Father=Husbands, Son=Wives… Spirit=?

That a theology of leadership and authority accurately reflecting the character and the nature of God would render the “gender debate” superfluous, has long been my contention.  But the development of such a theology … Oy.

As I mentioned today to one of my profs after class, there are so many dots to connect that we never seem to get the full picture. Details are left hanging, and those details can leave impressions that are unhelpful at best, and the whole process seems to endlessly begin at dots we’ve already visited a thousand times.

Some believe certain ideas from Plato and Aristotle are compatible with Christian praxis. Others have developed elegant syllogistic arguments against “equal in being, unequal in function” (see R.M. Groothis’ argument) . Still others point to the Trinity and see things an entirely different way. How do we reconcile philosophy and theology in this area? Is   analytic philosophy the trump-card?

Personally, such arguments have left me with a nagging sense of short-cutting-it to closure. As was pointed out today in class, the Godhead is the  example of how there can be equality of being but difference in employment, forever and ever Amen. But, if we are to directly correlate what happens within the Godhead to what must be the case  between men and women, we must carry this line of reasoning all the way through as well. Did the Father bless Jesus with authority ? Did God “tell Jesus what to do” in the sense in which most of us understand that phrase? A simple word-search on “authority” in your bible software program will illustrate that Jesus was exercising authority and engaging in leadership activity all over the place while He was on earth. The line of reasoning breaks down rather quickly if the goal is to prove women should not lead or hold positions of authority. Moreover, in the Christian household, if we equate the Father with hubands, and the Son with wives, who “gets to be” the Holy Spirit? I think its just a poor way to force the issue of submission on one gender, to use the Trinity in this way.

Is there anything to  learn from the operation of the Trinity and in particular, the relationship between the Father and the Son? Certainly! But the lesson is not just for women. Philippians 2:5-7 applies to the hearts of men, as well as women, and while this verse does not unravel the mystery of how differences between men and women relate to what they do vocationally, in church and home, in the company of one-another, it provides for the humility from which any such attempt at unraveling should be firmly grounded.

That there are in fact real limitations on men and women regarding some of their functions, given physical attributes, and that these differences are somehow albeit mysteriously integrally tied to the male and female nature would seem incontrovertible. But which of our differences as male and female justifiably direct our functions and employments? … apparently this is unsearchable to mere mortals, for we have yet to figure this one out. Plato did not have the keys to this door, nor did Aristotle.

One other matter is that of the significance of Patriarchy…. Can Christians seriously consider writing this out of the biblical narrative? Is Patriarchy a sinful state of affairs that Christ died to abolish, or,  … redeem…or,  …?  There is something really wonderful and true about Father God and I am not at all counted among those who advocate for abolishing this designation for the first person of the Trinity. Why must Father be conflated with abusive authority?

Well, of course, it need not be. A good father is a blessing beyond compare.

But because abusive male authority is a reality, it would be, I suppose, a plausible quick-fix to abolish male authority all together.  I’m certainly not convinced this is the answer, however; not by a long shot. But I am equally unconvinced that ‘taking equal turns’ at the top of the authority pile is the answer… 

More on this as I find time. Apologies if this is not well formulated…but it is high time I get it ‘out there’ as I’ve been chewing on it far too long now…