Note: This post is the continuation of a series, which began with the installment: The Problem with Patriarchy Part 1: Our Road to Damascus. If you have just come across this site or this post, it might be a good idea to start with Part 1. Each installment (hopefully) builds on the foundation laid in the previous entries. Thanks for reading!
Equality. Side by side. No hierarchy. Sounds good, doesn’t it? Let’s just do it. Oh wait. It’s not that simple is it? Easier said than done, surprisingly. Even when we know we need to change, we struggle. I think we struggle because our insecurities have created an addiction to these various systems of hierarchy which promise to make us feel special or worthy. And we cling to those systems every chance we get because we can’t see it any other way. Even religious people. Even Jesus followers. And many of those followers seemed hell bent (pardon my French) on maintaining systems of hierarchy, especially this system of patriarchy and other forms of exclusivity. But, churches aren’t perfect because people aren’t perfect. We’re born into this imperfect world, which makes it so difficult to really see how screwed up our lives and our communities sometimes are. So in one sense, I can see why we feel attached to these belief systems. But, if we learn anything from our past, we need to remember our history is of a people who continue to discover traditions and beliefs we thought were good and true, but they actually aren’t. It would be arrogant to think we have it all figured out. After all, most of the New Testament would not exist if churches didn’t have problems. Who knew?
And this discussion takes us to a story about how a particular church in the ancient world did their very best to maintain a structure of hierarchy and exclusivity despite their claims to be Jesus followers. It’s a story about a man named Paul who writes a letter to this church in response and says some astonishing things about how Christ has changed our world. I’m certain most of his audience failed to recognize just how significant Paul’s remarks actually were. I think we still fail to recognize the significance what Paul said. But, before we get into all this, we need to retell the story and to go there, we need to talk about…circumcision (at this point, the men are squirming and the ladies are rolling their eyes…). It’s a strange way to begin, I know, but it’s what the story is about. I’m not making this up.
Fortunately, we don’t need to go into a lot of detail, but suffice to say it was a practice which was unique in its day and a very important, religious requirement for Jewish males. It was a big part of their identity as a people. It’s one of the things that made a Jew and Jew and I guess it is safe to say that in many ways, it signified their devotion to God. And, let’s not forget Jesus was a circumcised Jew; so it’s easy to see why it must have come as a shock to many in the early church when the leaders decided to discontinue circumcision as a requirement for Christian males. In the account recorded in the book of Acts, the leaders of the first church known as the Jerusalem Council decided not to “burden” the Gentiles with the requirement of circumcision in an effort to make the church more open to those who didn’t grow up in the faith. Keep in mind the Jewish males had the advantage of being circumcised when they were babies. The Gentile males were likely grown men. I don’t know about you (speaking specifically to the male audience), but circumcision would have been a big “burden”, as it was called, to at least the first generation of Gentile Christian men. Wonder what the scene was like when the Jerusalem Council handed down that decision? There must have been a huge eruption of cheers from the male Gentiles. Seriously.
Nothing ever goes quite like you think it should, though. As I alluded to earlier, we find out many of the Jewish Christians were not happy with the decision, which is probably putting it mildly. I’m sure many walked away from the church as a result. After all, how could the church discontinue a practice clearly prescribed by Scripture? For instance, we have this account in the book of Exodus which says God was going to kill Moses for failing to circumcise his son. If it hadn’t been for Moses’ wife stepping in and “correcting the mistake” as it’s told, Moses could have been dead before the Exodus even started. Pretty shocking, isn’t it? But, it does seem to illustrate how someone could consider circumcision a big, big deal. Now imagine there is this group of so-called leaders, who are proposing to simply set this ancient and orthodox practice aside. I mean, really? How could they dare?
Which, apparently, was one of the questions many in the church continued asking. In fact, a group of Christians found in a particular area of the Roman Empire known as Galatia decided they were going to ignore the decision of the Jerusalem Council and resume the practice of circumcision. Again, it’s understandable. One could argue the decision to discontinue this ancient, traditional and time-honored way of being faithful was nothing less than heresy. Pick the most respected tradition in your church (baptism, communion, alter calls, music, or even the name of your church) and ask yourself how you would feel if a group of elders came to you and announced it was being changed, altered or even discontinued. What if they even suggested it seemed good to them and the Holy Spirit to make this change? What would you do? How would you react?
But here’s the catch. Paul wasn’t amused or even sympathetic of the Galatian’s point of view. He gets wind of the whole affair and it just seems like he is ready to blow a gasket. And, I don’t think I am overstating his anger. After all, at one point in the letter he suggests those in favor of circumcision should castrate themselves if they feel it’s such a big deal. Ouch. I know we’re trying to interpret a letter, so it’s impossible to know exactly what the man felt when he wrote it. But, this sounds like anger and frustration to me. It’s one of the reasons I find Paul such an intriguing figure. He seems a little rough around the edges.
Whatever you may think about Paul’s reaction, we need to recognize, though, his anger doesn’t come from a point of pride or ego, which the letter makes clear. It comes from a place of passion, I think. It comes from a place of awareness, enlightenment – a wisdom gained through mistakes made and lessons learned. Paul has seen something on his walk through the Roman Empire, which has changed the way he sees everything and everyone. His story is about someone who was blind but sees the world again in a whole new way. Having been made aware of his blindness, he is in a unique position to see that same blindness in others and the destruction this blindness can create. So, even though circumcision seems like the right thing to do – the kind of practice worth defending with all one’s might, the kind of tradition which should stand the test of time – Paul comes to see it as stumbling block in God’s kingdom. In one era of Israel’s history, there is no doubt it was helpful; but the time had come when the Church needed to move on to what we might describe as a greater awareness of God’s work of redemption in the world.
And here is a bit of irony. Paul is all stirred up; but, it’s not unusual to see a Christian all riled up about any number of issues. After all, we get upset with a lot of things going on in our world, primarily moral issues (just take your pick – I don’t think you need me to create a list). But here’s the thing I find interesting. Paul, one of the most prominent Christians of all time, gets completely ticked off over how the church wanted to practice their religion. He’s not writing this letter to scold the church for failing to take a stand against the various forms of moral depravity found within the vast reaches of the Roman Empire. He is angry because a church is attempting to institute a specific requirement for anyone who wants to be accepted among a community of Christ followers. He’s mad because the Galatian church was essentially declaring you had to follow their rules and subscribe to their set of ritualistic beliefs if you were going to follow Christ and be counted among the members of the community (of course, we would never do something like that today…oh wait, we’ll get to that later). I hope you take a moment to reflect on this and let it sink in. You can take a break from reading this article and think about how this might apply in our day. It will be here when you get back.
I realize I will come off as “Captain Obvious” when I make this next statement, but apparently the church in Galatia had missed the point. (I can hear the chorus now: “Ya think”!). Paul believes they are so off track he actually accuses them of being deserters and turning to a different gospel. This “different gospel” he goes on to call a “distorted gospel”. As if that isn’t enough, he also says anyone who is preaching this “distorted gospel” is to be considered accursed, which is to say they are very bad, wrong, deserving condemnation, even detestable. Paul doesn’t mince words.
But before we get too lost in the passion of his remarks, let’s remind ourselves what Paul is saying here. To do so, we need to ensure the context of the letter is front and center, which in simple terms is the practice of circumcision. In a general sense we could say the context of the letter centers around how we practice our religion. In other words, it’s about the religious requirements we set in place for those who want to be a part of the community of Christ. I don’t mind suggesting it includes those traditions we hold on to the tightest. It’s those subtle and not so subtle beliefs that separate us – those that provide distinctions, those that might even suggest or hint at exclusivity or hierarchy. To be “in” you must be circumcised, some of the Galatians were saying. To be a true believer, you have to go under the knife. To be a follower of Christ, these are the rules. This is the only way to do it.
And Paul disagrees. He reminds his readers we cannot nullify the grace of God, which alone is the invitation and means of acceptance in any community of Jesus. It’s not what you do or who you are or what you’ve done or haven’t done that gets you in. As Paul says, “if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.” In other words, if it’s all about how well you adhere to certain practices, beliefs or moral codes which make you (feel) justified; then you’ve missed the point.
Consider Paul statements beginning in Chapter 3, verse 23 and following:
“Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But, now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise. [ESV, emphasis is mine]
Jew nor Greek. Slave nor free. No male and female. You are all one in Christ. What is Paul saying here?
Again, keeping the context of the letter front and center, we see a theme. Circumcised. Uncircumcised. Jew. Greek. Slave. Free. Male. Female. These are all distinctions of the flesh. They are ways we distinguish ourselves from one another. They are patterns of hierarchy. They are the means by which we create exclusivity. They are the fundamental categories by which the belief systems of our world or culture are built and sustained and to hold on to them is to follow a different or distorted gospel. And it’s toxic. It’s so toxic Paul suggests those who hang on to these ideas like circumcision should just “emasculate themselves.” Yes, it’s that serious.
Since the beginning of time, human beings have based their self-worth and place in society on systems and labels designed to differentiate themselves from one another. Whether by language, culture, doctrine, skin color, gender, job, career, education or anything else you can think of, human beings have always had a need to make ourselves feel special; so we use these markers to create systems of hierarchy. And Paul says we need to wake up and realize this way of being human is obsolete in Christ. We are one. Which is to say we are equal. We all have equal worth and value. We are all important. Whatever labels the world has given us do not apply. We have entered into a new way of living, a new awareness, a new way of seeing the world and we need to leave those old ways behind.
I think for Paul, the source of his anger was his concern the churches in Galatia were going back to those old cultural norms of how we differentiate ourselves, using circumcision as the means by which they would distinguish the devotion of one believer versus another. Essentially, their message was to be “in” or one of “us”, you had to be circumcised. And Paul says this line of thinking is wrong and runs counter to the Gospel. Living out this reality of being one in Christ is the goal; and Paul warns us that even a small compromise in our efforts is dangerous. “A little leaven leavens the whole lump,” he says. To allow any form of hierarchy or exclusivity to take even a small foothold in the church is to put the community on a path away from Christ. Scary, huh?
And here’s the problem we face. As I stated earlier, this way of thinking is completely engrained in our culture. Whether by race, gender, money, education, physicality or even denominations, we always seem to establish hierarchy. One group, my group, which happens to look, think and believe like I do, will naturally be the one which is more faithful, more intelligent or more orthodox in their beliefs than any other group. One class of people – we might identify them as the men or the educated or those educated at an Ivy League school, for instance – have an exclusive claim to leadership positions, as an example. Some people are higher up on the ladder than others; and therefore, they’re set apart to a place of privilege in our community, as another illustration. Hierarchy and any form of exclusivity is so pervasive in our culture, we likely don’t even realize the many ways we perpetuate this “distorted or counter gospel.”
In one sense, Paul is saying the Galatians were guilty of allowing this mindset to infiltrate their fellowship. It was this mindset which would essentially claim (whether they realized it or not): “I’m circumcised; so I am the true heir of God’s promise and you’re not”. Maybe I’ve stated it a little true crudely; but sometimes we have to take a look underneath the shiny exterior of well-rehearsed positions and see what they may actually be saying to the world. Sometimes we really need to look at ourselves from a different angle and try to understand what’s at the heart of our positions and beliefs. If we really want to be effective evangelists spreading the good news in our communities, shouldn’t we take a closer look at the message we’re proclaiming?
Speaking about us, have you ever thought about what role we’ve played in perpetuating this “distorted gospel”? I say “we” in reference to the fact I’ve always been a part of a Baptist tradition, specifically Southern Baptist. If I’m being candid, Southern Baptists generally believe they have it all figured out. They lay claim to the one true Biblical interpretation; and thus, are the “defenders of the faith”. Have I gone too far with this observation? Maybe. But, aren’t Southern Baptists the one who regularly identify all the various forms of heresy and liberalism invading the church (most normally attributed to an infection from our declining culture). Having a woman as pastor in a church would be an example. Could it be Southern Baptists are simply missing the larger point Paul was making in his letter to the Galatians? After all, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say Paul would have been considered a liberal in his day and time. Imagine that? (I don’t mean to pick on Baptists, but since I am one, I feel like I have the latitude to offer some criticism as insider. Plus, I would prefer we challenge ourselves rather than pick apart the shortcoming of others. It’s healthier, don’t you think?)
In all fairness to my tribe, I think it’s safe to say all denominations have engaged in the practice of finding faults with the beliefs of others and the way others have practiced the faith. It’s human nature to do so. We can’t understand why someone might see the Bible differently than we do. I think the primary reason this is so because it threatens our sense of self-worth. It suggests we could be wrong and to be wrong in our world is to be identified as misguided or dumb or whatever label gets thrown around. I think what I am starting to realize is being wrong sometimes is normal. Being wrong is part of the human experience. Being wrong means you’re actually learning, growing and maturing as a human being. It’s just part of life. To be wrong means you’ve learned something new and hopefully it makes your life and the lives of those around you a little better. To have it all figured out means your life is stagnant. Think about it this way. Water is essential for life. But when water becomes stagnant, it grows things like bacteria, parasites and mold. In other words, it becomes a source of disease and even death.
Despite all the dangers and problems with becoming stagnant in our views and traditions, it’s easy to get stuck in the mud. It’s so tempting to continue to pick apart the faults and problems of others as a way of making ourselves feel like we’re worthy, or in the church’s case, the one true heir of God’s promise. We compare ourselves to others because it’s what we are taught by the world to do. Deep inside, we know our faults and shortcomings; and the only way to build ourselves up is to drag others down. We find the one thing we do better than someone else and then hold it up for the entire world to see. As human beings living in a fallen world, we’re good at this, unfortunately.
I should clarify I am not against rituals or law or belief systems or traditions or anything of the sort. It’s just we need to realize they’re not the point. They always point to something greater. As Paul states in the passage, the laws and the practices it prescribed were guardians. Perhaps they were intended to introduce us to a new way of living in the world never forgetting the Bible describes this way of living as a journey. So if you stop your journey and find contentment with a bunch of laws or rules or cultural norms (like patriarchy), then you’ve become stagnant. You’ve missed the plot. In this case, circumcision was a guardrail of sorts for Jewish men, which pointed to a greater state of consciousness or awareness – ultimately a better way of living. Consider what Paul says in his letter to the Romans 2:28-29:
A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise is not from men, but from God.
Circumcision of the heart by the Spirit, and not the physical act itself, is the point. In other words, our tendency is to put a lot of effort into outward appearances, but that’s not what interests God. Rituals, traditions and practices can be a good thing if they point us to a greater truth about what it means to follow Jesus. These rituals, traditions and practices are pictures or metaphors of what happens in our hearts so they are (by definition) allowed to take any number of forms. But, if these rituals, traditions or practices become the point rather than a picture or metaphor of what is happening on our insides, they become our stumbling block. You might even say they become a sin.
I have to admit I wonder if I should even put these words out there for others to read. After all, I’m no theologian and have no formal training in all this beyond the books I’ve read. Plus, I feel like the biggest hypocrite because I know my insides and I realize these posts can sometimes take on the tone of a preacher. I really don’t mean for them to. After all, I may have completely missed the boat on this one. Who knows? However, if I have come to learn anything from my own life then I’ve come to realize that if I stumble, I want to stumble on the side of grace. I want to err on the side of being open, inclusive, generous and merciful. I say that because I think it’s the mindset which guided the Jerusalem Council. After all, my Bible speaks of a group of folks describing their decision as one which “seemed good to them and the Holy Spirit”. It suggests a bit of uncertainty in their actions; and apparently, that was okay.
That said, we probably can’t go too wrong with embracing this way of being one in Christ where no one is above or below another and there are no more marks of privilege. Just because you were born a Gentile or slave or woman, you are no less than those born a Jew, a master or a man. These are distinctions the world focuses on, but in Christ, they go away. We need to also keep in mind Paul’s warning, though. The only way we can flourish in this new way of being human is if these markers of hierarchy and exclusivity go away completely. We have to look at everyone the same no matter their race, gender, position in life, religion or whatever category we can dream up. Because if being one in Christ is true for us; it’s true for the world. We can’t parse it out. Otherwise, we’ll just go back to old systems of hierarchy and exclusivity and we’ll end up perpetuating the sickness we’re trying to eradicate. As Paul says, “a little leaven leavens the whole lump.”
Of course, this doesn’t mean we stop celebrating our unique cultures or stop being a man or woman. It’s just that one person doesn’t get a place of privilege in God’s house because they happen to be born a certain way or into a certain position in life. We don’t choose our parents, our gender, our race or even what genes we inherit. I think Paul is telling us whatever marker you have been using to measure yourself against another, let it go. Stop. We are all one in Christ. You don’t need to be circumcised to be heirs of God’s promise to Abraham. And you don’t need to be a man to be a pastor of the church. As Christians, we can’t say we are against the hierarchal systems of our culture and hold on to patriarchy. It would be like an alcoholic saying I’m going to stop drinking liquor and drink beer instead. It won’t work. If we are going to see the world in a new way or live in a new way then we have to discard all the old systems of the past. All of them. Every single one.
One last point and I’ll draw this article to a close: What’s interesting to me is Paul’s teaching on this debate within the church is not that hard to reconcile if you dig into the Scriptures a little bit. Despite the fact the Bible describes a society in which women are little more than property and owning slaves was commonplace, the opening chapter of the Bible describes God creating human beings in his image. And the language here is significant. The important thing to note is when Genesis describes humanity being made in the image of God, the writer is using language normally reserved for kings. It is the language applied to royalty. In that day, only kings were made in the image of a god. In Genesis, though, this language is applied to all men and to all women. It is very specific as if to ensure we don’t misconstrue the passage and say it really only applies to men or one race or a specific group of people. Everyone is royalty. Everyone bears the image of God.
And there it is. It was in the Bible all along from the very beginning, but God’s people had been blind to this truth for centuries: all people, regardless of race, gender, religion, status in life, perceived beauty, intelligence or any other distinguishing characteristic carry the image of God. And for those of us who struggle not feeling good enough because of our gender, race, looks, IQ, status, neighborhood, job, or whatever mistakes we’ve made, in Christ, we are one. We carry the image of God. And that should be enough. You, me, we are enough. Let’s reclaim this truth about all of us. Together.