This paper, under Craig Ferguson’s astute critique of American culture, examines how the White American Protestant church has been “Sanitized for your convenience” discarding the dirty or socially uncomfortable in favor of presenting a... more
This paper, under Craig Ferguson’s astute critique of American culture, examines how the White American Protestant church has been “Sanitized for your convenience” discarding the dirty or socially uncomfortable in favor of presenting a good face. This paper will argue that the Jesus of the Bible, though maintaining ritual laws, was unconcerned with cleanliness. Jesus was more likely to spend his time socializing, sharing meals as an equal with those the Church wants to “help” or "save” but not include in membership. Much like the 12 step programs, of which Ferguson has been a part, Jesus kept company with those who were willing and able to admit their offenses and vices. As Richard Beck explores in his book Unclean, Jesus evokes all the domains of disgust. Jesus does this throughout his ministry but particularly hits them in his institution of the sacrament of the Eucharist. In this way he was seeking to push the boundaries of his followers to learn a more authentic way of welcoming the stranger. Many writers today are wringing their hands about the disappearance of white millennials in the church, having found that what they are searching for is a sense of authenticity that seems to, in Ferguson’s terms, be sanitized out. This paper will explore an embrace of the authentic and disgusting in ourselves and one another, and the willingness to confess it so that we within the Church can truly experience and express the grace and forgiveness Jesus’ welcome offers.
This article introduces textual intervention as a reading strategy to examine whether interpretations of supposedly gender-inclusive biblical passages are actually inclusive. A detailed reading of Mark 7:14–23 with a female subject and... more
This article introduces textual intervention as a reading strategy to examine whether interpretations of supposedly gender-inclusive biblical passages are actually inclusive. A detailed reading of Mark 7:14–23 with a female subject and object exposes how scholarly readings are based on male anatomy, excluding the female from the generic anthrōpos (person). Interpreters have previously believed the passage to center on the ability of food and unclean hands to defile a person. However, this article's reading, which focuses on a female body, uncovers a radically different interpretation of the passage, revealing multivalent fields of reference within the text not previously seen and re-examining the classifications of inner and outer purity used in Mark 7 in light of female anatomy.
This paper introduces textual intervention as a powerful reading strategy for biblical scholarship. It will begin by introducing the methodology, presenting what seems like a somewhat simple idea: change a text and it will alter the way... more
This paper introduces textual intervention as a powerful reading strategy for biblical scholarship. It will begin by introducing the methodology, presenting what seems like
a somewhat simple idea: change a text and it will alter the way you read it. However, despite its apparent simplicity, this paper will demonstrate just how effective de-centring and re-centring the biblical text can be as a way of reappraising scholarly interpretations, and even the texts themselves. In this case it will demonstrate how textual invention can allow us to examine whether interpretations of gender-inclusive biblical passages are actually inclusive. It will use Mark 7: 14-23 as its example; a text hailed as being gender ‘inclusive’, focusing on the generic anthropos, and the potential for food and unwashed hands to contaminate the body. After altering the text so it has a female subject and object, the text will be re-read in order to examine textual assumptions. This alteration will expose how scholarly readings are far from inclusive, based on male anatomy and excluding the female from the generic anthropos. It then reveals that whilst interpreters have previously believed the passage to centre on the ability of food and unclean
hands to defile a person, when the focus turns to a female body, an entirely different interpretation of the passage can be seen, which calls for a re-examination the male focused concepts of inner and outer purity projected onto Mark 7. Thus, this paper will show how textual intervention provides an effective way of reassessing how texts have been read, and also a way of re-reading them from radically new perspectives.
Mark 7 discusses food entering into the body and its potential for contamination. It shows that inner purity (the heart) was more of a concern for Jesus than outer purity. However, when the text is read as referring to a woman’s body... more
Mark 7 discusses food entering into the body and its potential for contamination. It shows that inner purity (the heart) was more of a concern for Jesus than outer purity. However, when the text is read as referring to a woman’s body radical new interpretations of the passage are discovered. This leads to re-examining the classifications of inner/outer purity in light of female anatomy and asks fresh questions of Mark 7.
