The Danger of Power and Men in Contemporary Society: An Evangelical Analysis of Sexual Exploitation in Genesis to Safeguard Christian Educational Ministry

Abstract

This article identifies a contemporary concern for Christian educational ministry—namely the potential danger of men in ministry leadership—through an examination of the sexual exploitation narratives in Genesis. This article makes the concern evident by examining the narratives with a hermeneutic constructed from an appropriation of feminist theology with a doctrinally confessional foundation. Applying the hermeneutic to the text reveals a foundational and timeless ethical principle in the inerrant text. The implications of the ethical principle underscore the need to implement safeguards for men in educational ministry leadership to mitigate the potential for abuse and sexual exploitation.

Keywords

Christian educational leadership accountability ethical principle rule of analogy inverse consistency liberating biblical faith

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Barron

L. M.

Eiselstein

W. P.

(2021). Report of independent investigation into sexual misconduct of Ravi Zacharias. Miller and Martin PLLC.

Black

M. C.

Basile

K. C.

Breiding

M. J.

Smith

S. G.

Walters

M. L.

Merrick

M. T.

Chen

Stevens

M. R.

(2011). The national intimate partner and sexual violence survey (NISVS): 2010 summary report. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Cosgrove

C. H.

(2002). Appealing to scripture in moral debate: Five hermeneutical rules. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

Cowen

S. B.

Wilder

T. L.

(2013). In defense of the Bible. B&H Academic.

DeGroat

(2020). When narcissism comes to the church: Healing your community from emotional and spiritual abuse. Intervarsity Press.

Duvall

J. S.

Hays

J. D.

(2012). Grasping God’s word: A hands-on approach to reading, interpreting, and applying the Bible (3rd ed.). Zondervan.

Guidepost

L. L. C.

(2022). Report of the Independent Investigation: The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee’s Response to Sexual Abuse Allegations and an Audit of the Procedures and Actions of the Credentials Committee .

Instone-Brewer

(2019). Moral questions of the Bible. Lexham Press.

Peterson

B. N.

(2019). Male and female exploitation in light of the book of genesis. Journal of Evangelical Society, 62(4), 693–703.

10.

Peterson

R. A.

(2001). Ruether, Rosemary Radford. In Elwell

W. A.

(Ed.), Evangelical dictionary of theology (pp. 1040–1045). Baker Academic.

11.

Ruether

R. R.

(1982). Feminism and patriarchal religion: Principles of ideological critique of the Bible. Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, 22, 54–66. https://doi.org/10.1177/030908928200702207

12.

Ruether

R. R.

(1983). Sexism and God-talk. Beacon Press.

13.

Sweeney

D. A.

(2005). The American evangelical story: A history of the movement. Baker Academic.

14.

Trentham

J. D.

(2019a). Reading the social sciences theologically (part 1): Approaching and qualifying models of human development. Christian Educational Journal, 16(3), 458–475. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739891319885463

15.

Trentham

J. D.

(2019b). Reading the social sciences theologically (part 2): Engaging and appropriating models of human development. Christian Educational Journal, 16(3), 476–494. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739891319882699