Showing posts with label Gender Equality. Show all posts

Jesus -Vs-Translator Bias

Jesus, friend of women, did not miss an opportunity to elevate the status of women, while at the same time illustrating the fallacy of gender-based-role-religion.

In Matthew 16:15-18 and Matthew 7:24, using as examples Peter, the Ek-klesia (the Out-Called Body of Christ), and obedience to the Written and Revealed WORD OF GOD, he obliterates all notions the apostles may have harbored of male headship.

In Matthew 16:15-18, Jesus asked his disciples, "...whom say you that I am And Simon Peter answered and said you are the Christ the Son of The Living God And answering Jesus said Blessed are you Simon son [of] Jona for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my Father which is in Heaven And I say also to you That you are Petros [1] but upon this "THE" Petra [2] I shall build [my home] [3] the Ek-klesia and the gates of hades shall not prevail against it (see Matthew 7:24).

[1] Jesus called Peter a petros (Strong's G4074), which is the same as G4075, meaning a proper masculine noun for a piece of a stone, a piece of a rock, or a man's name.

[2] Jesus called his Ek-klesia, "THE" Petra [Strong’s G4073]. The "THE" is present in the Greek but inexplicably left untranslated by scholars. Petra is a feminine noun meaning a massive living rock: th πέτρα THE pétra.

According to James Strong, pétra is the feminine counterpart of the masculine name petros. Strong claims that petra [4073], the massive living stone, is the same as petros [G4074 and G4075] a piece of rock. But this is not true, and he had to know this.

The feminine noun Petra (G4073-the massive living stone upon which the Body of Christ is built) is not the feminine counterpart of the masculine noun petros (G4074-the piece of rock). James Strong allowed his prejudice in favor of gender-role-religion to influence many of his definitions, and this is one of them.

Simon's name, petros [G4074], means a little stone—a piece of a rock. It is the same word as petros [G4075], which also means a little stone—a piece of a rock. The two words, G4074 and G4075 are one and the same word. They are identical...separated only by the whim of James Strong.

Strong does this more than once. He does it with the word 'āḏām (pronounced, in Hebrew, as audawm). 'āḏām is the name God bestowed on all mortals at the time of their creation, "...male and female created he them and called their name 'āḏām (Genesis 5:2)."

Petros and 'āḏām are just two examples of the same Greek word being given two different Strong's reference numbers when one would have served better.

James Strong erroneously defined the word petra (G4073) as the female counterpart of the word petros [G4074 and G4075]. Strong and other scholars know full well this is not the case. In Matthew 7:24, Jesus used the feminine petra (G4073)], when commanding believers to build their homes on THE Petra [on "THE" Rock] instead of building on sand.

Using gender specific words within the context of Matthew 16:18 and Matthew 7:24, Jesus illustrates the difference between the masculine petros [a piece of a stone] and the feminine "THE" Petra ["THE" massive living rock].

In their fierce struggle in defense of gender-role-religion, traditional scholars wrestle with the feminine word petra being preeminent over [and much stronger than] the masculine word petros. Using both the Body of Christ (the Ek-klesia) and the man, Peter, Jesus' illustration obliterates the fallacy of gender-based-male-headship-role-religion.

The MASSIVE living--feminine--petra is much stronger than, and has preeminence over, the smaller pieces of the rock, the [male] petros.

This writer is not attempting to assert gender authority here, just making a point.

[3] The phrase Jesus used “I shall build” comes from the Greek compound word, oiko-domEsO/oiko-domeō, which means homebuilder in the physical, spiritual, and emotional senses.

When reading these words, the English word, "domestic," as in "home" comes to mind.

The English word, domestic, descends directly from the Latin word domesticus but is very similar (in both sound and meaning) to the Greek words domeso or domeō. Latin was the original language of the ancient Romans. They adopted Greek culture and language later, so it would be ludicrous to claim there is no linguistic connection between words that come from cultures that blended and used words so similar as domestic, domeso, domeo, and domesticus.

In the Ek-klesia, Jesus is building a domestic home for himself.

The Greek word he used, oiko, means “house or home.” The domeo/domeso part means to [physically and domestically] build houses or homes by building the dwelling itself and by edifying and building up those who live within the dwelling.

The Ek-klesia is the home that Christ is domestically building for himself. In my Father's House are many mansions. The building materials he uses are love and the living stones of each believer, who he instructs to build their homes upon the massive, living, and feminine...petra.

The strong, preeminent, and feminine petra is the revealed WORD OF GOD –Matthew 7:24 and 16:18.

Traditional-role-religionists deliberately obscure [where they can] the meanings of biblical words that expose the unscriptural paradigm of male headship.

The Bible is a treasure-trove of eye-opening subtleties and sub-text, if we will but make the effort to search them out.

If God intended his male creation to be preeminent over his female creation, then, despite the androcentricity of the Greek language, why did Jesus choose gender-specific language favoring the feminine in that particular discourse with Peter?

Why did our Creator allow the language itself to subordinate the masculine little piece of a rock [petros] to the massive rock, the living and preeminent [but God forbid--feminine], petra?

Jocelyn Andersen

Jocelyn Andersen challenges the status quo with an often non-traditional and out-of-the-box approach to biblical understanding. She writes and speaks on a variety of topics including Bible Prophecy, God and Women, and Christian response to domestic violence. Her work has been featured in magazines, newspapers, radio, and television.

Jesus Challenges "Male Scribes Only" Policy

Jesus Friend of Women: Challenges "Male Scribes Only" Policy

Matthew 13:52 ...all scribes instructed in the Kingdom of Heaven are similar to those oikodespotēs [home rulers] who bring forth out of their treasures new and old

[1] In comparing scribes to householders [oikodespotēs], using a word translated from a Greek noun that literally means “home ruler” (oiko=home & despotēs=ruler), Jesus challenged the idea that only men could be trained as scribes.

The term, oikodespotēs, is not limited to males only. In 1 Timothy 5:14, The word oikodespoteō (the same word as oikodespotēs, only in verb form) is used of women, where they are commanded to be “home rulers.” Though the word oikodespotēs is classified as a masculine noun, usage shows it to be a neuter noun.

Woman this is WAR! Gender Slavery and the Evangelical Castes System, examines male-centered Bible translation, commentary, and discriminatory mis-definition of biblical words, all of which adversely affect understanding of the scriptures, relations between women and men, happiness of men and women, and hinders the work of the gospel.

Jocelyn Andersen

Jerry Brown's Law about women board members and the Equal Rights Amendment

... "LOS ANGELES (AP) — When then-California Gov. Jerry Brown signed the nation's first law requiring women on boards of publicly traded companies, he suggested it might not survive legal challenges."

And it shouldn't.

Women should not be discriminated against when being considered for board member positions, but to require a person be appointed to a position based on sex and not merit is nuts.

True gender-equality both morally and under the law demands that no one be either favored or discriminated against based on sex. Women can and should be considered for any position they are qualified for but without discriminating against men. Gender should not be a factor in choosing board members for publicly traded companies.

In this instance, the Equal Rights Amendment, that was never passed in this country but should have been, would have protected men against Jerry Brown's unconstitutional law.

Trial to determine if requiring women board members is legal (msn.com)

Author and speaker, Jocelyn Andersen, is an eclectic Christian writer. She is a Bible teacher who writes about many subjects including Bible prophecy and equality of the sexes. She is best known for her advocacy in domestic violence awareness. Her book, Woman Submit! Christians & Domestic Violence, has been a staple in the library of resources on that subject.

If the topic of God and Women interests you, join the conversation HERE..

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To Contact Jocelyn: Use the contact form in the sidebar of her blog at www.jocelynandersen.com to leave comments on her books, to reach her with questions, or to request for her to come and speak at your group.

Jocelyn Andersen

Complementarian Extremism: Either radically submissive or Radical Feminist

Nancy Wilson made the following statement: "The modern woman has been deceived...and led away by her own lusts. Loaded down with sin, discontent, and envy, she is promised freedom and happiness if she will just forsake her domain--the home--and neglect her responsibilities, husband, and children."

Nancy Wilson is wrong. She, along with Mary Kassian, Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Carolyn Rainey, and a host of others deceive and polarize Christian women, by convincing them they only have two choices, thereby dividing them into two camps, either radically submissive or radical feminists.

But there is another choice, a choice supported by scripture that says there are no gender "roles" but rather the sexes were created to support one another equally and manage the earth's resources together, in a functionally equal capacity.

Thankfully, women who embrace their God-given autonomy and unapologetically walk in it, do not need to make the tragic and unnecessary, radical, choice of forsaking home and family in exchange for adult autonomy. In fact, women who walk in the light of God's Word, fiercely love their families and are strong examples living godly and positively impactful lives.

The ancient paleo Hebrew is clear about the relationship between father and mother in the home:

AB: Hebrew for Father, means the physical strength of the house (physical protector) symbolized by an ox and tent.

EM: Hebrew for Mother means the emotional strength of the Family, symbolized by an ox and water (strong water=GLUE) Read my article about this.

Without turning natural, God-given, tendencies and desires into stereotypical and prescribed "roles," it is easy to see that fathers are natural physical protectors of their families. This makes total sense, because men tend to be overwhelmingly physically stronger than women. It is equally as easy to see that mothers are natural nurturers and emotional protectors of their families, as women tend to be much more in tune with the emotions of others. That also makes sense, as women have been shown to be more empathetic with those around them and better communicators in personal relationships.

There are always exceptions, of course. So we cannot paint all women and all men with the same broad brush. So, which is more important and more qualified to lead in families, father or mother?

The answer, is Neither!

Both women and men bring strengths and weaknesses to the table, and neither has the market on having all the info on any given situation or hearing from God concerning every circumstance.

An equal but prayerful balance of leadership is what scripture prescribes: "So God created 'âdâm in his own image in the image of God created he him male and female created he them And God blessed them and God said unto them Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth...This is the book of the generations of 'âdâm In the day that God created 'âdâm. In the likeness of God made he him Male and female created he them and blessed them and called their name 'âdâm in the day when they were created."

Traditional role religion and the complementarian controversy is rife with extremes, and doesn't the Bible warn against extremes when temperance (self control) and moderation are commanded? This goes for every aspect of life--including how we approach relationships--not just eating, drinking, partying, etc....

Complementarians claim there is a sliding scale from moderate to extreme when it comes to practicing their doctrine. But that is simply not true. We cannot espouse the concept of moderation within complementarianism, because the paradigm itself is extreme. All complementarians teach that from birth to death and through-out eternity, men are born into the the leadership caste and women are born into the assistant and follower caste. That is extreme by any standard.

Even complementarians who consider themselves moderates must accept the above definition, as there is no other. So that makes every complementarian an extremist, even if they are loath to admit it.

Christians must reject the wrong and radical, either/or, labels and choices provided by complementarians regarding their extreme twist on traditional-role-religion. Choose, instead, the scriptural choice of a moderate and prayerful, give and take, balance of power within marriage and most personal relationships between autonomous adults.

Humans are commanded in scripture to dominate all nature, but never other humans.

If the topic of God and Women interests you, join the conversation HERE.

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Did you know the first feminists were godly men and women? Read about them in, The Evangelical Caste System. Read also about the role of Christian leadership in suppressing women's rights and even censoring the historical record of Christian initiatives in the women’s rights movements. Many of the same arguments used to support institutionalized slavery are still used today in suppressing the rights and autonomy of Christian women through traditional-role-religion and the patriarchal complementarian movement. This book is an excellent resource for all who desire an in-depth biblical and historical study of the subject.

What readers are saying:

"This book is well written, well researched, and a real eye opener."

"Andersen is a gifted writer, and the book was easy to read even as it covers thoughtful and sometimes technical information. I am glad I read it. I’ve read a great deal about women in the church and home, and it is easy to think there is nothing new to be learned or considered – but this book has a unique approach and covers aspects overlooked by others. Everything is well documented with footnotes in case you have questions or want sources."

"The author is not only a gifted writer but clearly well-studied and informed."

" I was pleased that translation bias was covered in a chapter, an issue that needs to be addressed, and one that I find quite hard to bring up with lay people or everyday believers who lack knowledge about Bible translation. We can trust our Bibles, but we also need to acknowledge that certain passages are difficult to translate and bias can come into play."

"Andersen tackles most of the primary the teachings of complementarianism with an impressive exegesis"

Woman this is WAR! Gender, Slavery & the Evangelical Caste System: Andersen, Jocelyn: 9780979429323: Amazon.com: Books

Jocelyn Andersen

Biblical Submission in Marriage

Yielding to [being supportive of] one another in the fear of God Wives yield to [be supportive of] your own husbands [1]

Ephesians 5:21-22

[1] Dr. Sue Hyatt writes that the word “submit” should have been translated as “support,” “In the context of biblical relationships between men and women, the best meaning of hypotasso is “to identify with or support.”

This writer agrees. Within biblical Christianity no military hierarchies can be found. Secular, military-like, applications of the Greek word, hypotasso, have no place in the living dynamics of the love relationship between our Creator and his people nor should it between co-workers in Christ or between husbands and wives.

It is a grave error to assign a biblical definition of “compliance” to the word hypotasso in New Testament non-military relationships. All believers are commanded to hypotasso one another. We see this in Ephesians 5:21 and 1 Peter 5:5 (the latter is found in all Koine Greek texts, over 5000 of which still exist today). In biblical usage, the word hypotasso is not hierarchical. It has nothing to do with being subordinate to, secondary to, or subject to. It must be applied in the sense of preferring one another over ourselves.

Translator supplements add to the impression that the word is hierarchical when it is not. In Ephesians chapter five, see verses :21-22, where the word, “yourselves” (as in submit yourselves) is an English translator supplement that casts a hierarchical shadow over the passage, when there is no underlying Greek to support it.

As previously stated translating hypotasso as the word “submit” or the phrase “be subject to” gives rise to gender-biased-English-translation-theology, bluntly put…false doctrine. The word “yourselves” is not found in verses :21-22. There is no corresponding Greek to support it.

Semantics matter. Language influences opinion. The translator supplements of “yourselves” [in verses :21-22] add a non-existent emphatic and hierarchical flavor to the passage. It is an incorrect translation. As there is no corresponding Greek to justify the translator supplements of the emphatic “yourselves” in either verse, the words should be eliminated.

“Yielding one to another (being supportive one of the other) in the fear of God” is sufficient for understanding. The word, hypotasso, means the same for both husbands and wives. Hypotasso is used in 1 Peter 5:5 (Koine Greek/Received Text), where all believers are commanded to yield to and be supportive of one another. Given that all believers are commanded to prefer others before themselves, the Greek word, hypotasso, when applied to non-military relationships (marriage is certainly a non-military relationship), should not be translated using hierarchical terms such as “submit” or “be subject to.”

This is an excerpt from The Hungry Hearts Bible Commentary edited by this author.

What readers are saying

Woman this is WAR! Gender, Slavery, and the Evangelical Caste System

What readers are saying:

"This book is well written, well researched, and a real eye opener."

"The author is not only a gifted writer but clearly well-studied and informed."

"Andersen tackles most of the primary the teachings of complementarianism with an impressive exegesis"

Woman this is WAR! Gender, Slavery, and the Evangelical Caste System

If the topic of God and Women interests you, join the conversation HERE.

To receive an announcement from Amazon whenever a new book is released by Jocelyn Andersen, subscribe to Her Amazon author's page.

Jocelyn Andersen

Q & A with Jocelyn About Gender, Slavery, and the Evangelical Caste System

What is Woman this is War! about? My book is about change. In many churches and homes, women are treated as second class citizens. This is not only unchristian and unbiblical, but it is unhealthy. It is emotionally and spiritually detrimental to all involved—including men and boys—and sometimes physically dangerous to women and girls.

Can you elaborate on that statement? Yes. How can it be healthy and beneficial when Christian leaders call men wimps who love their families but have no desire to rule over their wives? How can it be healthy when prejudice against women is encouraged as Christians are taught that the underlying motive in the heart of every woman is to dominate men? This is taught by the Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood [CBMW] and is posted on their website.

Read the full Q & A HERE

Do you have a question for Jocelyn about biblical equality and autonomy for women? Leave it in the comment section below.

If the topic of God and Women interests you, join the conversation HERE.

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Jocelyn Andersen

One Bible Verse Refutes Complementarianism

For you may all prophesy [1] one by one that all may learn and all may be comforted

Image (left) is of a derbyshire muzzle. Quaker women were often punished with these for preaching publicly. A scold's bridle, sometimes called a witch's bridle, a brank's bridle, or simply branks, was an instrument of punishment, as a form of torture and public humiliation. This device was overwhelmingly used on female victims and functioned to silence the victim from speaking entirely. It caused extreme pain and physiological trauma in order to scare and intimidate the wearer into submission. It was often done so upon request from husbands or other family members.

[1] 1 Corinthians 14:31 reveals at least three things: 1.) Understanding that the gift of tongues in tandem with the gift of interpretation is equal to the the gift of prophecy, which is inspired, authoritative teaching or preaching, including forth-telling and foretelling, then, according to verse :31, every member of the Body of Christ has liberty to speak publicly to other members of the body of Christ without asking permission from hierarchical group leadership. 2.) Women are not excluded frompublicly and authoritatively speaking to other members of theEkklesia (Body of Christ) 3.) Women are not excluded from speaking inspired, authoritative words to men, and men are not forbidden to learn from women. Just this one verse proves that complementarian male headship is an unscriptural paradigm.

This is an excerpt from The Hungry Hearts Bible Commentary edited by Jocelyn Andersen.

If the topic of God and Women interests you, join the conversation HERE.

To receive an announcement from Amazon whenever a new book is released by Jocelyn Andersen, subscribe to Her Amazon author's page.

... Woman this is WAR! Gender, Slavery & the Evangelical Caste System: Andersen, Jocelyn: 9780979429323: Amazon.com: Books

What readers of Woman this is WAR! are saying:

"This book is well written, well researched, and a real eye opener."

"The author is not only a gifted writer but clearly well-studied and informed."

"Andersen tackles most of the primary the teachings of complementarianism with an impressive exegesis"

Woman this is WAR! Gender, Slavery & the Evangelical Caste System: Andersen, Jocelyn: 9780979429323: Amazon.com: Books

Jocelyn Andersen

Who Can Preach the Gospel: Is the Great Commission Gender-Restricted?

I was told I make a big deal of nomenclature in the chapter dealing with the Redeemer, in my book, Redemption: Bible Prophecy Simplified - A Study of HOPE.

I do.

I make a big deal of who named who [and what God called the first humans], because prominent and incredibly influential Christian leaders made a big deal of it... first. They made such a big deal of it, that it became one of their premier arguments in mandating restrictive gender roles for women...roles the Bible does not mandate.

Their gender-role mandates restrict women's ministry options, and adversely effects relationships across the board, from working relationships, to friendships between women and men, to marriage relationships. I have written a 200+ page book and many articles on this subject. You can read one of my articles here.

The Great Commission is not gender-restricted, yet over half the Body of Christ is muzzled and forbidden to preach the Gospel, in part, because of the "name" issue in Genesis. That makes this topic worth making a "big deal" over...don't you think?

What do you think? Are women included in the Great Commission to go and preach the Gospel to every creature...?

Click the cover for info about the book

If the topic of God and Women interests you, join the conversation HERE.

Jocelyn Andersen

Jesus and Peter refute gender-based hierarchy within marriage and God's CHURCH

Real-life and functional equality of the sexes is found in the Bible

But don’t you [all Christians] be called guides/teachers/leaders for one is your leader even Christ and all of you are [equal] brethren --Matthew 23:8 [1]

Teacher--not master)

In this passage, Jesus refutes the complementarian claim that men are always leaders of women and that women must always follow men.

The compound word Jesus used here, which was translated as master, is the Greek word kathēgētēs. A word which is only used 3 times in two verses in the entire New Testament. By using the word kathēgētēs, Jesus portrayed the leading as a downward flow (from Heaven) to only one leader/teacher--Himself.

In ascribing the word kathēgētēs to himself alone, Jesus raised women from historically degraded roles as “followers,” a role which had wrongly been imposed upon them for millennia. With this one declaration, Jesus raised women back to their equal status with men (which God had never taken from them) at their creation ^{Genesis
1:26, 5:1-2}

By declaring only one leader and calling all Christians adelphos, “brethren” [which in this case, the word is neutral including both women and men], Jesus removed any foundation for male headship within HIS EKKLESIA [His Body, His Church].

This accords perfectly with 1 Peter 5:5, a verse which was eliminated from the New Testament when the Egyptian/Alexandrian Minority Texts were edited into classical Greek [the written language of the highly educated] from the Koine Greek [the written language of the every-day people]. It is universally acknowledged that the Greek New Testament was originally written in the Koine. Despite this, Classical Greek texts underlie the New Testament portion of most English translations since the late 1800’s and are given precedence over the koine.

The language of Jesus in Matthew chapter twenty-three and the text of 1 Peter 5:5, levels the ground between the sexes, eliminating gender-based and man-made leader and follower "roles." Jesus declared only one leader for every one of his followers, and Peter commanded all Christians to *submit to one another. These are but two examples of many [in the New Testament] and why this writer coined the term, “**Received Text Friend of Women.”

*When all New Testament uses of the Greek word “hypotasso” [translated as “submit”] are taken as a whole and within context, it cannot be claimed that the word is used in a military-like hierarchical way or that the word always means arrayed “under.” Indeed there is one biblical example where the word is translated as “over” and not under. In the Greek texts of the New Testament, when referencing human relationships within Christianity, the word is consistently written the middle voice (grammar/linguistically) and connotes a yielding as in "preferring one another before ourselves--The golden rule for both sexes.

**Warning: Though the Received Text [Textus Receptus ^TR] is consistently “woman friendly,” the English translation of the TR is not always. A few more terms coined by this writer are "English-Translation-Theology" and "Gender-Biased-English-Translation-Theology."

If the topic of God and Women interests you, join the conversation HERE.

Jocelyn Andersen