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Slaves, Women and HomosexualsProgressive understanding?SLAVES, WOMEN AND HOMOSEXUALS: My feelings about this book are very mixed. There is no question but that it is an important book, and this for several reasons. One is that Webb is trying to introduce a systematic way of determining whether a passage in Scripture (both Old and New Testaments) is for the particular time and culture in which the text was written, or does the passage 'transcend' a particular culture and having meaning for 'all time'? Most commands and imperatives are marked by what Webb calls 'cultural values' or 'cultural components' (precepts for a particular setting and time) or 'kingdom values' or 'transcultural values' (passages that have specific instruction or meaning for all time). All pastors and Bible students have wrestled with verses in the Old Testament, such as the law code in Exodus-Deuteronomy, trying to determine which items are culturally bound or extend to God's people for all time. 18 criteriaThere are similar problem verses in the New Testament such as head coverings for women and women's authority in the church. Webb gives the reader 18 criteria or principles to apply to various biblical instructions or commands to determine their cultural or transcultural value. Some of the 18 criteria are very helpful. Some examples: Criteria 4 has us look at the purpose or intent of an imperative or directive verse. The directive to 'greet one another with a holy kiss' was a means in New Testament culture to encourage closeness and community. In some modern societies kissing would not be acceptable, so Webb suggests that we fulfil the intent of the command by other socially acceptable means. This is connected to Criteria 17, which looks at commands from a pragmatic basis between two cultures. Webb believes that if commands cannot be sustained from one culture to another, then they are probably culturally bound (kissing, foot-washing, some agricultural rules). Some of the 18 criteria are very helpful, some are a bit unclear, and some are common sense. What is good, however, is that Webb is attempting to put on paper in systematic form some principles that should guide us when we try to judge the transcendent value of various commands and directives. ProgressWebb illustrates each of these criteria with applications to women, slaves, and homosexuals. One of the principles that guides his thinking is what he calls a 'Redemptive-Movement hermeneutic'. There are instructions governing women and slaves in the Old Testament that seem harsh to our modern culture with our emphasis on human rights. In actuality they were very humane compared to the surrounding cultures. Captive women could not be raped and brutalised (Deuteronomy 21.10-14), as was the usual custom in Canaanite and Mesopotamian warfare. There is in this passage real 'progressive movement' regarding the status of women, movement that carries on into the New Testament. Webb argues that no more could be said about women's rights in general for that time because the patriarchal culture could not sustain it. The same is true with slaves in Scripture. There has been real 'movement' or progression in regard to slavery in the Old Testament. This movement-progression (Redemptive-Movement) carries on in the New Testament, particularly in the church, but Paul does not condemn slavery because Roman culture (and economics) could not survive it. There is, however, real 'movement' or the seeds of more possible changes, for instance, in 1 Corinthians 7.21 where Paul encourages slaves to become free if they can do so. Beyond the New Testament?How far does this 'Redemptive-Movement' go? Webb argues that it can go beyond the New Testament, particularly when it comes to women's authority in the church. This is, I think, a kind of 'hidden' agenda for the book. Webb is contending for total equality for women in church leadership using his 'Redemptive-Movement hermeneutic' as justification. This is the second reason to read this book. Webb does not ignore or dismiss the passages about women leadership, rather he tries to use what he sees as a valid biblical principle to understand them. My suspicion is that this will be a continuing argument in the debate (which is why we need to be aware of it). Am I convinced? I certainly think that there is merit in his hermeneutical approach. I am, however, unsure about his basic premise, which is that God's ultimate desire is for equal men-women leadership in society and the church. Equality seems to be the highest good. I wonder if this isn't based more on Western democratic ideals and our emphasis on human rights. The third reason to read this book is because of Webb's conclusion on homosexuality. Advocates of homosexuality claim that the Scriptural taboos on this are 'culturally bound'. Webb, however, concludes that, unlike women and slaves, there is no redemptive movement on this issue at all. The subject is completely 'static'. The only difference between the Old and New Testaments is that in Israel homosexuality merited the death penalty, whereas in the New Testament it does not. The moral judgement is the same in both Testaments. Homosexuality is never accepted, and I believe that Webb's analysis shows clearly that this non-acceptance is 'transcultural' or for all time. This is not an easy book (some points are, to my thinking, unclear; he uses American football analogies), but it is worth the effort because he challenges one's thinking in so many areas. You will be stimulated! Steven Gunderson, © Evangelicals Now - March 2003 |