Paula White-Cain on the Subjugation of Women
Misinformation from the White House
Paula White-Cain, leader of the White House Faith Office, encourages women to submit to their husbands. She suggests this is what God directs women to do.
Not true. Ughhhh. How is this the person in charge, committed to bringing "religion" back to the United States and protecting "Christians?" I hope God protects all of us from her theology.
Fake News. Misinformation. Toxic and Abusive Theology.
God does not direct women to submit to men. But, over the centuries, we have interpreted ancient patriarchal writings through a modern patriarchal lens to subjugate women. The Story of Adam and Eve, the SECOND creation story included in our Bible, is found in Genesis 2-3. It is a story that, traditionally taught, has been used to justify questionable treatment of and attitudes towards women. Traditionally, Christians have used this story to describe women as unintelligent, inferior, and gullible. Christians have used this story to blame women (Eve) for the entrance of sin in this world. And their punishment was painful childbirth. And submission to men! The traditional interpretation is one more weapon in the arsenal of some Christians against women. I think it’s really important we take the time to learn healthier interpretations of Scripture that do not subjugate women.
Thank God there is another way to understand this creation story that is about MORE than sin. Here's a little video I created about it today…
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And here is an excerpt from a sermon I once preached:
There is yet another way to interpret the story of Eve in Genesis 3. And it is my favorite way. My first semester of Seminary, I was assigned to read an article written by feminist theologian, Phyllis Trible, who challenges the traditional interpretation of Eve’s story. Trible’s writing is an intentionally exaggerated rhetorical criticism. It was written in the 1970’s to create a splash. So be prepared to squirm. In this writing, she challenges the reader to consider why the serpent speaks to the woman and not to the man in Genesis 3:1-5. She concludes that the woman is the more intelligent human, the more aggressive human, and the one with greater sensibilities. She is a theologian. When considering whether to eat the fruit, she does not consult with her husband. She acts independently. Meanwhile, the man is silent, passive, bland, and belly-oriented. After reading Trible’s article, I learned that the words “knowledge of good and evil” can also mean moral knowledge or intellectual maturity. When I submitted my reflection about Trible’s article to the professor, I wrote, “Maybe, God was not surprised that Eve chose to eat the fruit in Genesis 3:6. Maybe, in some mysterious way, God invited her.”
We may find it difficult to engage this story without reading it through the lens of interpretation that has taught us that this is a story that explains how sin entered the world. Sin and brokenness do inhabit this tale, but they are not the whole story. There is more.
As Eve reaches for the fruit, she commits herself also to exile. She chooses a complicated way. Her reaching, her taking, her tasting, will stir her from the safety of Eden. Her act propels her into a future in which choices will not be laid out for her but where she will have to make decisions each step of the way. One author, Jan Richardson, explains that “we cannot stretch beyond ourselves and yet cling to what we have known. It is the curse of each quest but also a gift because with every departure, there is a new world. And each time we cross a threshold or make a choice for something new, every time we reach for some piece of knowing to make it our own - there is the presence of Eve, in shadow. Reaching. Tasting. Beyond.”
The Story of Eve can be thought of as a Story of Original Hunger and it invites us to get curious about our own desires. We are all created to stretch beyond what we know, to search for what lies beyond our known borders.
Today, I find myself in Eve’s Story as she stands on the threshold of desire and chooses an unexpected, more complicated path. I find myself in Eve as her longings lead her out of the Garden into exile, but ever closer to God. I find myself in Eve as God works within her desires, not against them. I find myself in Eve’s curiosity that pushes beyond the limits, propelling her into a new, more chaotic, but less confined, life. Taking the fruit was a daring act that changed everything. In my experience, responding to God’s call is daring, uncomfortable, and chaotic while also liberating, fulfilling, and the only way for my thirst to be quenched.
As you consider the ways God is calling you to daringly and courageously cross the threshold of your own desires, I cannot resist sharing a song from my favorite Disney movie, Moana. In fact, her story parallels Eve’s story in many ways. She lives in paradise with everyone she loves with everything she needs but there is something deep within her that calls her beyond where she has ever been permitted to go…she struggles to be faithful to her family who tells her the island is all she needs for happiness. No one leaves this island. Yet she cannot help but listen to the voice that whispers within her and calls her beyond the limits of the paradise that is her home. She has everything she could ever want but her curiosity compels her to leave…
Hope you all are well! Blessings!