You Saw It Here First – Or Did You?
People sometimes express hopelessness about the lack of change they see in the issues that trouble society. In our reading this week, both Fuller and Butler suggest that by first embodying the change that people want to see, the church has the opportunity to influence society as a whole. By embodying a New Testament ethic in the areas of racial relationships, gender roles, and politics, the church can influence healthy change, but it must first practice the message. When we take sides, or equally destructively, remain silent, the church neglects her opportunity for prophetic voice.
In Dreaming in Black and White, Pastor Brett Fuller presents the difficult pathway to multicultural church communities. He does so without minimizing the challenges of creating such an expression of heaven on earth. However, “the beautiful revelation of ongoing unity and sociological health become undeniable results of the sacrifice made to produce them.”[1] It is Fuller’s assertion that God’s will on earth as it is in heaven, as it is before the throne of God, is the solution for any racial divide and that this picture must be lived in the church following God’s design, before it can be lived in greater society. Ultimately, according to Fuller, it is the power of Jesus which has the power to reshape individuals and society.[2]
Questions for the author:
- Describe any ways in which you are able to successfully engage with people who are atheist or agnostic, yet also passionate about racial reconciliation?
- How have you seen the reconciling power of Jesus reconcile these (non-Christian) people to Him in your work?
Pastor Brett Fuller offered a theological perspective on gender roles with which I was previously unfamiliar, that of Complementary-Egalitarian. I was intrigued at this seeming mixture of two different views and confess to being somewhat drawn to his argument. In the end, I find his claim that God has settled the issue of authority in marriage as a matter of order troubling without more explanation of what this would actually look like in practice.[3] Though he advocates there is nothing hindering women from equal leadership outside the home, many men do not have the biblical framework described in High Ceilings (believers or otherwise) and women still face resistance when appropriately exercising the authority of their leadership roles. I conjecture that women who attempt to adopt a mindset consistent with Complementary-Egalitarianism may be more likely to acquiesce in public life due to an ingrained mental map of submission at home.
Questions for the author:
- How does this primary use of ezer in the Hebrew Bible as a descriptor for God influence your theology of gender roles in marriage? (e.g. Psalm 10:14, 54:4, 118:7)
- Leadership roles and their corresponding levels of authority come with their own language. How might ‘code-switching’ between home life and public life impact women in ministerial, or other leadership?
In a similar vein to Brett Fuller’s vision of the church demonstrating racial reconciliation, Jim Wallis challenges the church to step away from polarized politics and toward courageous dialog on topics which otherwise divide people who do not share the values of Jesus. According to Wallis, when Jesus followers avoid being “ideologically predictable or loyally partisan” they have the opportunity to engage a prophetic voice for the common good of all citizens.[4]
In support of his point, Wallis recalls the American holiness movement of the 19th century and civil rights movement’s roots in the Black church. In these case, the church’s commitment to values in the way of Christ motivated the government to act for change.[5] Wallis’s 2005 assertion that “history is most changed by social movements with a spiritual foundation” may currently be undermined t by the coopting of social issues by people under the influence of Identity Synthesis. In “The Identity Trap” Mounk asserts that the demise of universal values threatens the possibility of politics actually leading to a better world.[6]
Question for the author:
- I see some pastors avoiding engaging on issues of poverty and immigration for fear of being lumped in with people supporting other ‘liberal’ causes like abortion and ordination of queer clergy. What spaces and forums do you recommend for pastors who wish to sincerely engage social responsibility while retaining their theological distinctives?
[1] Brett Fuller, Dreaming in Black and White, Kindle Edition (BookBaby, 2021), 13.
[2] Brett Fuller, Dreaming in Black and White, Kindle Edition (BookBaby, 2021), 79.
[3] Brett Fuller, High Ceilings: Women in Leadership, (2021), 14.
[4]Jim Wallis, God’s Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn’t Get It (New York: HarperCollins e-books, 2005,) Loc 234.
[5] Jim Wallis, God’s Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn’t Get It (New York: HarperCollins e-books, 2005,) 19.
[6] Yascha Mounk, The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time (London: Allen Lane an imprint of Penguin Books, 2023), 14.
About the Author
Julie O'Hara
9 responses to “You Saw It Here First – Or Did You?”
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Julie, I appreciate your post. I am grateful for your question regarding using the Hebrew word ezer and its influence on gender roles. I hope you have a chance to engage with this question.
Hi Julie, great post!
I am looking forward to Fuller’s response to your question on women code-switching. Reading your question was thought provoking. I never had language to describe this part of my experience as a female leader – so thank you for giving me language to express my experience.
Hey Julie, I love your post. I’m looking at your take on Wallis’ writing and following up on your question- What can we do in the church to become a better bridge for social responsibility?
Hi Julie,
In your perspective, how does the Complementary-Egalitarian view, as discussed by Fuller in “High Ceilings: Women In Leadership,” reconcile the traditional roles within marriage with the broader opportunities for women in leadership outside of marriage, and what implications does this have for gender equality in church leadership?
Hi Shela,
Thanks for your question. I’m not sure it really does reconcile these roles. I struggle to see how a subscribed subordinate role in the home can coexist with leadership in the church? I have in mind several husband/wife co-pastors with whom I am acquainted and many more of which I am aware. I will make a point to ask them how they navigate home vs church and ask their view on complementary-egalitarianism.
For myself, I think I actually do view my husband as the ‘head’ but in 25 years I’ve never had a reason to think that is a bad thing and I do feel completely equal in our relationship. I believe I’ve said about three contradictory things here, so I’m definitely going into hearing our speaker with a very open mind!
Julie, as Fuller describes the picture of God’s will on earth as it is in heaven, you ask a great question about how Fuller may have engaged with atheists and agnostics on this issue. I wonder also about people of other faiths? Is this something with which you have experience?
And your observation that it seems challenging to expect women to be submissive in one place and willing to exert authority in another place is compelling.
Debbie – Yes! Great point about people of other faiths.
I have very little experience of conversation with people of other faiths regarding racism. I could lump it all under one heading, “Relationship Matters”. Proximity and relationship open doors to conversations and respect.
Hi Julie, I agree entirely with your statement concerning the church’s ability to influence healthy change, but it must first practice its message. Concerning the topics we read this week, what do you think are some psychological barriers that keep the church from practicing its message?
Hi Elysse,
We often talk about personal identity in Christ. Perhaps the Church needs a stronger identity as the body of Christ, as the Embassy of Jesus, etc in order to develop authentic Kingdom culture and thus influence outward. It seems that our weak identity as means that the Church is more influenced BY culture than the other way around. Maybe we need to stop throwing around that trope about being a hospital and start expecting people to get well and collectively begin acting like Jesus? Too harsh?