The CBE Scroll

“Exploring the Hermeneutics of Cultural Analysis” by William J Webb

This book starts out with the question: Which of these instructions from Scripture are still in force for us today exactly as they are articulated “on the page”?

Webb then lists several Scripture passages. Here is a short sample of them:

• Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength (Deut 6:5)
• Do not approach a woman to have sexual relations during the uncleanness of her monthly period (Lev 18:19)
• Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman (Lev 18:22)
• Go and make disciples of all nations (Mt. 28:19)
• Do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you (Mt 5:42)
• Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh (1 Pet 2:18)
• Do not take interest of any kind from your countryman (Lev 25:36)
• Is any sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord

The purpose of this exercise is to help the reader understand the difficulty of understanding which biblical verses are cultural and which are transcultural.

In this book Webb confront three topics, that of slavery, women, and homosexuality and asks which aspects of the Scripture passages on each are dealing with a cultural situation and which are transcultural.

He goes through the difficult Scripture on slavery and women and comes to the conclusion that there is movement in the passages on these subjects. The movement he is referring to is in contrast to the surrounding culture of the time. Many of the passages on slaves and women modify the harsh conditions that both slaves and women lived under. So while they appear to support slavery and the subordination of women, there is movement towards liberation for both slaves and women within them. On the other hand, he states there is no movement on the restriction of homosexuality. In the surrounding culture of the time in some places homosexuality was accepted, and in other places it had mixed acceptance. But Scripture doesn’t accept it at all. This is in contrast to the surrounding culture. Therefore there is no movement towards acceptance of homosexual activity.

His point is that when we try to assess which parts of Scripture are cultural and which are transcultural we need to see whether there is any movement in Scripture. We do see movement on the issue of slaves and women; therefore we should view these verses in a cultural context. We do not see movement on the issue of restriction of homosexuality; therefore we should see these verses as transcultural.

Webb believes slavery is morally wrong and supports the egalitarian view of Scripture in regard to women. However, he believes that homosexuality is biblically wrong.   His understanding of movement in Scripture is what underlies his opinions.

I enjoyed this book and it helped answer a lot of questions for me. I must say that I found it a little on the difficult side to read. I had to read it in parts. But for those like me, who struggle with what is cultural within the biblical text and with what is transcultural this is an excellent resource.

There it is, plain as day: “For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.” I Peter 3:5&6 (TNIV). I guess Julie had better start calling me lord, huh? I’ll settle for “your highness.”

Or, maybe not.

This verse has been a favorite club with which the complementarian can browbeat the egalitarian. I read it and I think, “Tell me it ain’t so, Joe.”

It ain’t.

In real estate, it’s location, location, location. In exegesis, it’s context, context, context. This section, I Peter 3:1-7, starts with “Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands…” (TNIV). In the same way as what? Clearly, in the same way as Peter discusses submission at the end of Chapter 2.

Chapter 2:13-25 is about submission to rulers and other leaders. It talks about kings, governors and slave owners and, in Chapter 3, husbands. It’s important to note how Peter describes this submission. It is “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men…” Peter is talking about obeying the law of the land. This is not divine law. It’s not the Law of Moses. Husbands are here lumped in with kings and slave owners. That’s pretty consistent with history, eh?

I Peter 2:16&17 is also important when interpreting this passage of Scripture. It reads, “Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.” (TNIV) To my reading, this is Peter saying to submit ourselves to each other.

When Peter talks about obeying husbands as the local laws may require, he makes two comments about husbands. The reason to submit is if the husband is unsaved. The hope is that the unsaved husband will find Christ because of his wife’s actions and attitude. I actually know of a case where this happened. It took the Spirit decades. What a Christian woman! Christian husbands are told, in verse 7, to be considerate and respectful of their wives. The key word, for this discussion, is “respectful.” They are to respect their wives because of their weakness under human law and because the two of them are both “heirs… of the gracious gift of life.” That is, because they are equal heirs of life from God.

Zowie! Peter was an egalitarian after all.

Is the example of Jesus’ earthly submission to the Father a model of a wife’s submission to her husband?

Luke 22
42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”

John 14
31 “but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me.”

Some people say a wife’s submission to her husband is to be compared to Christ’s earthly submission to the Father. But no such comparison is made in the Bible. In Ephesians Paul compares a husband’s love for his wife to the way Christ loved the church.  If Paul had meant to compare a wife’s submission to Christ’s submission he could have done it at this point, yet he didn’t.

I have two questions.

The first is, if Scripture doesn’t make the comparison, should we be making it? 

The second is, what is the difference between Christ’s submission and a wife’s submission?