Eve's Body & The American Dream: A Modern Interpretation of the New Testament

Many negative images of women are derived from biblical stories in our culture. Whether people are religious or anti-religious, or were raised in a faith tradition or not, the silently pervasive biblical framework of the feminine condition is unrelenting, still creeping stealthily among the shadows of our secular story and contemporary popular mindset. However, modern forms of backlash to the oppressive narrative describing the roles and lives of women in biblical times have been just as damaging to today's women. It is imperative to begin to change these negative images by exploring this "swinging of the pendulum" as it were. For my part, I do it by re-imagining the biblical female and projecting her into modern day. For the sake of doing so, I have embodied a mythical "universal" woman (which is, of course, just a "placeholder" for the impossible!) in the form of the mythical original female, Eve. Please read on and view the video below.

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Once upon a time, out of the deep, creation began to unfold. Just as a suspenseful story builds up through each twist and turn, each newly developing layer of life was more astonishingly beautiful than the last, and each rising crescendo evolved to unveil a brilliant display of life, color, form, sound and movement in millions of intricate variations. In time, man stepped from the dust into the light, and it was good. But the artist who caused all this to burst forth in its diverse array, knew that it was not yet complete. The creator put the finishing touch on the greatest masterpiece of all time in the image of her glory, endowing this creature with God’s own mystery and unspeakable grace, as the crowning of creation. The finale in fulfilling the glorious universe was...Eve.

Throughout the New Testament, we see the glory of our Eve reflected in the wise, elderly prophetess Anna and in the leader Phoebe, worthy of honor among God’s people [Romans 16:1-2]. We read on to see Eve as the chosen one Mary the mother of Jesus[Luke 1:26-55, et al.], as a Samaritan woman at a well who makes a worthy partner for deep discourse [John 4:1-26], and as the trusted and able Mary Magdalene [Matthew 27:56, et al.].

Yet with much more infamy, we see Eve through the first century Apostle Paul’s eyes as submissive and quiet in learning and not fit to teach men. This influential author wanted to see her modest in appearance, not drawing attention to herself with adornments, but “made” to seem attractive by the good things she would strive to do. Eve, in Paul’s world, was not the grand finale of creation, but rather an afterthought made to reflect man’s glory [1 Timothy 2:13]; here she did not reflect any glory of her Creator God. The core of Eve was stolen, and her agency was raped.

She was made for man, Paul said, an insidious argument dreamed up to usurp her design and deep instinct to be man’s ezer kenegdo, or “life-saver and sustainer with him” - a description given to Eve by God at creation and only otherwise used to describe Godself throughout the the Bible. Instead, in the New Testament , it was Eve alone whom Paul would have us believe, was deceived and lost paradise for all; "sin" was the result of her very existence. Only childbirth could save her [1 Timothy 2:9-11]. Paul saw our heroine Eve as too offensive and unwieldy for angels to look upon, and hence, she should cover her head to assure them she is under authority [1 Corinthians 1:7-10]. Peter’s image of Eve was mandatorily pure, requiring a gentle and quiet spirit in order to be deemed beautiful, as she unquestionably cowed under the authority of her husband, concealing her unique feminine beauty under her veil [1 Peter 3:1-6].

Many feminist scholars and theologians acknowledge that biblical authors and religious leaders alike often suppress the gifts, contributions and strengths of biblical women by claiming they were prostitutes or whores, in order to forcibly take their prestige and honor. One of the more recent examples of this toxic storytelling came against the character of Mary Magdalene, made famous as the most beloved and trusted disciple of Jesus via the popularity of The Divinci Code, and falsely recounted as a prostitute by later storytellers (this is found nowhere in the biblical accounts of Mary Magdalene) . In other words, purity was demanded of women in order for them to be recognized as "legitimate," but then their sexuality was exploited and maligned in order to de-legitimize their rising value or prominence. When the abilities of women became a threat to the power of men, they were re-named in literature and popular collective memory as sexual objects who could not be taken seriously because of their "innate" and "uncontrollable" lasciviousness.

This leads me to wonder...in view of her New Testament past, where and how do we most prominently see "liberated" Eve today in society?

Modern American Eve, Unveiled.

From mythical origins to a myth in totality -

I can’t see Eve’s beauty for hyper-reality.

It appears she is still quite deceived by the way

that the eyes of society view her today.

The first century was infamous for female suffocation,

The twenty-first positions girls in greedy stimulation.

Paul once said “be quiet, cover up, ask no questions;”

Now America says “go ahead and scream, I’ll pay you for your confessions.”

Eve’s vacuous stare from the modern page is not quite what it seems,

she’s captured in the slavery of the great American Dream.

This exchange renders her unceremoniously dismembered,

distorted, contorted and crudely disremembered.

Eve was tasting freedom when she swallowed digital submission,

The tyranny of falsity outwits her pained contrition.

A "Holy burden," her purity was a gentle, quiet confection,

replaced today by expectations of a new unattainable perfection.

It’s not enough to re-sculpt her God-created body

She’s repurposed everywhere as a high-profit commodity.

Selling magazines and high lifestyles, pushing these vain wares,

Modern Eve’s body is the laden slave I see in my nightmares.

Mothers, sisters, daughters, please...

How are we to reclaim Eve?

I will reclaim my body, reclaim my mind,

reclaim the image of God that was mine.

From the first century stories to the millennium times

From silence to salacious loud, continue human crimes.

From overprotected to over-penetrated, from hidden to over-exposed,

From no control, to a soul that loathes the twisting of what I chose.

You must unveil Eve to see her, but you steal her glory as such, (you tell her)

she is just not enough, and at the same time, she is just too much.

I am she. I am Eve. Do I have to change my name?

I refuse to support this ruse and renounce both traps of shame.

Monday Morning in North Korea, Sunday Mourning in the U.S.

Yet again, the world changed drastically this weekend for all of us, and for some more than others.

North Koreans were going about their typical Monday morning business while the rest of the world felt itself tilt a little more toward precarious.  

President Obama told citizens of the Czech Republic yesterday that we must "stand shoulder to shoulder" and pressure North Korea with a strong international response to its launching of a rocket that breached the United Nations' current security sanctions.  Japan expressed deep anxiety at the rocket's soaring trajectory overhead, and Russia expressed concern for quick and focused action, but the United Nations Security Council is still trying to reach a "compromise" over whether to warn with a statement or punish North Korea with additional sanctions.  President Obama said his pledged goal of "no loose nukes" may not be reached in his own lifetime, but that the United States has a responsibility to lead the effort primarily because of its status as the only nation to have used a nuclear weapon.  

At a time when the United States is donning that famous sheepish grin while attempting to sweep up a global capitalism spill, the country now faces another awkward opportunity - in this case to remind other nations that they cannot dabble in what we once deemed a brilliant development in our own energy and security efforts: nuclear technology.  With full regard to the security dangers, one still must ask: how effective can we expect the "do what we say, not what we do" tradition to continue to be?  Amidst the rhetoric of the unquestioned purity of American motives (as juxtaposed with the reputation of menacing or at best unknown motives of North Korea and Iran) and the democratic responsibility of the U.S., this latest development establishes the proper irony required to warrant a duplicitous Niebuhrian moment, in which we may consider the theologian's reflection that "Goodness, armed with power, is corrupted; and pure love without power is destroyed."  Are we (repeatedly) facing a moment of truth that we are quite possibly damned whatever stance we take, and at what point will we be forced to acknowledge this?  This question may hinge on a propensity of belief:  is the world the sole and final playing ground, where the last one standing wins?  Or is there a something more at stake which ultimately encourages a turn onto the high road by one or more courageous players?  Either position requires the same intensity of belief.

[Read more about the late Reinhold Niebuhr's effect on the 2008 Presidential election and Barack Obama's campaign here.]

It was simultaneously a Sunday of candle-light vigils in Binghamton, New York, where the murder of 13 people gathered at the American Civic Association preparing to take their citizenship exams changed the lives of countless numbers whose worlds not only tilted on their axes, but lost their centers entirely: a Brazilian mother, a Chinese husband, an Iraqi grandmother, all lost.  A bloody weekend saw death imposed upon innocents over immigrant frustrations, a cheating spouse and a dog who urinated in the house.  This litany of violence comes in the wake of the Christmas massacre of a family by an estranged father and an Alabama killing spree each brought on (reportedly) by financial insecurity, familial rejection and job loss.

There is rightly much discussion about the second amendment and the role of loose handgun laws in these scenarios, but we must look deeper into the circumstances and psyches of the hands holding them if we are to hit upon the heart of the matter.   In his book Hope on a Tightrope, scholar and theologian Cornel West says that "Culture, in part, provides people with the tools and resources to steel themselves against adversity and convinces them not to kill themselves or others."  West convicts the hollowness of American culture in the case of our inability to stabilize such chaos, and examines the lack of nurturing social structures as a culprit of devastating consequences emerging from the human condition, especially in times of great stress.  

In our day of American individualism, have we neglected community support systems integral to our ability to face disappointment, disillusionment and the daily terrors of life's doubts?  Has the never-ending pursuit of the American Dream and rampant consumerism lulled us into believing that buying and having things will satiate our deepest needs, and when we ultimately come up empty-handed we have nowhere else to turn save an angry and possibly deadly outburst of pent-up frustration and mental deterioration?  In considering these questions, West embraces a sense of the tragicomic to keep a sense of possibility and agency alive, drawing on the same pragmatic characteristics found in the creative mix of debilitating sorrow and ever-buoyant hope of blues and jazz music [see Democracy Matters, 2004].  

Maybe art does indeed imitate life, but we have already seen that even Bill Clinton's seductive saxophone couldn't coax a lasting note for reformed healthcare or an economy that doesn't spit out the working class, leaving many feeling worthless, powerless and alone despite the tragicomic performance.  The ongoing violence crisis brings hope only in that it may inspire Americans, within every sphere of influence, to try singing a new tune of care for and genuine interest in their neighbor.  How the world is perceived through just one set of eyes does matter;  it can change the world in a blink for the rest of us.

Progress is Still Relative, and Terribly Unflattering to Boot.

A "Fashion Face-Off"?  A "Syle Summit"?  Someone please just stab me with a Manolo Blahnik stiletto.

News organizations are breathlessly reporting on the earth-trembling meeting between Michelle Obama and Carla Bruni, the wife of the French president.  The broadcast chatter and the online  headlines are hovering over the shallow end of the pond during the Obama's "European tour," focusing on an imagined bloody and dramatic "fashion duel" between the designer label-wielding ladies, and contrasting Bruni's former "playgirl" ways to Michelle Obama's grounded nature, which are apparently somehow clearly evidenced by their respective ensembles.  I cannot recall the last time a male who is notable on the world's political stage, was labeled predominately for his past dating history during legitimate news coverage of a weighty global event (that is typically left to the tabloids, if it is discussed at all; it certainly never creeps into the narrative of global summits and policy discourse), much less his outfit.  

Yet when it comes to the coverage of high-profile women, the focus on appearance and personal reputation clearly has not ended with Hillary Clinton's pantsuits and prowess.  The American media stubbornly insists on reducing prominent, intellectual and socially effective women to walking garments (or occasionally a hobbling hairstyle).  Our media's notion of "progress" needs the services of a reliable tailor who will craft the news with a more snug fit to the important figure cut by the world's notable women, a cognitive-bias-cut if you will.  Certainly there is nothing wrong with being stylish or looking one's best, the question is why is this headline-newsworthy as it pertains to women in the political spotlight, whatever their role may be?

[Look for a commentary on themes from the Gospel of Mary which should be brought forward and discussed in light of this story later.]

Also today the front page of The Huffington Post gasps that "Oscar de la Renta Slams Michelle Obama's Buckingham Palace Outfit."  Arianna Huffington is a woman with a powerful voice in the American and international media who impressed me with her oratorical command and quick wit at last Tuesday's CNN Speaker Series moderated by Anderson Cooper at Radio City Music Hall.  And although it is understandable that she has an elite readership to whom she must cater in support of her media platform (who may hold de la Renta's discerning eye in high regard) I cringe at her choice to allow a fashionista to weigh in on the value of  Michelle Obama's presence and her impact on this important moment in history.  Does anyone else detect the chilly presence of an apparition of the proverbial older white male (read: oppression via trivialization) being resurrected by a liberal female?   As long as irony is taking a catwalk to a whole new level on this occasion, I may as well join in: it's a good thing flats are back in style, because credibility is teetering on its 4-inch heels today.

Earlier today, a female CNN reporter lamented, "I can't believe I'm doing this" as she answered Wolf Blitzer's questions about the significance of color-coordinating for Mrs. Obama with Mr. Obama.  And right now, another cable news reporter is describing a desperation-tinted run on J. Crew's pieces that are fashioned after the First Lady's style.  Another CNN reporter called the greeting between the two women the "kiss heard 'round the world," but not because it was an interesting occasion to mark a meeting of minds, or even a parley of personalities; sadly, it had more to do with the shades of lipstick.  

Photo: dreamstime.com

Theology Makes the News

Theology is often associated solely with religious studies, but more completely and truly, it is the foundation of thought about what it means to be human:  the methods by which we perceive or construct reality, how we form beliefs or establish "truths" about the world and the elements within it, where we look to find or create the life we desire, and how this informs the actions we take daily, which ripple out into the world and affect social theories and societal stability, politics, business, economics, the arts and culture.

Theological study indeed explores the nature and character of God, but upon close consideration of the endeavor, this study clearly can only be attempted within the context of humanity and human events, and the myriad ways these reflect the image of God.  This concept obviously takes a different shape for unique individuals, communities, nation-states and faith traditions.  But don't be fooled by the term "faith."  A theology of faith is revealed equally across communication methods as disparate as President Obama's "Audacity of Hope" campaign, Dr. Francis Collins' discovery of the human genome described in his book "The Language of God," and Christopher Hitchens' deep conviction that "religion poisons everything."  In these instances and more, Theology is literally making the news.

This phenomenon - the pervasive and diverse dialectic around what it means to be human - is driven by language, and is fast departing from segmented, differentiated understandings of concepts often reigned in by borders, and morphing into a global sensibility.  Increasingly, this (often symbolic) language us formulated, ordered and packaged by the American media in particular, which distributes the information we process individually and communally to form the reality in which we must learn how to function.  In my study of Theology at Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, I am utilizing my Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and extensive experience in the field of mass communications to examine this trend that is unceremoniously joining the American media and the theological landscape into an oddly dynamic marriage that has placed global discourse and human interdependence on a new and exciting trajectory.

A New Union

Inspired by a lecture from President Serene Jones exploring Niebuhrian dichotomies of theology, political ideology & spirituality, a reflection on what it means to live life at Union Theological Seminary:

We entered eager and expectant, wide-eyed,

and upon being immersed, understood

that our eyes had not yet known open.

Alighting within these walls from the world and unexpected corners,

assembled here to be reassembled, coming to be broken.

Arriving was like overcoming; the growing is a happy, endless struggle.

But now rooted together, anchored in freedom, we can give names

to what we see before us, to that which we would have never even

noticed before.  You are training our eyes to speak a new language: open.

Irenaeus declared "The glory of God is [hu]man[ity] fully alive."

We find life here; we share it each moment between cupped hands,

warm it for the next one, and smiling, watch it leave home.