church affirmed that Father, Son and Spirit were co-equal and co-eternal. Of course the church at that time didn't examine the possibility that women and men were equal as well. It's also obvious that Paul is making much of his argument from cultural beliefs. While women still often wear their hair longer than men, we don't think of it as shameful for women to have short hair or for men to have long hair. It's interesting that in most pictures people paint of Jesus and the apostles they all had long hair, even though Paul says that's shameful. Paul didn't know everything, but let's not allow his limits to keep him from hearing his helpful advise on many other questions.
Blessings,
Sam
1 Corinthians 11:2-16
2I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions just as I handed them on to you. 3But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the husband is the head of his wife, and God is the head of Christ. 4Any man who prays or prophesies with something on his head disgraces his head, 5but any woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled disgraces her head—it is one and the same thing as having her head shaved. 6For if a woman will not veil herself, then she should cut off her hair; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or to be shaved, she should wear a veil.
7For a man ought not to have his head veiled, since he is the image and reflection of God; but woman is the reflection of man. 8Indeed, man was not made from woman, but woman from man. 9Neither was man created for the sake of woman, but woman for the sake of man. 10For this reason a woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.
11Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man or man independent of woman. 12For just as woman came from man, so man comes through woman; but all things come from God. 13Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head unveiled? 14Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair, it is degrading to him, 15but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering. 16But if anyone is disposed to be contentious—we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God.
Amazingly enough, yesterday was my first anniversary at Laurelton. Time really flies, and it's been a blessing to serve with you this last year. Today's reading is a tough one. We see clearly here that Paul was a man of his time and inherited the limits that come along with being a product of his environment, just as we all inherit the limits of our environments. Some scholars have argued that this section might not be original to the text, but was inserted later. I appreciate Paul, so I would like to believe that, but I'm not convinced.
Paul assumes here, as his audience assumed, that women and men are not equal. Some of the language he uses to express this is pretty shocking to us: "the husband is the head of his wife" and "If a woman will not veil herself, then she should cut off her hair," stand out especially. I don't think we can honestly understand the text without admitting that this is Paul's assumption. With that in mind, I'd like to say three things that soften Paul's project before moving on.
First, Paul assumes here that women are going to have public leadership roles in the church. He wouldn't tell them to wear a veil when prophesying if he thought they shouldn't prophesy in church. This idea is also supported by the fact that Paul acknowledged women leaders in the early church. He often mentions Priscilla as a leader and he refers to a woman named Junia as an apostle. Second, it seems one of Paul's concerns with limiting the role of women was how it would be perceived by those outside the church. He may have feared that "too much" equality would make people outside the church ignore the message because of the packaging. Third, Paul has a sense that the radical transformation that comes with being "in the Lord" changes the relationship between the sexes. Here he writes, "In the Lord woman is not independent of man or man independent of woman. For just as woman came from man, so man comes through woman; but all things come from God." More radically in Galatians he writes that in Christ there is no longer male or female.
What Paul says is often helpful, but it is not speech directly from God. One of Paul's arguments for women being subordinate is that God is the head of Christ. That's not the only time Paul makes a statement about Christ's subordination to God in this letter, either. A few centuries after Paul, this question of the Father and Son's relation was a topic of controversy and the Church affirmed that Father, Son and Spirit were co-equal and co-eternal. Of course the church at that time didn't examine the possibility that women and men were equal as well. It's also obvious that Paul is making much of his argument from cultural beliefs. While women still often wear their hair longer than men, we don't think of it as shameful for women to have short hair or for men to have long hair. It's interesting that in most pictures people paint of Jesus and the apostles they all had long hair, even though Paul says that's shameful. Paul didn't know everything, but let's not allow his limits to keep him from hearing his helpful advise on many other questions.
Blessings,
Sam
1 Corinthians 11:2-16
2I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions just as I handed them on to you. 3But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the husband is the head of his wife, and God is the head of Christ. 4Any man who prays or prophesies with something on his head disgraces his head, 5but any woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled disgraces her head—it is one and the same thing as having her head shaved. 6For if a woman will not veil herself, then she should cut off her hair; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or to be shaved, she should wear a veil.
7For a man ought not to have his head veiled, since he is the image and reflection of God; but woman is the reflection of man. 8Indeed, man was not made from woman, but woman from man. 9Neither was man created for the sake of woman, but woman for the sake of man. 10For this reason a woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.
11Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man or man independent of woman. 12For just as woman came from man, so man comes through woman; but all things come from God. 13Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head unveiled? 14Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair, it is degrading to him, 15but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering. 16But if anyone is disposed to be contentious—we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God.
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