Jocelyn Andersen: Human Trafficking

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The Virtuous Woman in Proverbs 12:4 is not a Wife

A woman of valor crowns her ba`al (lord)

Proverbs 12:4

The woman in Proverbs 12:4, is not a wife. And the man who owns her (her ba`al --lord)) is not her husband. The text also does not say the woman is virtuous, it says she is chayil, a woman of strength/valor.

The writer of Proverbs had many women. He was lord over them all, but many of them--most of them--were not his wives. They were concubines, which is a biblical word for sex-slaves.

Proverbs 12:4 women were acquired and owned by men. They were either given or sold to their lords/masters.

The text of Proverbs 12:4, has nothing to do with marriage; but who would know that by reading most English translations? The verse has consistently been mistranslated in a disingenuous and gender-biased manner that supports hierarchical gender-role-religion. This is antithetical to both the over-arching message and redemptive theme of scripture as a whole and to the text in particular.

The practice of gender-bias in Bible translation is a fulfillment of one of the most ancient prophecies [Genesis 3:16] that foretells one of the most undisputed facts of history, which is the reality that men would dominate women.

Even good men fall prey to fulfilling this prophecy. But men who name the name of Christ and love the Word of God should not. The prophecy in Genesis 3:16 was pronounced as a cursed consequence and not a command. Women and men of Christ have been redeemed from the curse, yet complementarian theologians treat Genesis 3:16 as an eternal punishment for all women and eternal reward for all men.

The woman in Proverbs 12:4 can certainly be called virtuous, because indeed she is. But it is not her virtue the text is speaking to, it is her chayil, which does not mean virtue and is only translated as such [and falsely so] when the person of chayil happens to be a woman.

The Hebrew word chayil has no connotation of virtue, it means strength, valor, might. It is the woman of strength who is an asset to--crowns--the one who possesses her, her ba`al.

Proverbs 12:4 is still applicable today, as there are countries where women are owned by men. These men are not their husbands, but they are their masters.

14-year-old Leah Sharibu, was taken in 2018. She remains in captivity today due to her refusal to deny Christ and convert to Islam. She is being held hostage and deemed a “slave for life” by her captors.

Another example is the tragic scenario of 2014, when 200 Christian girls were kidnapped and no doubt sold as sex-slaves. Would these girls/women need chayil? Much chayil, much strength, much valor, would be required to live as a sex-slave, whether their ba`al is kind and gentle or whether he is cruel.

Most of us cannot relate to such horrific circumstances, but for American, Kayla Mueller, who was kidnapped, tortured, and died as a sex-slave to the leader of ISIS, this was a devastating reality of our time. Those 200 Christian girls, if still alive, have never been rescued and are still in whatever situation they were placed or sold into in 2014. Never-mind the lack of international outcry against this tragedy, where was the outcry from international Christian community against it?

Those 200 girls were stolen and sold by radical Islamists, who hold to a systematic theology of male headship. So how is it that Christian theology holds to virtually the the same thing? Not as radical perhaps, but gender-supremacy nevertheless.

Gender-supremacy is gender supremacy, wherever it happens to fall on the spectrum.

It is shameful, especially in the United States, land of the free and home of the brave, that those who call themselves Christians, would contribute to abuse of women through unscriptural gender-biased-English-translation-theology, that positions women to be abused through the unscriptural notion of male supremacy [called male headship among complementarians], but that is exactly the case.

In the case of Proverbs 12:4, traditional-gender-role-religion and gender-biased-English-translation-theology have created a non-existent marriage by transforming sex-slaves into wives and ba`al's into husbands.

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.

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https://www.amazon.com/Woman-Gender-Slavery-Evangelical-System/dp/0979429323

Complementarianism [also called complementarity], teaches that all men are born into a leadership caste and all women are born into a follower caste. This caste system follows them from the moment they exit the womb throughout all eternity.

The doctrine suppresses the autonomy of adult Christian women and has been embraced, with few exceptions, by virtually every Christian denomination...despite unmistakable parallels between complementarian dogma [and the adverse effects of the paradigm on men, women, and children] and that of institutionalized slavery in previous centuries [caveat: lots of Black History up through the Civil Rights Movement].

Woman this is War! quotes well-known evangelical pastors who compare Christian marriage to a war of dominance between wives and husbands, a war they claim that husbands must win.

Gender-biased-English-translation-theology, along with male-centered Bible commentary and translation practices, are used in forbidding women to preach, pastor, or serve as elders and deacons in most churches. This hinders the work of the gospel. In most churches where women are not forbidden to preach, they are told to submit to their husbands at home. Gender-biased-English-translation-theology has interfered with understanding the scriptures, pitted men and women against each other, and eroded the happiness of women and men.

All of this is wrong.

The book contains rare insights into Christian initiatives in the movements for women’s rights that have either deliberately or inadvertently been keep out of Christian literature. These observations bring a new perspective, along with freedom and hope.

The doctrine of female submission to male leadership in the church and home, is refuted using scripture to support equality between women and men. Woman this is WAR! is a treasure-trove of information on gender equality from biblical, historical, and Christian perspectives.

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Was Susan B. Anthony Pardoned as an Election Year Ploy?

On the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to have their voices heard at the ballot box, Susan B. Anthony, who was arrested for casting a vote when only men were allowed to vote, was finally granted a Presidential Pardon.

When she was arrested, she refused to pay her fine, and though authorities refused to pursue her case, the charges against her were not dropped and remained until yesterday, when President Donald J. Trump finally granted her a pardon.

President Trump is heavily criticized in the media, even for this. He is accused of targeting women for the 2020 election. Is that true? Let his record on women settle that question;

Donald J Trump is the first President in U.S. history to appoint so many women to key and top positions. Washington Examiner staff were shocked to find so many women in key and top positions connected with President Trump's campaign and administration.

"...when we reviewed new White House staffing numbers, it came as a bit of a surprise that in an administration led by a president often accused as anti-women in his policies and sometimes words, nearly half of the staff are women."

Over half his top staff consists of women!

It is shameful this President is not getting credit for this. It is shameful that the great thing he has done for Susan B. Anthony is being criticized as a cheap political ploy. There have been many administrations claiming to champion women, but the Trump administration has actually done it.

Women entrepreneurs are thriving under President Trump.

President Trump has been a champion of women, life, and faith from the moment he entered the Oval Office. He has: Issued Executive orders Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty | Established the White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative | Pardoned Susan B. Anthony | White House Celebrated the centennial of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote

He is the First President in History:

...to have a woman pastor as spiritual advisor, to ignore the evangelical caste system, and invite a woman to lead prayers in the White House.
...to champion victims of human and child traffickers in such a big and public way
...to speak in person at the annual March for Life. He is the most pro-life President we've ever had.
...to speak at Veteran's Day Parade in NYC.

The list goes on about the things this President has done to help women and minorities. But the mainstream news media is not telling. Good thing the American people know how to research these things for themselves,

And good on President Trump for Celebrating the anniversary of women's suffrage and for pardoning Susan B. Anthony!

Review of Lydia's Song: A Child Lost A Woman Found

...I did not want to read this book. I cringed at the subject matter. But I am so glad I overcame my initial reluctance and read it anyway. Katherine Blessan does not pull any punches. She dealt with the horror and tragedy of child sex trafficking head-on, yet somehow managed to craft a compelling story, that is ultimately a redemptive story of hope.

I loved it.

The book is about a tiny girl named "Song," who was kidnapped from her adoptive mother, Lydia, and sold into the sex trade at age ten.The story is told from both Song's point of view and Lydia's. It is a well written and sensitive depiction of a dark underbelly that exists in most societies, what is being done to little girls like Song, and also about the people who risk and dedicate their lives to rescuing these precious children, and, after that, spend years helping them to recover from their experiences and reintegrate back into society.

The novel is a bit graphic in places, but I believe no more than necessary, and my hat is off to Blessan for having the courage to write faithfully. I strongly recommend this book. Everyone needs to read it. I pray Lydia's Song will be read and shared and read and shared and read and...

And that eyes and hearts will be opened to the plight of girls who desperately need us to care enough to step out of our comfort zones and at least read about them. And after that, to hopefully become voices against their enslavement and for their rescue.

Lydia's Song: The Story of a Child Lost and a Woman Found by Katherine Blessan (19-Sep-2014) Paperback: Amazon.com: Books

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Contracted as a Maid: She Found Herself Enslaved

She thought she was helping to lift her family out of poverty by traveling to another country as a contracted domestic worker. When she arrived, she found herself enslaved....

Women train and contract as domestic workers, only to arrive in the Middle East to find their passports immediately confiscated by “employers,” they are not fed enough, their movements are restricted, and they are often beaten, raped, and used or trafficked as sex slaves.”

"Most people don't know that prostitutes are often forced.
The image above is of Migrant domestic workers demonstrating in Beirut to protest against abuse and ask for protection under the law...An activist for migrants' rights from one of the Persian Gulf countries [who asked not to be named after receiving threats], says that "literally on a monthly basis" they receive reports about domestic workers being sold into sex slavery upon arrival in Dubai."

Once in their host countries, these migrants are immediately required to surrender their passports to their employers. Thus, even before the worker steps foot in her host country, the systems of exploitation are already in place. Lacking documentation and in a foreign country, migrant domestic workers find themselves under the charge of their female employer — Romina Halabi

In Dubai and elsewhere, the suicide rate among contracted domestic workers is high. One African woman nearly escaped but her attempt was intercepted and foiled just outside the doors of her embassy. No one interfered while the heart-wrenching scene was captured on video. Her employers chased her down, grabbed her, and forcefully shoved her [kicking and screaming] headfirst into their vehicle. She committed suicide almost immediately after that.

When another woman [from the Philippines] finally escaped her tormentors, it took her over two years to retrieve her passport, legally get out of her domestic worker contract, and get back home to her family.

Saudi Arabia is the largest recipient of migrant domestic labor, with the UAE close behind with over seventy-five percent of its population classified as migrant workers. Today, domestic workers primarily emigrate from Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and the Philippines, choosing to leave their families and migrate for a number of economic and social reasons — Romina Halabi

Many companies that recruit domestic workers from the Philippines, Africa, and other countries, are merely fronts for human trafficking. Others know their recruiting efforts for domestic workers often result in indentured servitude.

For many women it is slavery, pure and simple.

Thank God for secret networks dedicated to saving abused and enslaved domestic workers in the Middle East. January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Let’s add our voices to an international outcry to save women who, in good faith, leave their families believing they are contracting legitimate jobs that will give them all better lives, only to find themselves enslaved, abused, or trafficked.

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