Voices of Sophia speaker calls for sabbatical on 'malespeak' By John H. Adams The Layman Online Monday, June 21, 1999 FORT WORTH – About 250 men and women sang praises to Sophia, danced in rings and held raised hands in a Sophia blessing during a breakfast gathering Monday morning that was a sideline event to the 211th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Dr. Johanna W.H. van Wijk-Bos, professor of Old Testament at Louisville Theological Seminary, told the gathering that there needs to be a "sabbatical on malespeak" and that women must raise their voice against male domination, sexism and heterosexism. Bos was the keynote speaker for the Voices of Sophia, of which she is a member and a leading exhorter. Moderator encourages group Freda Gardner, General Assembly moderator, appeared briefly and also encouraged the controversial group, which has been in the forefront of the ReImagining God movement. Participants in the 1993 ReImagining conference offered prayers to the goddess Sophia.Sophia is a Greek word for wisdom. The ReImagining movement was declared beyond the boundaries of the Christian faith by the 1994 General Assembly. Gardner offered a light-hearted endorsement that turned serious during her brief comments "What do I wear today, I asked Sophia," Gardner said. "She said pants." More seriously, she said, "I was extremely grateful when I was nominated for moderator. Voices came to me and said they wished to be very much up close and personal. I said for the time being, be very back. But I want to say this morning, 'Come up close and personal.'" Feminist interpretation In a message called "Crying out at the Crossroads," Bos provided a feminist interpretation of Proverbs 8:22-31, a passage that speaks of wisdom. From that passage, she called on men to remain silent – the "sabbatical on malespeak" – and called on women to go boldly and loudly into the crossroads of Church and culture as they "come out of the closet of their femininity." The Proverbs passage, according to Bos, urges women to crash "right through the gender barrier" despite opposition, including "attempts at silencing wisdom from the far right … a smear campaign from those who clutch their patriarchal ways." Bos said the Proverbs passage accuses men of "simplicity and dullness" – an accusation with which she obviously agreed. To men, she said, "Learn to listen. To whom does women/wisdom call? Men. What is our message: Listen and Learn." Wisdom 'a loud woman' Bos said, "Women/wisdom does not murmur in a tiny tone. She is a loud woman. She is a loud woman. She embodies no ideals of feminity that I have ever heard of." Quoting Rita Brock, who is one of the leaders in the ReImaging movement and who denies the transcendence of God, "Learn the rejection of innocence," Bos said, "Innocence does not save women from abuse. We must roar like lions." Bos declared, "Resistance begins with chaos… Do you remember a conference called ReImagining? I always thought the uproar was due to the fact that we had such a good time." "Men must hear and be healed of the rage of women." |
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