I haven't talked to my daughter yet about "Biblical Womanhood" because most of what is taught about that topic can be boiled down to: God created women to serve men.
Which theology is very convenient, provided you're a man.
True religion is supposed to abolish gender inequality, not capitalize on it. Religions that spiritualize base human desires like lust, greed or ambition are supposed to be non-Christian. But you wouldn't know that from reading some of today's most popular Christian books and blogs.
Patriarchy, it seems, is making a comeback. Proponents of this lifestyle even call themselves patriarchal–reclaiming that pejorative label as a badge of honor. Bestselling Christian books espouse the ideals of passionate,"Biblical Womanhood" or offer suggestions for becoming what God created you to be: your husband's helpmeet.
These books and blogs often assert that a woman's highest calling is to become a wife and a stay-at-home mother. Why? Because she was born with a uterus, of course.
It's a theology that abnegates personhood because it doesn't matter WHO you are, only WHAT you are: male or female?
Most troubling about this trend is that it's being led by women. Women are the authors of these books and blogs, women are the speakers at church retreats.
You know Operation Oppression has been successful when the oppressed start enforcing the oppression. It's a particularly frightening success made all the more virulent when led by zealous Christian women claiming to do "God's will."
How does one argue with God? And even more disturbing, since when did Christians embrace Biblical interpretation that catered to human instinct instead of restraining it?
But apparently, this is the kind of "Christianity" that sells.
As a former fundamentalist, it's been alarming for me to watch what were once the extremist doctrines of my fringe childhood church go mainstream. Blogs, books and conferences become instantly popular as soon as they start promoting the "Biblical Manhood" and "Biblical Womanhood" worldview.
Even the TV show like TLC'$ "18 Kid$ & Counting" ha$ developed $omething akin to a cult following.
Still, I understand what these Christians are reacting against. Among these groups, it's a given that one of society's greatest evils stems from an overreaching, intrusive feminism. Feminism is blamed for everything from the emasculation of men, the legalization of abortion, the explosion of divorce.
And while I'm partially sympathetic to their criticism of the more strident forms of feminism, it's pretty clear that their reaction has gone over a cliff in its own way. Most tellingly are the practical implications resulting from a return to strict Biblical literalism.
As a friend of mine recently noted, the popular book "Created to Be His Helpmeet" by Debi Pearl reads like a manual for how-to-be an abused woman.
When you start exploring these ideas of "Biblical Womanhood," what these books really promote is: How To Subjugate Your Entire Being To The Dictate of Your Lord and Master (and we mean your husband, not God).
I have tried for years to talk reasonably with the folks who espouse the "Biblical Womanhood" worldview. Having come from a church that imploded after years of the same kind of legalistic practice, I thought they'd listen to me. It's usually an exercise in futility.
There's nothing so irrational as a person who believes they've inherited their opinion directly from God.
For one thing, there is a tendency for these women to get all hung up on literally translating Biblical sentence fragments. They hang onto these snippets as if their salvation depended on it.
Take, for example, Ephesians 5:24: "But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives out to be to their husbands in everything."
"See?" these ladies will say, "THE BIBLE SAYS be subject IN EVERYTHING!"
Sometimes I just want to pat their backs, feed them cookies and say, "There, there. No need to get all worked up about a sentence fragment."
I mean, the practical implications of literally translating "be subject…IN EVERYTHING" are fairly astounding–especially if you're married to an overbearing, abusive husband.
So, if preachers aren't ready to backup a husband's command that his wife jump off a cliff, then maybe they shouldn't preach Ephesians 5 like it's a literal blueprint for How To Live Your Life.
A better approach would be to say, "These can be some useful guidelines." But it's becoming increasingly rare to hear moderate approaches on anything having to do with "Biblical Womanhood." It's gotten to the point that even pointing out the Bible verse that calls for mutual submission is tantamount to questioning "God-given gender roles."
Apparently, some Bible verses are to be taken more literally than others–even if they appear in the same chapter.
It's all very discouraging.
But my daughter isn't discouraged. She has plans, this one. She wants to become a professional ballerina.
So, I'll gladly shield her from the madness.
Because maybe, just maybe God created my daughter to…dance.
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