Jots and Tittles

I have often said that my problem with feminist theology is not that they choose to practice pagan religions, but that they choose to insist that said religions are actually compatible with, or a form of, Christianity.  It's still true.  I mean, I would much, much rather see these women (and the occasional spineless man... ouch, I know, but think about the kind of man it would take to believe that God is Sophia and should be worshipped with phrases like "with nectar between our thighs we invite a lover, we birth a child" and then tell me I'm wrong) back in the arms of the one true God, but there comes a time when you have to shake the dust off your feet, realize that you've lost, and move on.  Unfortunately, I can't do that when they continually insist on calling their blasphemies Christianity, because when they do that, it's personal.

Now, the linguistic history of Christianity is an interesting one. Troy and I did our Bible study last night on the second half of Acts 11, wherein we learn that the followers of Christ were first called Christians at Antioch.  What we don't learn until we (and by "we" I mean Troy, because he's awesome like that) do some more research is that, at this time, "Christian" was a derogatory term, akin to the way we view the infamous N-word.  In those early days, you didn't go around telling people that you were a Christian or you'd get yourself crucified.  Literally.  So it's not like the name has honorable origins.  The fact that it is again becoming less than desirable to consider oneself a Christian in our world is not really surprising, in view of this knowledge.  Even within the church itself, you will hear people (like me - I've said it too) say that the biggest problem with Christianity today is Christians.  Because, guess what - we're not perfect, and we've messed up the church something awful.  But the solution is not, I think, to change the way we name ourselves ("I'm a disciple of Christ" just doesn't roll off the tongue quite as readily).  Rather, it is to change the way that Christians relate to each other and to the world.  And to stop people who really aren't Christians from using that name as a way to justify their new religions.  Like the feminists.  My crusade is to preach the truth in love, and to show people that this new feminist faith is not Christianity.  To show the feminists themselves that this faith is not Christianity.  I will consider myself successful if and when this new feminist theology is acknowledged as a different religion from Christianity - not if and when all the women who practise it are converted back to the true faith.  Honestly, I have no control over that.  In fact, I have very little control over what they choose to call themselves, either - if they choose to call themselves Christians I can't really stop them from saying it.  But I can make people understand that they're wrong, whatever they say.  That isn't excluding spreading the gospel and making disciples of all nations, but part of the way I've been called to do that is through showing people what discipleship ISN'T, and that includes self-worship in the guise of goddess worship.

One thing further that caught my attention on Wednesday night but didn't really sink in until last night was something only marginally related and comes from Genesis 3, when God is cursing the serpent, Eve, and Adam for their disobedience in the garden.  Eve's curse is that she will have pain in bearing children, AND that her desire will be for her husband and that he will rule over her.  Now, we all know the pain in childbearing part.  But we often gloss over the second half of the curse.  It has often been used to justify the subjugation of women, and often people have used it to justify the view that women are supposed to be inferior to men.  That's ridiculous.  Eve was created as Adam's companion and equal, his ezer in the original Hebrew (a word that is used elsewhere in the Old Testament only to describe God coming through for the speaker in desperate circumstances).  But when she fell, THEN she was cursed - cursed - with subjugation to Adam.  Of COURSE it's a bad thing.  It's a CURSE.  Those are generally BAD.  But that's the way it is, ladies - we've been cursed to be ruled over by our husbands.  Now, it's pretty obvious that we have pain in childbearing.  It's pretty obvious that we have to work hard to obtain food from the ground, that it isn't just handed to us any more.  So it stands to reason that, like it or not, we are technically ruled over by men.  We can rebel, but it seems to me that we can't ever regain ourselves until God lifts the curse himself -we can't do it.  And, guess what - I just now figured this part out, because I'm that slow - he did!  That's part of what Christ did for us!  So, ironically enough, the only way to lift the curse and obtain equality with men is through the very sacrifice that the feminists are trying to remove from their faith.  Whoa.  I love it when everything comes together like that!  Exciting!

Anyway, class is about to start, so I'm out for now.

-Jaya-