Mutuality | Blog + Magazine | Autumn 2015
The print + digital magazine of CBE International
Mutuality offers articles from diverse writers who share egalitarian theology and explore its intersection with everyday life.
Blog + Magazine ArticlesThe opinions expressed in these articles are those of the authors. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of CBE International or its members.
Autumn 2015
Volume: 22 | Number: 3
Human Essence
Does gender define our humanity? What is the nature of the differences between male and female, and what do they have to do with Christian theology?
Contents
If we believe God became fully human, we must also believe in a human essence that transcends the male-female divide. And it is this essence which God embodies in Jesus, a man, but a fully human man.
In the gender debate, you will typically find two sides in opposition. No, not male and female, but “constructivist” versus “essentialist.” A constructivist views gender as socially created according to cultural customs and mores. Essentialists view gender as inseparable from one’s very being as human.
How different are men and women, really? To what degree are those differences hardwired? Are there limits to what science can tell us? What is the significance of God making humans male and female?
The current cultural confusion regarding what it means to be a man or a woman and when or how one passes into adulthood invites the church to create rites of passage that disciple our youth.
How might someone’s view of gender impact the doctrine of salvation through Christ? I believe it does, and in significant ways. I will argue that if women are subordinate simply because they are women, then Jesus’ redemptive work can—in some fashion—not fully apply to women.
Given male privilege, will my daughter’s aspirations and talents be welcomed? Will she have the same opportunities as males? Or will society shame her, accusing her of denying her femininity, as often happens?
Manhood is under siege and not because there are women in the board room and men in the laundry room. The crisis that threatens men has ancient roots according to James, and the only real solution is to recapture the even more ancient imago dei we find revealed in those first two chapters of [...]
Stan Goff’s Borderline: Reflections on War, Sex, and the Church offers a fresh, if controversial perspective on the relationship between the church, war, and patriarchy. Goff’s central argument is that war loving and women hating are ultimately two sides of the same coin, driven by the same fears that allow for [...]
Nate Pyle’s new book, Man Enough: How Jesus Redefines Manhood calls Christian men to disregard elusive cultural ideals of masculinity in favor of Jesus-like vulnerability, love, and relationship.
