Subverting the Patriarchy Before it Was Cool

Subvert – to undermine the power and authority of (an established system or institution).

The idea of subversion is on the rise in many popular culture sources today. Many are motivated by the true sense of this word, to undermine established authorities, tendencies, or institutions that they do not, or feel they cannot, support. It is also popular for many to try to subvert stereotypes, such as gender, sexuality, gender roles, the institution of marriage, and others. Within this context, a popular institution that many desire to subvert is that of the “American Patriarchy.” The idea that often seems to be intended by this phrase is the white, male, conservative populace. You know, those “delusional evangelicals” that voted for Trump, or those “crazy Southern conservatives that hate foreign people,” or the “educated ignorant Bible-thumpers.” I am not trying to be polemical or build a straw man, those are quotes from conversations I’ve had.

In all honesty, those accusations may be very justified, but I believe they are pointed in the wrong direction, and I would like to address some of the realities hidden by some perpetuated misunderstandings of Christianity. Often times, people stand in opposition to the caricature of those ideologies, or the “institution,” rather than in opposition to those individuals that fail to represent such ideologies appropriately. If one considers the history of Christianity, they would see a vastly different reality than what is popularly understood. To borrow a phrase from Dr. Francis Collins, it is a shame that people judge “the pure water of faith by the rusty buckets that carry it.”

A brief study of the Bible will bring forth many “patriarchal” issues that many in this day would long to undermine and have removed from our culture. They would, in some instances, even be able to find support for this at first glance through the Scriptures. For example, Christians claim to hold the institution of marriage between a man and a woman sacred, but within the first few pages of the Bible one will find the Fathers of the Faith practicing polygamy to an extent almost unheard of. Christians claim that all people are equal, but again, one will find in the first few pages of Scripture, and throughout much of the Book as a whole, the consistent practice of primogeniture, or the practice of giving all the inheritance to the eldest son, promoting an unalterable hierarchy based both on gender and age, a practice worthy of opposition.

If one reads through Scripture with a more careful eye, though, one will find very different, transcending truths flowing from the pages. Take the tension between early polygamy and the institution of marriage. Though polygamy is rampant through the early pages of Scripture, it is never condoned. More than that, the historical accounts speak volumes in opposition to it because they simply record the societal and familial damage that it causes. Nothing but strife and pain resulted from the practice of polygamy. The very act of recording such facts stood as a public subversion of the “patriarchy” of the day that thought the men could do as they pleased without consequence. So, rather than a contradiction, we find Scripture supporting its claims about marriage by placing historical accounts of polygamy as simple examples of the danger of not following God's precedent.

A much clearer example comes from the Biblical accounts of God’s subversion of primogeniture. The very first sons born, Cain and Abel, bear testimony to this. We find in the first accounts in Genesis that God blesses Abel, the younger son, over Cain. God found Abel to be more faithful than Cain, and therefore blessed him, which resulted in Cain jealously murdering Abel. This account shows that God is not partial to age or gender whatsoever. He blessed Abel because of faithfulness, not because of his order of birth.

If we continue to go down the line of Scripture history, we find over and over again stories of God choosing the younger, weaker person to subvert the authority of the “patriarchy.” God used Isaac, the younger son of Abraham, to fulfill his promise to make Abraham’s descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky. God chose Joseph, the second youngest of twelve brothers, to save the Israelites from a famine by leading him down a path of leadership in Egypt.

God chose David, the youngest and weakest of the seven sons of Jesse, to lead the Israelites as their Great King. David was the last in line and the least worthy to be chosen for this according to the wisdom of those around him. David went on to write many of the Psalms, a series of beautiful prayers recorded in the Old Testament, as well as prepare the way for his son Solomon to build God’s Temple.

Along the lines of polygamy and primogeniture, is the often-controversial discussion of the Bible’s view of women. People will claim, for example, that Christianity must be at-least indirectly opposed to woman because Jesus only chose men to be disciples. Or they may point out that there is no significant recording in Scripture of Jesus standing in opposition to his surrounding culture that consistently oppressed women.

However, as before, with a closer reading of Scripture we find significant subversion to the cultural standards of the day. First, there is a record in Matthew 26 of a woman who’s act of service to Christ was so loving that Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her (Mt. 26:13).” Jesus not only affirmed what she did in a time a place when the actions of this woman were openly ridiculed and condemned, he placed her story in indelible ink so that her deed may never be forgotten.

Additionally, we see that after Jesus Resurrection, the first people that he revealed himself to was women. In a time when woman were not allowed to testify in court, Jesus would not have benefitted whatsoever by revealing himself to these women. He did so, though, because he is not bound to love people according to their gender, ethnicity, race, creed, or color. He loves because he is faithful.

This is not to say anything about the beautiful record of a Godly Woman found in Proverbs 31, either. In this chapter we find the Godly women described as independent, entrepreneurial, self-sufficient, strong, "clothed in dignity," sacrificial, wise, empowered, and praise-worthy. It is a depiction that any person should be striving to attain.

The ultimate expression of “subverting the patriarchy,” though, came from Christ Himself. As he was on trial to be executed, he stood silent before his accusers.

            “He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” John 19:9-10

            “When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him. So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer. The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him.” Luke 23:9-11

“But He kept silent and did not answer Again the high priest was questioning Him, and saying to Him, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" – Mark 14:61

“Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You have said so.” But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer. Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?” But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.” – Matthew 27:11-14

Jesus, though he was being mocked, ridiculed, and threatened by the greatest authorities in the land, stood silent, not even striving to give defense of himself. There is a sense in which Christ stood as a rebel against the greatest authorities of his day. There is a sense in which Jesus stood as a rebel against all authority on this earth. He stood there subverting the authorities before him in the only way he could. Jesus showed his power through weakness, expressing the fact that he gave his life according to his own will. It was not taken from him, but through the weakness of this world, Christ exerted his power over Death.

The Apostle Paul helps us understand this subversion in a deeper way. In his letter to the Philippians, he speaks of Jesus saying, “who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil 2:6-11).” Jesus undermined the authority of his rulers through his silence and humility, thereby establishing his own authority. Jesus stood in absolute opposition to abusive authority and established a precedent of servant leadership; true leadership by example. Christ asks none of his followers to go somewhere he has not first gone.

Paul helps us understand this grand picture, from Cain to Christ, in his first letter to the Church in Corinth. He says, “consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God (1 Cor 1:27-29).” God loves to empower those who the world does not count worthy of his blessing to show just how mighty and merciful he is, and just how much he cares about those the world may forget.

This is just a tasting of the many examples in Scripture of God working contrary to how we often think he would work, and just a brief sample how we may often, in our current cultural climate, misunderstand what Scripture is teaching. We must take note, though, that the Gospel, the story of the Good News of salvation, isn’t primarily about “subverting the patriarchy,” though there are implications that inevitably impact that idea. The Gospel is ultimately about the fact that anyone, no matter there race, creed, ethnicity, or relationships, can experience the grace of his forgiveness. Through Christ’s call for repentance, we find that the weak and the strong alike can stand equally before God, forgiven by the blood of Christ, and experience everlasting communion with our Creator.