How the Tamar Narrative Functions in the Judah and Joseph Narratives

I'm happy to have Carolyn Custis James as my guest today. In Vindicating the Vixens, she contributed the chapter on Tamar. In November she served on a panel of contributors who talked about narrative analysis at the national meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society in Providence, Rhode Island. Here are some quotes from her remarks: [In the Genesis narrative] just as the Joseph story reaches a fever pitch and readers are on the edge of their seats, instead of following Joseph into Egypt, the narrator follows Judah away from his family into Canaanite territory and into a salacious R-rated story involving prostitution with his daughter-in-law Tamar. From a literary perspective, the narrator’s choice seems counterproductive. From a pastoral perspective, this sordid story is problematic, unsuitable for a G audience, and devoid of any spiritual value. Pastors often skip it....Far from being a literary gaffe, the narrator’s decision to include this “enigmatic” episode is strategic;  Genesis 38 is actually the hinge that holds the Joseph story together. It bridges Jacob’s destructive favoritism and the searing father wound Judah suffers with the climactic meeting between Judah and Joseph in Egypt where warring brothers finally make peace.Here are a few suggestions for pastors to connect this ancient story with twenty-first century congregants:

• God’s love for the unloved and his power to rescue, redeem, and radically transform prodigals

  1. The power of wounds to destroy or make us.

  2. God calls his daughters to be bold agents for his purposes

  3. The self-sacrificing brand of masculinity the gospel produces and Judah ultimately embodies.

  4. In the current #MeToo epidemic, Tamar’s story gives pastors a call to courageously engage domestic abuse, human trafficking, sexual assault, and violence against women. This is a #MeToo chapter.

Listen to Carolyn talk about this story on KCBI radio.

The Manhood Crisis

A guest post from Carolyn Custis James. I have an advance copy of her new book, which releases today. I know my readers will love it!Trouble arrived in the mail today. And the truth is, I’ve been looking for it.UPS dropped off the envelope containing the advance copy of my new book. Malestrom: Manhood Swept into the Currents of a Changing World is my sixth and possibly the most provocative book I’ve written. After five books that focus on women, this book pulled me out of my comfort zone to understand what is happening to men and boys globally. My study led me to examine patriarchy—a social system which many evangelicals have a vested interest in maintaining.The timing couldn’t have been more apropos. Last night Frank and I watched the documentary on Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn’s new book—A Path Appears—about domestic violence against women, appalling poverty, the sexual abuse of little girls, and the battle to educate girls.At points it was unbearable to watch.At every turn, patriarchy was the root cause of what was happening. It was a painful reminder of the importance of what I've been learning about men.While it is widely recognized that patriarchy is demeaning of females in particular, the truth of the matter is, patriarchy is a devastating male issue as well. Men and boys are victims every bit as much as women.I’m not the first to raise the alarm about patriarchy. But Malestrom raises the alarm about how patriarchy is not only bad for women, it’s bad for men and boys. This book takes the unusual approach to examine the pressures patriarchy brings to bear on men in which they lose their God-given identity and purpose.I have no interest in stirring up controversy. But I cannot stand silent in the face of this egregious disparagement of men and denial of their true identity.Ironically, writing about women was what convinced me to take up the subject of men and the manhood crisis. When the title of my latest book about women contained the word "half," it was hard to escape the fact that I had more work to do. Until men are included in the gender conversation—not merely as interested observers, but as subjects who are facing a crisis of their own—any discussion about gender is woefully incomplete.Once I started researching, it didn't take me long to discover the malestrom and to realize men are in desperate trouble too."It isn’t overstating things to say there isn’t a man or boy alive who isn’t a target. The malestrom’s global currents can be violent and overt, but also come in subtle, even benign forms that catch men unawares. The malestrom is the particular ways in which the fall impacts the male of the human species—causing a man to lose himself, his identity and purpose as a man, and above all to lose sight of God’s original vision for his sons. The repercussions of such devastating personal losses are not merely disastrous for the men themselves, but catastrophic globally."Malestrom raises issues as serious as anything I've written about women. I am not exaggerating when I say it has me every bit as concerned about men and boys as I have ever been about women and girls. What's at stake is far more serious than subjects that occupy the church such as who leads and who follows or which roles are for men and which are for women. Issues surrounding concepts of manhood and masculinity are driving the violence in today's headlines—including wars, terrorism, brutal ISIS executions, the radicalization of young men, shootings on American streets—and the violence that takes place behind closed doors.As I researched the various currents that converge to form the malestrom, it didn't seem to matter which current I considered—the father wound, the rise of women, the marginalization of men, gender role reversals—every current ultimately led to patriarchy. It's not a subject I could afford to ignore. The stakes are simply too high for both men and women. So Malestrom puts patriarchy on the table for an honest, healthy discussion. My hope is for a civil discourse on this most significant issue.The conversation that Malestrom invites couldn't be more timely, more urgent for both men and women, and (I hasten to add) more hopeful too for it centers on the imago dei and gets to the heart of Jesus’ gospel. 

Women of Faith

Until this year I had never attended a Women of Faith conference. That changed when my friend Kelley Mathews invited me to go as her guest with some press passes.

What Kelley wrote on her blog before the event reflected my feelings exactly:

"I'm going in with rather low expectations. Here's what I think I'll get: a great show, fun music, lots of laughs, a few pats on the back and maybe some encouragement in my spiritual walk. Here's what I hope I'll get: all of the above, plus a challenge to get out of my North Dallas-top-10-wealthiest-county-in-America bubble, a call to action for Jesus with tangible resources to help me get started, biblical teaching to back up these challenges and encouragements, and a sense of discomfort with my safe, snug life."

We got what we expected. It was a great show with fun music. At one point Amy Grant, Sandi Patty, and Mandisa were all belting out worship music in three-part unbelievable harmony. Talk about your singing powerhouses raising the roof. The event brought the equivalent of three concerts. Amy Grant's set alone consisted of eight to ten songs including oldies like "My Father's Eyes" and "El Shaddai." Good. Stuff.

And yes, we laughed a lot. Especially when the cameras zeroed in on one of the two husbands in the crowd. This guy was singing along with Mandisa's version of "I am W-O-M-A-N!" Oops.

We also got some pats on the back and some spiritual challenges: Press on. Keep going. You are loved. God has a plan. Lose the baggage. Your work is important to God. (Oh, and sponsor a World Vision child.)

Add some stellar drama and polished testimonies--story telling at its best. (And of course great fashion and make-up modeled by those on stage. How does Sandi Patty walk in those high heels?)

Still, it surprised me that the most Bible-focused teaching came from Mandisa. Give that girl a pulpit! I didn't expect the former American Idol singer to bring the Word in word as well as in song, but let me tell you--she brought it!

And I loved spending time with Kelley. The older I get, the more I see the need to carve out time for and with friends.

This morning at church, I got what Kelley and I hoped we'd get. And this afternoon I finished reading Half the Church by Carolyn Custis James. It brought a call to action right out of Scripture that stretches readers beyond their comfy-life zones. Carolyn's writings should come with a warning: No-milk, All-meat zone!

So I've had a full, great weekend. Tomorrow it's back to teaching a new semester of students. Bring it!

No-Fluff Zone

Registration is now open for Synergy, the best women's conference out there. This year it's March 6-8 in Orlando, and registration is now open.

Lesa Englethaler and I will again serve as the writing track leaders, and this time around we have a real winner. Literally! Dr. Lauren Winner, author of Girl Meets God and Real Sex, has agreed to offer a workshop on writing memoir. (She's also keynoting, so you'll get to hear her a couple of times.)

Synergy is the brainchild of Carolyn Custis James, President of the Synergy Women’s Network, Inc. and WhitbyForum. She wrote Lost Women of the Bible and When Life and Beliefs Collide, the latter of which I require my students to read. Carolyn will be keynoting, too, as will Alice Palmer Matthews, dean of faculty at Gordon-Conwell Seminary.

Register now for early-bird rates.