ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
June 10, 2026
There has been a recent push for a return to “Biblical Womanhood.” Biblical womanhood might sound like a beautiful phrase to some ears, even though a lot of folks don’t know exactly what it means. In some Christian settings, there is a push for women to get married by 18 and begin having babies as the earlier you start, the more babies you can have. Among other groups, there is an expectation of what is called complementarianism. This is a belief that men and women have different roles in life, which may not sound all that atrocious until you understand that they lift up only a handful of specific scriptures that they believe give emphasis that a husband is to hold authority over his wife, men should not be taught by women, and all important decisions should be made by men because women are too irrational… even some suggesting that women should not be allowed to vote. Now I try to be respectful of those with whom I disagree, and simply bursting out with the words, “That is insane” is probably not going to be a good starting place for a conversation that could lead to a change of heart. Yet too many people have been manipulated into believing the Bible has one picture of women and motherhood, when in fact, those things might have been more complicated in the ancient world than today. Recently, I spoke with a woman who was raised in a church that promoted a so-called literal reading of the Bible, which included an expectation that a woman was to be subservient to men, and specifically to her husband upon marriage. She explained how the church drilled about eight passages of scripture into her, and in time, those scriptures became the lens through which she read everything else in the Bible. All the radically different passages that celebrated women’s autonomy, strength, and leadership were dismissed or explained away. We all have a lens through which we read scripture, though some people won’t admit it. Understanding your lens (the primary stories through which you understand God and your faith) can be one of the most helpful and liberating steps in a person’s faith journey. I have a handful, and not one of them suggests that a person or group of people should be treated as anything other than the beloved children of God that they are. And there are many such passages.
Holy and Loving God, guide me along the way as I come to see a life-giving story of liberation, and not the narrow and oppressive story that some try to impose. Introduce me again to Jesus, the one who lifted up every single person. Amen.
