Jerry Wirtley
Project in Ministry Proposal
Fall 2023
Working Title: Paul’s Radical inclusivity for the Galatians and Us. Binaries, Language, and Gender
“What I didn’t know is that this small interaction I experienced would radically change my life for the better. Church was like hydrogen peroxide if it didn’t hurt and I didn’t suffer it wasn’t real… I nearly left Treehouse on multiple occasions assuming it was the work of the Devil. That a church that was willing to accept me, to love me, to not make an example of who not to be out of me was evil, but Treehouse proved me wrong.”
The quote is from a student at a gala put on by Treehouse, the campus ministry I serve. We are an open and inclusive ministry on a very conservative campus. Giving space to students who would not be welcomed at other campus ministries is something we have tried to do for all students. We welcome all: all humanity, all questions, and all lifestyles. All. This ministry rekindled my pondering of who is welcome and how the biblical narrative show us this welcome.
Rationale of the Project:
I have long been enamored with Galatians 3:28 and the use of language. Paul was writing what some say is a baptismal formula because it tells us who is included in the body of Christ. Galatians 3:28 says “There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither slave nor free; nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”[1] I have wondered about Paul’s usage of 2 different conjunctions. Why did Paul choose οὐδὲ or nor for a separator between Greek/Jew and slave/free but chose καὶ or and for the separator between male/female. I have pondered over this for many years, even before I was in Seminary to get my Master of Divinity. There had to be a reason for the different conjunctions. Why use nor to connect 2 sets and and on the last. I have also wondered about the implications of this when we talk about inclusion of the LGBTQIA2S+ community.
Does the and between Male/Female mean that Male and/or Female are the only ones included? Does the nor mean that you are either a Jew or a Greek, a slave or free person. I wonder how this would have been heard by the Galatians when Paul wrote it, and what the understanding of the day was.
I am interested in looking into this passage and how Paul is being radically inclusive to widen our acceptance of all God’s children. I am a campus pastor who sees God’s children and hear stories of how they are shunned from the church or never felt accepted because the bible says they are sinful and are not going to be accepted by God unless they change from their wicked ways. But their ‘wicked ways’ are simply living as they feel God is calling them to live. I believe that and does not create a binary, it creates a spectrum, and Paul is radical in his inclusivity to the Galatians and to all of us.
The need for this study arises from my need to get a better understanding of what Paul was saying in Galatians 3:28, and how inclusive Paul was being and from the need to be a source of hope and love on college campuses. There are so many who are leaving home for the first time, which is sometimes a good thing, and are exploring who they really are in a free space and yet are still being shunned by those who imply they are not worthy of God’s love. I believe Paul’s radical inclusivity here could help us all be more Christ-like in the world.
General Statement of the Project:
Today people are trying to keep other people from expressing their true selves and be who they know they are created to be. And to quote the great theologian Jon Bon Jovi “Remember that you’re perfect, God makes no mistakes”[2] So if God makes no mistakes how are people not the gender they were born? It seems like there is a disconnect somewhere. So, what do we as followers of Jesus do? I go to Galatians and the explanation that Paul gives us. Galatians 3:28 says “There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither slave nor free; nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”[3] All of us are one, we are not separated by ethnicity, class, or gender. But a deeper look at this text shows a difference of language. Why did Paul say οὐδὲ or nor for a conjunction between Greek/Jew and slave/free but chose καὶ or and for the conjunction between male/female. The easy answer to this question is that the “male and female” is a quote from Genesis 1:27, but does it not also mean that there is something deeper to the way Paul and his contemporaries saw gender? Is there really a binary setup here (and in Genesis) by “male and female” or is there a wider inclusivity at work? I believe that Paul is way more radically inclusive than most of us want to admit and is quoting Genesis to show that all of us are made in God’s image and that the binaries of society are not at play in who is accepted, as they know they are created, and who is not. Paul is seeing God’s inclusivity and making it known to all humanity. I believe that the passage from Galatians shows us that God loves us as we are created and this understanding will help us as the body of Christ to be more accepting of those who are different from us and more accepting of those we have previously excommunicated because they did not fit the box we had for them. This understanding will help campus ministries, and quite frankly all of us, be more as the body of Christ and welcoming of all as beloved children of God. By looking into what Paul intended by using the language he did in this passage we can see the radical inclusivity of God and how scripture has been used by some to keep people out, when all this time it has actually been inviting everyone in!
My research will focus on the language used by Paul and how this is more inclusive than we read it to be. Did Paul quote Genesis 1:27 instead of using nor as the conjunction between Male/Female? Was this impacted by the second creation story where God created a human and then removed part of the human to create another? If Paul is actually quoting Genesis here, is the difference in conjunction something we should see as a clear indication of Paul’s understanding of creation? What did Paul intend by this, and how should that change our understanding of Galatians 3:28? Does Paul really say that all are welcome regardless of gender? How does this baptismal formula help the Galatians and us to know who is welcome? I also think it is important to look at 1 Corinthians 12:13 “We were all baptized by one Spirit into one body, whether Jew or Greek, or slave or free, and we all were given one Spirit to drink.”[4] Why did Paul chose not to add the quote from Genesis 1:27 here? Was there an emphasis in Galatians he did not need to make in Corinthians?
Methodology:
The Thesis/Essay Model will be the basis for this research. I will read material written about Paul to get an understanding of who he was as a disciple and how he was moving to radically change the understanding of being a follower of God. I will also read material written about Galatians and the specific passage in question. With the understanding that Paul might be quoting Genesis 1:27 I will also need to look into material about the understanding of the creation of humanity and how the Hebrew language choice in Genesis affects the language choice by Paul in Galatians/Greek. I will use books, archives, files, documents, magazines, online resources and other materials for an understanding of what Paul was saying in the passage of Galatians 3:28.
The Formulation and Limitation of the Project:
Does the use of and in Galatians 3:28 suggest that Paul was more radical than we read in Galatians and was not using language to create binaries for us to fit into, but expanding our understanding to see what God has created and wants to be a part of all that is created? I am sure I will be surprised along the way with the things I encounter and endeavor to keep an open mind and learn from it and be willing to see that my understanding may not be the correct understanding.
What does it mean in this context that Paul uses and instead of nor in the context of students being told they are not welcome because of the way God has created them? How does the word usage help us see that all humanity is included and welcome?
This project is meant be helpful to campus pastors/leaders to see that radical inclusivity is something we need to be aware of and model on campuses. When students are struggling with life issues and being shunned for who they know they are, can campus ministries be a place of welcome and sanctuary from life and the world? A place that is a shelter to allow God’s children to know that they are loved as they know themselves to be. Can we model what Paul was saying to the Galatians and break down barriers?
One limitation I can see heading into this project is the sheer amount of literature written on Paul and Galatians. I will need to focus my readings to sources that speak to the inclusive nature of Paul and works that look at this in Galatians. I will not limit myself to works that say Paul was inclusive, but will also study sources that say the opposite in order to get a clear understanding of what is thought about Paul and where this passage is leading us.
Hypothesis:
I believe Authentic Paul is more inclusive than we have all been taught. That is to say that Paul’s understanding of what Jesus was calling us to is more radically inclusive than Paul was or even that I am. Paul tells the Galatians everyone is welcome. Racial, economic, or gender differences do not keep us out, so what does? We are all included. This is radical because it means that we are all really equal in the eyes of God, and therefore there is nothing that we should hold against another person even when we do not agree with or accept how that person identifies or what they are doing. I believe this could be a way to help us all see others more as God sees them and help us all to get over ourselves and start to be the disciples Jesus has called us to be.
Anticipated Outline (work in progress)
- Why does and make a difference?
- Galatians 3:28
- Why the different conjunctions: 2 nors and an and?
- The need for this question.
- Galatians 3:28
- Who was Paul?
- How radically inclusive was he?
- Implications of Genesis 1:27
- Was the Male and Female a quote?
- How does this impact the meaning in Galatians 3:28
- Was the Male and Female a quote?
- What did Paul really mean?
- Galatians 3:28
- Why didn’t Paul include Male and Female in 1 Corinthians 12:13?
- Conclusions
- How does this impact a ministry that is open and inclusive?
- Does it change the way an already open and inclusive ministry exists?
- Does this change a ministry that was not open and inclusive?
- How does this impact a ministry that is open and inclusive?
Anticipated Project Impact
I believe this project will have a positive impact on the ministry I do as a campus pastor. Understanding the use of language by Paul in this passage will help me to better understand the inclusivity of God and hopefully help others see the same love for all of humanity.
This study will lead me to help others understand this passage and Paul through studies of this passage as well as the creation story and our understanding of humanity as a whole of creation.
My hope is this will be an undertaking that will help students and others understand that they are a part of the kingdom of God as God created them and there is no need to conform to a box that someone else has for them. This could be a book that would help anyone understand Paul’s inclusivity and how God is calling all of us to live.
Bibliography
Althaus-Reid, Marcella. 2003. The Queer God. New York: Routledge.
Barr, Beth Allison. 2021. The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press.
Bruesehoff, Jamie. 2023. Raising Kids Beyond the Binary: Celebrating God’s Transgender and Gender-Diverse Children. Minneapolis, MN: Broadleaf Books.
Daly, Mary. 1973. Beyond God The Father: Toward a Philosophy of Women’s Liberation. Boston Massachusetts: Beacon Press.
Francis, Fred O. and J. Paul Sampley, editors. 1975. Pauline Parallels. Society of Biblical Literature.
Gafney, Wilda C. 2017. Womanist Midrash: A Reintroduction to the Women of the Torah and the Throne. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Know Press.
Johnson, Elizabeth A. 1992. She Who Is: The Mystery of God in Feminist Theological Discourse. The Crossroads Publishing Company.
Kahl, Brigitte. 2014. Galatians Re-Imagined: Reading with the Eyes of the Vanquished. Minneapolis, MN: First Fortress Press.
Lopez, Davina C. 2010. Apostle to the Conquered: Reimagining Paul’s Mission. Minneapolis, MN: First Fortress Press.
Luther, Martin. 2019. Commentary on Galatians. Translated by Theodore Graebner.Digireads.com.
Marchal, Joseph A., editor. 2012. Studying Paul’s Letters: Contemporary Perspectives and Methods. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press.
Ruether, Rosemary Radford. 1983. Sexism and God-Talk: toward a feminist Theology. Boston, Massachusetts: Beacon Press.
Sanders, E. P. 1985. Jesus and Judaism. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press.
Sanders, E. P. 2015. Paul: The Apostle’s Life, Letters, and Thought. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press.
Sanders, E. P. 1983. Paul, the Law, and the Jewish People. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press.
Smith, Eric C. 2019. Paul the Progressive? The Compassionate Christian’s Guide to Reclaiming the Apostle as Ally. Saint Louis, Missouri: Chalice Press.
[1] “Bible Gateway Passage: Galatians 3:28 – New International Version.” Bible Gateway, http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians+3%3A28. Accessed 11 Sept. 2023.
[2] “Welcome to Wherever You Are,” Apple Music, track 3 on Bon Jovi, Have a Nice Day, 2005
[3] “Bible Gateway Passage: Galatians 3:28 – New International Version.” Bible Gateway, http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians+3%3A28. Accessed 11 Sept. 2023.
[4] “Bible Gateway Passage: 1 Corinthians 12:13 – Common English Bible.” Bible Gateway, https://biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+corinthians+12%3A13&version=CEB. Accessed 27 Nov. 2023.
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