Turning on a dime for Palin

Robert Parham of the Baptist publication Ethics Daily writes:

The nomination of Sarah Palin changed Southern Baptist fundamentalism quicker than Eve tempted Adam to eat the apple in the Garden of Eden, metaphorically speaking. The Republican Party's first woman caused Republican Party's first-line male clergy to revise their theology about women, while claiming they never meant what they said earlier.

Only 10 years ago, the Southern Baptist Convention thumped the Bible and announced in Salt Lake City, of all places, that the woman's place was in the home. More exactly, they added a family paragraph to the Baptist Faith & Message statement, which said that a wife had the God-given responsibility to her husband "to serve as his helper in managing the household and nurturing the next generation."

Their words were abundantly clear and literally interpreted. The wife had no other role, no other divine appointment, no other responsibility. No exceptions were made for women who work outside the home, either by necessity or vocational fulfillment. The woman was to be a household manager and to nurture children.

Terri Jo Ryan of the Waco Herald-Tribune also examines the issue. (HT: Dallas Morning News.)

Posted by Jim Naughton on September 11, 2008 2:12 PM | |
Comments (2)

Sorry, but Parham's analysis (read it all) is a stretch for me. Parham seems to be saying the SBC said a woman's place is in the home -- did it?, I don't think so. Is the SBC "mendacious: on this score? No.

Ryan's analysis is fair. We may not agree with the SBC Faith & Message statement. We may hope that an open arms acceptance of Palin as a candidate will liberate their thinking about women generally. But did the SBC turn on a dime? Ryan doesn't spin it that way.

This is not to say conservative Christian leaders have ignored the question in the days since the Palin nomination. Start here and check out some of the links:

http://fide-o.blogspot.com/

Including this one from N.T. Wright,
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/nicholas_t_wright/2008/09/let_women_lead_and_let_church.html

Posted by John B. Chilton [TypeKey Profile Page] | September 11, 2008 2:50 PM

A glib use of the word fundamentalist usually is a good clue that harsh stereotypes will soon follow. Parham's essay would benefit from the sort of understanding shown by sociologist W. Bradford Wilcox in his book Soft Patriarchs, New Men.

I write this as a longstanding member of Christians for Biblical Equality, so I'm not among those who may be yearning for a renewed patriarchy.

Posted by Douglas LeBlanc [TypeKey Profile Page] | September 11, 2008 6:23 PM

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