Sacred Feminine in Her Sunday Best?
Gnosticism…an ancient belief that men and women are really different species who bring harmony to the cosmos at their union…a woman who has stirred the contempt and jealousy of an evil force that will stop at nothing to destroy her…knights on life-long quests to defend and protect this mysterious maiden. The Da Vinci Code in a nutshell, right? A closer look may reveal that Christian bookstores disapproving of Dan Brown’s novel The Da Vinci Code are promoting the same concepts in many mainstream Christian dating and sexuality books.
In reviewing many popular Christian books on dating, singleness, and sexuality, I was shocked to discover that many of these books not only fail to address the realities of single life, they promote ideas that are downright unbiblical. When asked to write a film review of The Da Vinci Code, I was stunned by the similarities I found between Dan Brown’s novel and the popular Christian books I’ve been reading.
Although none of these Christian books question Christ’s divinity, other Gnostic teachings are running rampant through much of dating literature. I have come across the old lie that our bodies (and sexual desires) are bad. It’s true that the human race is fallen, but we were created with bodies and sex drives, both of which God called good.
Another image that seems to be prevalent in dating books is one of the knight rescuing the damsel in distress. This idea may be romantic (and patriarchal), but it is also dangerous. We should whole-heartedly admit that all people are broken and in need of “rescuing”. We can even go so far as to say that God sometimes uses other people to help heal our brokenness, but it is ultimately God that does the saving. Both women and men need to depend on God for salvation and healing, not solely on a romantic relationship.
The concept of men and women having different essences or gendered souls is strikingly similar to the concept of the “Sacred Feminine”, an ancient Greek idea that has snuck back onto our culture’s radar due to The Da Vinci Code. Both concepts claim that men and women are intrinsically different on a spiritual level. Both claim that men and women cannot be truly fulfilled without the other. Both put women on pedestals that turn them into ideals (or even idols) instead of individuals. Whether it’s the “Christian” version of the knight in shining armor or the Templar knight, both concepts claim that women need men to give them special protection against the enemy. Gender essentialism may sound right because it’s an ancient ideal but it is a concept that is far from biblical.
The supposed scandal that drives The DaVinci Code is that the church has been hiding and suppressing the ancient belief of the “Sacred Feminine”. A stroll down the dating aisle of your local Christian bookstore may reveal that she is indeed hidden but uncomfortably present.
