Robbing Jesus to Pay Paul

Women should be silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak but should be subordinate, as the law also says. If there is something they want to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.
–1 Corinthians 14:34-35

Some Christians may think they worship Jesus, when really…

they’re worshiping Paul.

I say this with love. After all, Paul teaches some important stuff. The church as we know it would not exist if it weren’t for the guy. Paul took what he knew about Jesus and helped make sense of it for Jews and Gentiles alike. At times, Paul seems right in sync with Jesus.

But if you were to draw an outline around Paul’s teachings and Jesus’s teachings, you’d have two very different shapes.

The proceedings at last week’s Southern Baptist Convention carried some serious “Paul” vibes. Messengers voted 6,028 to 2,026 to strengthen their stance against women clergy.

Where do they get that? Right out of Paul.

Actually, so much of what evangelicals focus on is from Paul’s letters.

Here’s a short list:

Against women clergy: 1 Corinthians 14:34-35
Used against LGBTQ people: Romans 1:26-27, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Against women in any leadership: 1 Timothy 2:11-15
Wives should be submissive to husbands: Ephesians 5:22-24, Colossians 3:18
Obedience even to unjust rulers: Romans 13:1-7

There’s plenty more. Every one of those notions gets its greatest traction in the letters of Paul or the Pauline tradition. To be clear, these are all interpretations of Paul — and in some cases, interpretations of letters Paul may not have written.

And what, I hear you ask, does Jesus say about these things?

Nothing. Nada. Unless you want to include inclusion, compassion, crossing boundaries and shaking the pillars of injustice.

I’m gonna be honest here: There seems to be a divide between two ways of understanding Christianity. Both “sides” claim that name, but mean very different things.

I’ve even thought of referring to myself as a “Jesusian” or something, just to distinguish myself from what Christianity has become in some circles.

But I realized this week that my evangelical brothers and sisters might be better suited to change their name.

How about, simply, “Pauline.” Nice and concise. And, for some, accurate.

Where I see Roman hierarchy and patriarchy creeping into the church’s interpretation of the Gospel, others give Paul enormous credit for the “tenets” of Christian belief.

You ever heard of “robbing Peter to pay Paul?”

One could say (and I do) that evangelical Christianity is robbing Jesus to pay Paul. In fact, many who claim others are misusing scripture are absolutely misreading, or flat out ignoring, Jesus.

This is about as critical as I get when it comes to other people’s beliefs. But believe me, I’ve been just as critical of my own denomination for looking in the wrong places for a word from Jesus.

If you’re a Pauline, profess it proudly. You can even “cite your sources” right out of the Good Book.

But if you flip back just a few pages, you’ll discover the voice of someone who has got to be tired of being treated like the opening act for Paul.

As for me, if we’re going to pick one voice to speak for God, I recommend Jesus.

He deserves more…

than second savior status.