Should Christian Homes, Schools, and Churches Have a Gender Curriculum?
“We must be more purposeful about this than ever before. It must be instruction that is Bible-based and does not follow the extremes or errors of popular culture.” - P&D
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I think we are making this more difficult than it needs to be. Cultural norms do change. In Bible times, men wore skirts. I have often pointed out to the dresses only crowd that if you look up the word skirt in the KJV, you will only find the word skirt referring to men. Of course we should not suggest that skirts were forbidden for women, because if you look up skirts (plural) in the KJV, you find them used on both men and women. It is kind of like tenny shoes. Both men and women wear them and the way they are manufactured today, you can seldom tell the difference. I would say the same thing about T shirts. Therefore, a person of either gender or either sex either chromosome could wear the same T shirt and not cause a scandal in society at all unless you are in some extreme sect.
As far as cooking and hunting- Esau was a hunter and Jacob was a cook (see Genesis 25-27). Both were masculine. We need to be very careful about preaching against hobbies, enjoyments, preferences, etc. connected to gender (or sex) that have no condemnation in the Bible. Earlier generations that did that were wrong and often went against the traditions of even earlier generations.
So, we have to look at not preaching against what the Bible does not preach against, but still recognizing that there are distinctions brought up in the Bible about what a man or woman wears. It isn't that complicated. A lot of clothes like T shirts are gender neutral while others are clearly distinct even in our present culture. If they are clearly distinct, wear the clothes that match your chromosomes. If they are gender neutral items, do not worry about it.
So, we have to look at not preaching against what the Bible does not preach against, but still recognizing that there are distinctions brought up in the Bible about what a man or woman wears. It isn’t that complicated.
I mostly agree. The problem is that—as we all experience, I’m pretty sure—what’s obvious and simple to us is not obvious and simple to someone else.
Teaching that endures doesn’t assume rising generations see things the way we do and that what’s simple to us is simple to them.
And the history I and others in this thread have alluded to demonstrates that, simple as it may seem, Christians have often made a mess of it in various ways.
I’m not about to write a book on it, but we probably could use a few more. I know a few already exist, and I’d like to get more familiar with them before I recommend anything.
One of the ones I’d like to read sooner rather than later is Nancy Pearcey’s Love Thy Body. (Yes, the link below is an affiliate link).
Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.
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