Recently my church completed a sermon series on Genesis, with a key theme being sin’s effects on the human family. We explored how post-Fall familial strife pits brother against brother (Cain and Abel, Esau and Jacob, Ishmael and Isaac) and woman against woman (Sarah and Hagar, Leah and Rachel), in a string of misdeeds to which God’s grace and faithfulness run in stark parallel.
While the sermons didn’t lack for insight, a presentation on Genesis by Carolyn Custis James earlier this month added some color and depth to the somewhat obvious notion that sin and its aftershocks stem from the Fall. Her talk was part of Coracle’s seminar, “Do You Want to Be Well?”, headlined by Anglican Church of North America (ACNA) leaders Bishop Todd Hunter and Rev. Bill Haley. Conference speakers addressed the “dark triad” of white nationalism, patriarchy, and racism in the evangelical church.
James asserts that the family dramas of Genesis aren’t just rooted in sin generically; they’re the direct result of patriarchy, defined broadly as a system of power wherein male leadership is assumed, a system that is itself a consequence of the Fall (Gen. 3:16).
As James explains, the lynchpin of patriarchy is primogeniture, or the passing of power and inheritance from the father, or patriarch, to the firstborn son. After the patriarch’s passing, the firstborn son not only receives most of the father’s wealth but also wields power over both the men and women of the family.
It is the power asymmetry of patriarchy, through primogeniture, that undergirds the sin so prevalent throughout Genesis. While our sermon series correctly pointed out that sin – resulting in fractured family relationships – is the root of all the infighting in Genesis, patriarchy is the means by which that relational fracturing is institutionalized.
In Genesis and throughout the Bible, God dismantles patriarchy again and again. He chooses Abel over Cain, Isaac and not Ishmael, Jacob and not Esau, and Judah (not Reuben). He chooses David, the youngest of Jesse’s seven sons, to rule Israel. He raises up women like Ruth, Esther, Deborah, Mary, etc. to work his purposes. Jesus continues God’s penchant for dismantling patriarchy in startling ways.
James concludes that patriarchy is the Bible’s cultural backdrop, not its message. Patriarchy and other systems that cast men over women are fallen, destructive social constructs that violate God’s blueprint for humanity. Jesus died to overthrow these strongholds and re-establish God’s original design for us.
How is the church hindering or helping Jesus’ mission in that regard? In what ways has the church, albeit with good intentions, fallen into the trap of institutionalizing fallen relational patterns rather than lifting women – and men – out of them? And how does our posture here impact our evangelism?
After James’ talk, Lisa Rodriguez-Watson led us in prayer and lament over the dark triad. Here are some moving excerpts on patriarchy:
We repent for and lament that the church has robed herself in the soiled garment of patriarchy, masking as a gorgeous and worthy gown that beckons us to idolatry, drawing us away from God.
We weep even for benevolent patriarchal contexts that masquerade as equitable when they are equally opposed to God’s justice and shalom.
We thank you, Lord, for leaders, especially in the ACNA, who are courageously addressing these problems. May we be loving and compelling agents of change for your kingdom come.
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