The title of this essay might, from the very beginning, lead some to ask "What is the difference between a man reading the Bible and a woman reading the Bible?" This question almost assumes that when people read the Bible, regardless of their gender, that they should arrive at the same conclusion as to its meaning. In other words, according to this assumption, there are or should not be any differences in biblical interpretation between a male and female reading of Scripture. This writer wishes to humbly and respectfully submit that there are and should be differences. And while the Bible can be considered "the Word of God," regardless of who is reading it, the fact remains that each one us brings baggage to the reading of Scripture. As I've stated in previous essays, no one brings a blank slate to the reading of Scripture.
Because men, historically speaking, have been in a position of dominance and power, and women, historically speaking, have been in a condition of subjugation and subservience, the baggage that each of the genders brings to the reading Scripture will naturally be different. Men will read and interpret the Scripture in such a manner as to maintain women in a state of submission to them. Women will read and interpret the Bible in such a way as to find equality between the sexes. In both cases, both the male and the feminine interpretation of Scripture will be rooted in their historical experiences relative to power and powerlessness.
Carolyn Osiek, who has served as Professor of New Testament at the Catholic Theological Union, points out that since the middle of the nineteen century there has been a growing awareness of the part of some women that their very devotion to the Bible has put them in a conflictive situation and that the Bible itself is partly responsible for the ambiguity and even outright oppression that they suffer in societies that claim the Bible as their moral and creedal foundation. Someone may ask "How can the Word of God be oppressive?" The answer would probably be that it is not the Scripture itself that is oppressive, but rather its misuse by men in terms of how they read the Scriptures and impose their interpretation of what they read on women.
Professor Osiek goes on to mention that with the rediscovery and growing popularity of religious feminism in the middle of the twentieth century, that there was a surge of new interest in how women relate to the Bible. I'm certain that some men in the community of faith who wish to hold on to power, will attribute the rising popularity in religious feminism to the "diabolical and evil" influence of secular feminism upon women in the faith community. Because of their desire to protect what they have controlled for ages, they will attribute any rise to power by women as being "Satanically inspired." They will also say that women now want to use the Bible not only to rebel against male authority, but also to "change the batting order" in order to exert authority over men.
Professor Osiek states that in the mid- 1970's questions such as "Was Jesus a feminist?" and "was Paul a chauvinist?" were being raised. In the late 1970's and early 1980's feminist bible scholars and theologians, according to Professor Osiek, were not only using the traditional historical-critical methods of biblical interpretation (questions of authorship, audience, date, reasons for writing, literary styles, sources of information, and where or not there was redaction), but also began to use the hermeneutical (interpretive) tools of Liberation Theology, a school of thought which emphasizes that oppression is the starting point for biblical interpretation and theological reflection.
A colleague of mine, Dr. Lynn Japinga, a Professor of Religion at Hope Colleg in her book "Feminism and Christianity" relates the experience of three of her students in a course which she taught on Christian Feminism. The expressed perspectives of the three were as follows:
Susan says she attends a "Bible-believing" church. She adds "I've been taught that the Bible is God's word and everything in it is true. The man was created first, and the woman sinned first, so it is clear that men are meant to lead and women are meant to be submissive wives and mothers. The Bible does not allow women to be leaders of the church."
Barbara introduces herself as a women's studies major and says, "I think that the Bible has caused most of the problems that women have in our society. It blames women for causing sin in the world. It treats women like property, not persons. It does not allow women positions of power and influence. The Bible was obviously written by men, about men, to promote a male agenda. It is not a good book for women."
Jenny says "I grew up in the Presbyterian Church, and I've always considered myself to be both a Christian and a feminist. I am beginning to wonder if that is possible. If it is, what do Christian feminists do with the Bible?'
Dr. Japinga asks "How can the same book provoke such different interpretations?" Some readers think that the Bible imprisons women and restricts the options they have for their lives. Others conclude that that the Bible empowers women to resist oppression and ultimately sets them free. The Bible is a symbol of oppression for some and a positive resource for others.
One of the things that Dr. Japinga goes on to mention in her book is that the Christian feminist movement is very Euro-American centric, and neglects women from the so-called Third World, and who are of a different socio-economic class than the Euro-American women who by and large are tied into the white middle class. According to Prof. Japinga, true feminine liberation will be inclusive of women of color and class and their particular aspirations and needs.
How do we then solve the issue of reading the Bible from a woman's standpoint? There are obviously certain texts in Scripture that appear to support the notion of women in a subservient and submissive positions. But then there are other passages of Scripture that point to equality between men and women, and that also promote women in leadership, both in the church and in society.
In one of his letters to the Corinthian church, the Apostle Paul speaks about women being silent in the church, but earlier on in that same letter he speaks about women prophesying.
The issue is not resolved merely by quoting Scripture passages. Anyone, including a child can do that. The "quick to verse" approach is not appropriate for either this topic or any other topic regarding biblical interpretation. While no perfect solution might ever be found, this writer humbly submits the following proposal to get us started on the road to faithfulness to the message of the Bible, proper interpretation and understanding, and finally appropriate application in the life of the community of faith.
1. Begin by examining the biblical languages of Aramaic, Greek, and Hebrew in order to determine if what was said in the original languages corresponds to what we understand today in the modern languages in which we read the Bible.
2. Examine the "Sitz en Leben" (German for "life setting) of those biblical passages which deal with the relationship between men and women relative to social status and authority. In other words, get to "the story behind the story" in each of those biblical passages. By this I mean, leave behind the syndrome of "the Bible says, end of story," and examine what is meant by what "the Bible says" in its original context.
3. Examine the engagement between writer and reader. By this I mean, explore the baggage that the writer (biblical author) brings and compare it to the baggage that the reader (you and I) brings to the reading of Scripture.
4. Engage in continuous dialogue within the community of faith and examining the best of biblical scholarship relative to this issue.
I welcome and encourage your response to this essay. Your input and insight are very valuable.
Grace and peace,
Dr. Juan A. Ayala-Carmona
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