gengwall

“Kim, It seems you are trying to tell me I have specific female attributes in the areas of emotions, intellect and feelings outside the obvious biological ones.”

I don’t think Kim or anyone else is saying that women or men have gender specific attributes in the areas of emotions, intellect, or feelings. That is, if you mean by “attributes” that either men or women are universally more or less emotional, intellectual, or feeling than the opposite sex. But we do, in general, process and react to stimuli and information in different ways, and it has everything to do with very gender specific biology (mainly hormones and brain structure).

Denying the differences between men and women just because people have abused the differences will not make them go away. It is no different than those who deny Paul’s or Peter’s teachings simply because many have abused and misinterpreted those teachings. For example, many people, almost exclusively women, completely reject 1 Peter 3 as being valid scripture! They do this simply and only because it has been abused by many others, mostly men, to support patriarchy. In other words, they believe the lie – that Peter teaches hierarchy – and therefore fear his teaching. (It is even worse with Paul). The only solution that allows them to retain any sense of self is to believe another lie – that Peter is irrelevant, or even worse, an evil mysogyinst. Rather than explore the true meaning 1 Peter 3; rather than embrace the gender specific teacing and attempt to determine its value for men and women alike; they completely reject 1 Peter 3 and therefore ignore, or even argue against, its important lessons. Wouldn’t it serve our purpose much better if we rose above our cultural indoctrination which says that Paul and Peter preach hierarchy, and instead search out the real and deep meaning that they wish to impart to us all through their very gender specific teaching?

So, why does Peter use Sarah’s factual obedience as an example? Why is it important that she showed reverence and maintained a quiet disposition when Abraham was behaving badly? And how will that help all wives deal with all similarly acting husbands? And what does he mean when he says husbands should live with their wives in “an understanding way”? Could it be that there is a general male tendancy NOT to live that way with our wives? And what is the difference between the reverence Sarah models and the honor we are to give our wives? Certainly Peter had a purpose in using two very different words, didn’t he? What do these very different instructions for husbands and wives have to do with our general conduct as Christians? Are we to continue in gender specific ways outside the home, or is the home a particular dynamic? Doesn’t Peter bring it all back together in the end and say that ALL of these behaviors and attitudes are proper for the Christian in his or her general dealings with people? So if we are all to act this way in general, why again does he need to be so gender specific when speaking of marriage? And why the sidebar into marriage at all?

All of these questions, and many, many more, stem from the gender specific isntructions to husbands and wives. Yet “hierarchy” is far from the default conclusion one need come to in answering them. Just because some have concluded that hierarchy is the lesson to be learned doesn’t mean we all need to conclude that, nor does it at all confirm that erroneous conclusion. “Come now, and let us reason together” for “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness”.