Challenge: Watch this video on mute. Pay attention to the physical reactions only. See the difference btwn the men & woman. This is a living, breathing example of the theology of embodiment.
Why does the woman react the way she does while the men seem to be able to discuss the Q in a detached way? Is it b/c she is emotional & they are not? Is it b/c she is not as rational as they are?
No, it's b/c she is a woman & harming the female body is the Q at hand.
No, it's b/c she is a woman & harming the female body is the Q at hand.
Notice how her body immediately reacts to Tapper's reading of the statement. Notice how she works to put words together while the men seem to be able to speak about the Q easily.
Part of the reason we handle abuse poorly in our churches & broader society is b/c we have paltry theology of the body. And if we don't understand embodied existence, we will be unable to understanding why embodied men & women (as classes) respond so differently to the Q.
This has *nothing* to do with concern, good intentions, or willingness to engage the Q. It has *nothing* to do with individual character, thoughtfulness, or integrity.
It has everything to do with whose bodies are under discussion & the luxury of distance. (See also: conversations about race.)
We must rightly understand what is & isn't happening in these convos. Embodiment does not give someone complete knowledge on a Q, but it does give them a *particular* knowledge. It gives them insight that those w/ other bodies do not have.
This is why it's essential to listen to those whose very bodies are under discussion. It's essential to understand their responses for what they are. It's essential that we do not dismiss them.
It's their very bodily subjectivity that is essential to the larger convo. It tempers the objectivity or detachment of those who do not have bodily knowledge. And vice versa. Our differing bodily experiences are designed to partner together for common good.
One risk we face is that male embodied experience would become default by which female embodied experience is evaluated. This is why it's particularly important for women & men to truly partner together in these conversations.
A pastor recently asked me if it was true that having a woman on staff would mean that the women of the church would come to them w/ concerns in a way that they wouldn't come to male pastoral staff.
My jaw dropped.
My jaw dropped.
Of course, it's true. It's true b/c our bodies are true & meaningful. It has nothing to do w/ whether male leadership has good intentions or integrity or wisdom. It has everything to do w/ our bodies.
And fwiw, men of wisdom & integrity are also humble men who recognize the limits of their knowledge--including the limits of the knowledge gained through our embodied existence.
