Who Runs the World?
Who Runs the World?
–Beyoncé
Soul Survivor, Holy Water, Secret Keeper, Fortune teller, Virgin Mary, Scarlet Letter
–Keith Urban
I know I may be late to this party, late to the social media movement. I confess fear and a lack of personal nuance has led me to be silent on an issue that is becoming unavoidable in our current culture. Yet another scandal at yet another athletic department at MSU was the last straw.
Before I begin, I must orient you to my own personal biases and background. I am a conservative Lutheran Pastor who cries quite regularly when he preaches. I have a wife and sister and godmother who mean the world to me. I am uncomfortable with some of the assumptions imbedded within most modern versions of feminism, yet believe that feminism is a needed and necessary voice for change in our present culture.
Keith Urban shocked the world (and myself) when he recorded “Female” and then performed it at the CMA’s (I find it likely that Urban is attempting a tribute to Beyoncé). The source of our collective shock is that country music is seldom political and rarely supportive of so-called “liberal” agendas (I would like to argue that women’s rights should be a transcendent concept that is championed by everyone, because, deep down it’s a human’s right issue, an issue that goes to the very core of us being created in the image of God).
Although the song is perhaps a bit generic and, like most modern country, retreads well-worn (red dirt) roads of “ubiquitous clichés” (LA Times), the song still contains poetic depth and truth. The lyrical stream-of-conscious style reminds me of the Beatle’s “Come Together.” I believe the overall goal of the song is noble in striving for an open-ended and inclusive vibe.
I especially enjoy the juxtaposition of “Virgin Mary" and "Scarlet Letter.” What a contrast! I find the reference to the Scarlet Letter incredibly timely. With the recent rampant victim shaming, I cannot help but think of how the women caught in adultery in the Hawthorne story and the victim caught in John 8 both felt alone in their condemnation (remember, it takes two tango and commit adultery). Jesus would not stand for victim shaming in His day, nor should we. Jesus reminds us that He came to save the world, not condemn it (John 3:16-17).
Jesus was never scandalized by supposed scandals. He healed on the Sabbath, cleansed lepers, and associated with a disreputable Samaritan woman. Jesus was never so holy, so high and mighty, or so constrained by his current cultural norms to avoid associating with female sinners. Most Jewish rabbis of His day would never dream of such a thing. Jesus was a "friend of sinners," including women caught in forbidden and egregious sins.
When Jesus' feet are anointed by the "sinful" women in Luke 7, the Pharisee attempts to shame the female sinner and Jesus by association:
If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.
Jesus must have been a fan of Leo from "West Wing." Jesus does not accept the Pharisee's false premise and baited statement. Instead, He uses His favorite response, a story, a parable. He allows Peter to (finally) say something right! Peter is correct in stating that the bigger the debt, the greater the love we have for the one who forgives and redeems us. Jesus does not argue that the woman is a sinner, perhaps even a blatant and bold sinner. But, Jesus does not believe that her sin precludes him from ministering to her. Jesus' presence among sinners does not equate to a blanket permission to sin. Instead, Jesus leaves her with a benediction to live by faith and depart in His peace.
Here's the point of this meandering discussion. I think we can do better in our discussion of these issues. There's more options than the ones presented in popular media surrounding this issue. As the church I believe we are called to be prophetic, "a voice crying out in the wilderness." One of the prophets of the Old Testament most common concerns was the care for the widow and orphan, for the care of women placed in perilous situations. I hope as Christians we can become a similar voice of hope and care.
The goal of this post is simply to get the conversation started, because the heart of the gospel is embedded within these themes. The gospel is indeed universal. The gospel is meant for all to share, because in Christ all “distinctions” and “dividing walls of hostility” are destroyed, making us all “one” in Christ (Romans 3:22-24; Ephesians 2:14; Galatians 3:28).
