I’m training for ordained ministry (ie I want to be a pastor) and that involves studying theology. And so we get to think about lots of different ways to approach God and the Bible. When I was asked to write an assignment on this question ‘Can a Male Saviour Save Women?’ which was posed by Rosemary Radford Ruether in the 1980s, I was more amused than challenged.
‘Of course, otherwise I’m stuffed along with half the human race’ was my immediate reaction. But if you are studying and have to write to get through your course, a one sentence answer isn’t enough! So, I put my head down and started to dive into the literature and the Bible.
The more that I read and reflected, the crosser I got. And I ended up with a saviour and a God who is bigger and brighter and more radical than ever.
Let me ask you some questions and see if I can take you on some of this journey with me…..
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Why do we say ‘and was made man’ when we recite the Nicene Creed in English? In the discussions in the fourth century, there was no discussion about being ‘made man’ but ‘made human’. In the original Latin, it says that Jesus was ‘made human’. The excuse that ‘made man’ means ‘mankind’ which covers all humanity is just not good enough. I know someone who has been campaigning within the Church of England to have it changed, but we are not there yet.
The more that I read and reflected, the crosser I got. And I ended up with a saviour and a God who is bigger and brighter and more radical than ever.
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Why do we always focus on the male disciples of Jesus rather than examining the women around him? Has it ever occurred to you that the women stuck by Jesus much better than the men: they were there at the crucifixion and at the tomb when he rose. They were the ones who paid for his ministry and they clearly loved him. Dorothy Sayers describes their response as a natural reaction to someone who treated them as fellow human beings: ‘he took them as he found them and was completely unself-conscious’. These women clearly accepted Jesus as their saviour, despite him being male. And when we do talk about the women, they are stereotyped and one dimensional: think of the portrayal of Mary vs Martha regarding how to follow Jesus. We don’t often mention the fact that Martha recognised Jesus as the Messiah and declared this to him.
In the original Latin, it says that Jesus was ‘made human’. The excuse that ‘made man’ means ‘mankind’ which covers all humanity is just not good enough.
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Why do we always visualise the first person of the Trinity, God the creator, as male? Why is God always portrayed as a white man with a beard (excepting The Shack of course!)? Every theologian I read said ‘of course, the creator is not male’ but this doesn’t seem to be reflected in our language, art or liturgy.
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Why has the church embraced patriarchy so wholeheartedly? Once you start to think about this, you see it everywhere. The image of Jesus as king is used to underline the need for authority and the teaching on forgiveness is used to underplay the need for justice for the oppressed.
Why has the church embraced patriarchy so wholeheartedly? Once you start to think about this, you see it everywhere.
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And worst of all, why are women seen as lesser? Why is man normative and woman seen in relation to him? Jesus being male has been misused to make maleness the ideal. As Mary Daly wrote: ‘If God is male, then the male is God’.
What would have happened if Jesus had been a woman? Would anyone have noticed her? Is it actually better that he came as a man to show a different way for the men to behave and treat those around them (the poor, oppressed and the women)?
I ended up with a saviour and a God who is bigger and brighter and more radical than ever.
After much study, my final paragraph of my assignment summed up that Jesus is not a male saviour: he is a human saviour who demonstrated inclusion and acceptance in a radical way in his ministry. When he reached out to women, they responded, showing that his maleness was not an issue to them. If we can return to the original ministry and message of Jesus, it is clear that his salvation is available to all.
Although study can be hard and sometimes feel like a waste of time when I could be out ‘doing ministry’, I am extremely grateful for the chance to explore and deepen my faith by asking difficult and challenging questions. God is so much bigger and beautiful than we sometimes allow him to be. Let her out of whatever box you may have made for her!
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