Alison

This post was a treat, Cheryl. Loved your work, how you debunked the theory of Eve “usurping Adam’s authority”. I’ve always wondered about that when it came up in my small group, and the unanswerable question that trouble-maker me always asked was “How in the h-e-double-hockey-sticks could she usurp something that was never either directly or indirectly given?!”

I was told to keep reading Genesis 2, that since the man was created first, he was therefore the head (something that you’ve done excellent work debunking). I was told I was prideful, deliberately ignoring the truth, and in thrall to Satan, disguised as an egalitarian. (And this in a church that officially claimed an egalitarian stand on women in ministry issues! Guess some folks just never read that portion of the memo, tho). But the more I search that passage, the less likely I become to see that reading of it–let the accusations fall where they may. I sometimes feel like I have to apologize for my own egalitarianism, and that just doesn’t make sense.