{"id":31634,"date":"2023-03-06T21:53:25","date_gmt":"2023-03-07T05:53:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=31634"},"modified":"2023-03-06T21:53:25","modified_gmt":"2023-03-07T05:53:25","slug":"gender-bias-in-the-bible-yeah-but-wait","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/gender-bias-in-the-bible-yeah-but-wait\/","title":{"rendered":"Gender Bias in the Bible? Yeah, but wait…"},"content":{"rendered":"

Is the Bible gender biased? Are there examples in the Bible which confirm that God does not have a bias among the sexes? I have struggled with these questions and have found hope ultimately in the example Jesus gave in how he treated both sexes when he walked the earth. Reading Pragya Agarwal\u2019s book <\/span>Sway: Unveiling Unconscious Bias<\/span><\/i>, unearthed some of the struggles I have had regarding bias, specifically gender bias. Agrawal, a behavioral scientist, writes to address current issues related to bias. Her goal is to \u201cview our contemporary society through a lens that enables us to reflect on and consider the forces that shape us.\u201d [1]\u00a0 In this blog I will draw from Agarwal\u2019s current text as well as verses from the Old Testament which will support the view that God does not wish for there to be bias among the sexes. I believe that the Bible has been a force to shape us and should continue to be a primary shaper of our lives. There are four verses in the book of Joshua where we find a strong relationship between a daughter and her father; this relationship provides a beacon of hope for how God views the relationship between the genders.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bias in the Bible<\/b><\/p>\n

It can be argued that the Bible reveals bias as men are primary characters and there are more books in the Bible written by men. It is important to maintain a historical\/ancient lens when reading the Bible. Lindsey Freeman in her book <\/span>Bible Women<\/span><\/i> reports \u201c1.2 percent of the words of the Bible are said by women,\u201d and there are two ways that this sum can be viewed. We might choose to stomp off in anger and throw the Bible to the curb or we can \u201cpay more attention to what the verbal minority says.\u201d[2]\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Even if we give the minority a voice, it is difficult to find the female voice in the text when men lead in Scripture. Agarwal, in her discussion on academic writing, states:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMale firstness is not an overt but a more latent (unconscious) form of gender bias\u2013 a stronger and more harmful form of sexism than that which is easily recognized and explicit. Seeing male firstness in texts also reinforces the implicit bias that men are more important and have to be given a premium position.\u201d [3]\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

My argument would be, there is value in the role women played in the Biblical text. Women may not come first, but they come on the scene in poignant and powerful ways. It is Mary who Jesus listens to at the wedding, before he performs the first miracle, turning water to wine (John 2:1-11). It is Abigail who intervenes in the high stakes conflict between King David and the insolent Nabal (I Samuel 25:24-25). It is a servant girl who speaks up and provides a way for Naaman to receive healing (2 Kings 5:2-4). What importance is there in being first when having a powerful and meaningful role is greater?<\/span><\/p>\n

Bias Destroyed in the context of healthy relationship<\/b><\/p>\n

In a quick four verses (Joshua 15:15-19), bias must be reevaluated. Achsah is Caleb\u2019s daughter, and their relationship is not characteristic of the stereotypes of ancient Biblical times. Here is an account of the four verses:<\/span><\/p>\n

12 And Caleb said, \u201cI will give my daughter Achsah in marriage to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher.\u201d Othniel, son of Kenaz, Caleb\u2019s younger brother, took it; so, Caleb gave his daughter Achsah to him in marriage. 14 One day when she came to Othniel, she urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, \u201cWhat can I do for you?\u201d15 She replied, \u201cDo me a special favor. Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me also springs of water.\u201d So, Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Caleb, the father in this story, has an incredible history as a proven leader among the Israelites. Caleb had been the one to silence all of Israel and had the boldness to sound a rallying cry to defeat the enemies of Israel (Numbers 13:30). Caleb\u2019s one and only daughter had been raised by this fearless conqueror. Freeman describes Achsah\u2013 \u201cHer bravery and willingness to speak up for herself are traits she shares with her father, Caleb.\u201d[4] Achsah had wanted her husband to speak up and ask for land as an inheritance, but she ended up using her own voice. Was Achsah in a vulnerable position in asking? Vulnerability can be defined as \u201cuncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure.\u201d [5] Trust and freedom in communication must have been characteristic of Achsah\u2019s and Caleb\u2019s relationship for her to request a piece of land with high value (land with springs). Caleb asked her directly, “What can I do for you?\u201d and this gave her reassurance that she could ask what she pleased. This kind of confidence in being heard might be described like the psalmist who cries out to God and knows that his request will be attended to. Brueggemann describes this well: \u201cSelf-announcement counts only if it is addressed to someone in whom there is confidence of being taken with utmost seriousness. Utmost seriousness on the part of God grounds this daring, unrestrained speech of the self who is ready to risk full exposure.\u201d[6] Achsah did not feel overly vulnerable if she knew her caring father was a faithful listener.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thank you, Achsah and Caleb<\/b><\/p>\n

Caleb was willing to give two springs as an inheritance, going against the norms of his culture where the sons typically received the best or first of what the father would give. Achsah was a daughter and came after three males in her family. It can be assumed that Achsah had a healthy self-concept, so possibly this close familial bias between father and daughter might make Argawal reconsider this: \u201cWe are reluctant to re-evaluate our beliefs and like to believe that we are all egalitarian and carry no biases. Biases are linked to our notion of self-concept and self-identity, which is why it is often so difficult to shake them off.[7] The relationship between Caleb and Achsah allowed for a free interchange between them. Caleb had confidence in his daughter and trusted her with what he gave her. Men typically were given control and authority, but not in this case\u2013 Achsah was given the land. Aragwal states, there is a \u201cgender authority dichotomy (creating) a generalized belief that men are better at controlling resources and should have access to more authority.[8] Caleb puts the gender authority dichotomy to rest as he puts resources and authority in Achahs hands, more than she asks for.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bible reframed<\/b><\/p>\n

At first glance, the Bible may appear to be biased, favoring men.\u00a0 I hope this blog has helped to take a second look at this bias. I hope a quick response won\u2019t be the one that is held on to when looking at the four verses in Joshua 15:15-19. \u201cImmediate responses have their place, but they will never replace deep thought (and problems that become reframed) through reconsideration of our deepest assumptions and biases.\u201d [9] It would be a great loss to not consider what the Bible might share with us, even if it is just four verses.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

[1] Pragya Agarwal <\/span>Sway: Unveiling Unconscious Bias<\/span><\/i>, 2020, p.23<\/span><\/p>\n

[2] Lindsey Hardin Freeman, <\/span>Bible Women: All Their Words and Why They Matter<\/span><\/i>, 2014, p.9<\/span><\/p>\n

[3] Pragya Agarwal, p.209<\/span><\/p>\n

[4] Lindsey Hardin Freeman, p.114<\/span><\/p>\n

[5] Brene Brown, <\/span>Daring Greatly<\/span><\/i>, p.34<\/span><\/p>\n

[6] Walter Brueggemann, <\/span>The Bible and Mental Health: Truth Telling as Well-Making<\/span><\/i> Chapter 8, 2020, p.109<\/span><\/p>\n

[7] Pragya Agarwal, p.13<\/span><\/p>\n

[8] Ibid. p.221<\/span><\/p>\n

[9] Daniel Patrick Forrester, <\/span>Consider: Harnessing the Power of Reflective Thinking in Your Organization<\/span><\/i>, 2011, p.10<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Is the Bible gender biased? Are there examples in the Bible which confirm that God does not have a bias among the sexes? I have struggled with these questions and have found hope ultimately in the example Jesus gave in how he treated both sexes when he walked the earth. Reading Pragya Agarwal\u2019s book Sway: […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":165,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2678,2252,2245],"class_list":["post-31634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-joshua-1515-19","tag-pragya-agarwal","tag-sway","cohort-dlgp01"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31634","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/165"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31634"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31634\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31635,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31634\/revisions\/31635"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}