There are many verses in Scripture that have been handled with care, humility, and
reverence. And then there are verses that have been lifted from their context, preached
as weapons, dressed up as doctrine, and used to keep people exactly where certain
systems prefer them.
Scripture Under Investigation is where we pull those verses back onto the table and
examine what has actually been said, what has been assumed, and what has been
added along the way.
Why am I writing this series?
The answer is simple.
There is a lot of theological baloney floating around in the name of “biblical truth.”
Straw men. Conjecture. Inference spoken as though it is actually written into the text.
Arguments from silence. Cherry-picked half verses. Proof-texting. Circular reasoning.
Cultural assumptions baptised as doctrine, which may be my personal favourite.
Tradition treated as Scripture. Personal bias preached as divine order. Fear presented
as faithfulness. Control renamed as protection. Forgiveness taught as forgetting.
Silence mistaken for submission. Suffering romanticised as holiness. Authority confused
with entitlement. And entire teachings built on what the text does not say, while ignoring
what it plainly does.
And here is another term for it.
Spiritual sleight of hand.
That is what all this baloney amounts to, and the damage is not small.
When Scripture is weaponised, the Gospel itself gets obscured. People who might have
been drawn to Christ are instead turned away by the infighting, the hypocrisy, the
posturing, and the endless need to defend systems Jesus never established. It may
make for great religious entertainment, but it does not bear the fruit of the Spirit.
The very people called to preach, teach, and uphold the Gospel should be the first to
tremble at the thought of mishandling it. Yet too often, Scripture has been used to
protect power, excuse entitlement, silence women, sanctify hierarchy, defend abuse,
erase autonomy, and keep harmful systems alive.
For this series, I am making my way back to the very beginning, to Genesis 3, where
the consequences of the Fall were pronounced. Genesis 3:16 is part of that tragedy.
The man would rule over the woman, and the woman would “desire” him. The Hebrew
word is teshuqah, and in this context, it is not a sweet romantic longing. This verse gets
preached as though women are simply smitten with men, as though the Fall somehow
gave us marriage advice, feminine devotion, and a sanctified craving for male
leadership.
Please spare me the sermonette.
This is not a love poem.
It speaks to a disordered turning, a pull bound up in the brokenness of the Fall. Both the
ruling and the desiring belong to the curse. Neither belongs to God’s original design.
There is much to be said here, and I am sure my rantings will only scratch the surface of
the absurdity of how often we preach the Fall as though it were the Gospel, while
overlooking the Gospel because we have grown so strangely attached to the Fall. It’s
even a mouthful to say.
And no, this is not where we simply blame men and call it a day. That would be an
oversimplification. Fallen systems do not survive by male dominance alone. They
survive because men and women uphold them. Men may build the structures, but
women are often taught to defend them, preserve them, excuse them, and call that
obedience.
But sure, that does not sound anything like teshuqah, or more plainly, a disordered
turning. Seems like both men and women have been doing their part to keep the curse
well-fed. And I have a lot of thoughts on why that is. I know this because I have been
on the other side of it. I have believed the system. I have even defended the system.
And I’ve allowed it to pull me under.
I have repented of that many times.
And I am not going back there. Ever.
So let me say this upfront. This series is not an attack on Scripture. It is an investigation
into what has been done with Scripture. It’s for the verses we have all heard quoted with
confidence, but rarely examined with honesty. Verses about women, marriage, authority,
submission, sexuality, silence, leadership, forgiveness, and the body. Verses that have
been used to protect power, excuse entitlement, defend abuse, erase autonomy, and
call it faithfulness.
It is also for those who have been conditioned to believe there is something wrong with
them, when what they are actually sensing is manipulation. It is for the ones who were
told their discomfort was rebellion, their questions were dangerous, their discernment
was bitterness, and their refusal to bow to distortion was a lack of faith.
It is you God is calling. And woe to those who have led you astray.
Paul warned about deception. He specifically referenced Eve when he wrote, “the
woman, being deceived, became a transgressor” in 1 Timothy 2:14. But somehow that
warning has often been turned into a permanent indictment against women, instead of a
sober reminder that deception is real, powerful, and still operating when Scripture is
mishandled.
So yes, I already know some people will start the name-calling. Raging feminist. Battle
axe. Jezebel. Heretic. Blasphemer. Rebellious woman. Bitter woman. Deceived woman.
Honestly, the list is old. Besides, I can think of someone else who was called a few
names too.
And it is time to call the whole thing out.
So check back as this series unfolds. I will update it as I see fit, follow the trail where it
leads, and call out the baloney where I find it.
reverence. And then there are verses that have been lifted from their context, preached
as weapons, dressed up as doctrine, and used to keep people exactly where certain
systems prefer them.
Scripture Under Investigation is where we pull those verses back onto the table and
examine what has actually been said, what has been assumed, and what has been
added along the way.
Why am I writing this series?
The answer is simple.
There is a lot of theological baloney floating around in the name of “biblical truth.”
Straw men. Conjecture. Inference spoken as though it is actually written into the text.
Arguments from silence. Cherry-picked half verses. Proof-texting. Circular reasoning.
Cultural assumptions baptised as doctrine, which may be my personal favourite.
Tradition treated as Scripture. Personal bias preached as divine order. Fear presented
as faithfulness. Control renamed as protection. Forgiveness taught as forgetting.
Silence mistaken for submission. Suffering romanticised as holiness. Authority confused
with entitlement. And entire teachings built on what the text does not say, while ignoring
what it plainly does.
And here is another term for it.
Spiritual sleight of hand.
That is what all this baloney amounts to, and the damage is not small.
When Scripture is weaponised, the Gospel itself gets obscured. People who might have
been drawn to Christ are instead turned away by the infighting, the hypocrisy, the
posturing, and the endless need to defend systems Jesus never established. It may
make for great religious entertainment, but it does not bear the fruit of the Spirit.
The very people called to preach, teach, and uphold the Gospel should be the first to
tremble at the thought of mishandling it. Yet too often, Scripture has been used to
protect power, excuse entitlement, silence women, sanctify hierarchy, defend abuse,
erase autonomy, and keep harmful systems alive.
For this series, I am making my way back to the very beginning, to Genesis 3, where
the consequences of the Fall were pronounced. Genesis 3:16 is part of that tragedy.
The man would rule over the woman, and the woman would “desire” him. The Hebrew
word is teshuqah, and in this context, it is not a sweet romantic longing. This verse gets
preached as though women are simply smitten with men, as though the Fall somehow
gave us marriage advice, feminine devotion, and a sanctified craving for male
leadership.
Please spare me the sermonette.
This is not a love poem.
It speaks to a disordered turning, a pull bound up in the brokenness of the Fall. Both the
ruling and the desiring belong to the curse. Neither belongs to God’s original design.
There is much to be said here, and I am sure my rantings will only scratch the surface of
the absurdity of how often we preach the Fall as though it were the Gospel, while
overlooking the Gospel because we have grown so strangely attached to the Fall. It’s
even a mouthful to say.
And no, this is not where we simply blame men and call it a day. That would be an
oversimplification. Fallen systems do not survive by male dominance alone. They
survive because men and women uphold them. Men may build the structures, but
women are often taught to defend them, preserve them, excuse them, and call that
obedience.
But sure, that does not sound anything like teshuqah, or more plainly, a disordered
turning. Seems like both men and women have been doing their part to keep the curse
well-fed. And I have a lot of thoughts on why that is. I know this because I have been
on the other side of it. I have believed the system. I have even defended the system.
And I’ve allowed it to pull me under.
I have repented of that many times.
And I am not going back there. Ever.
So let me say this upfront. This series is not an attack on Scripture. It is an investigation
into what has been done with Scripture. It’s for the verses we have all heard quoted with
confidence, but rarely examined with honesty. Verses about women, marriage, authority,
submission, sexuality, silence, leadership, forgiveness, and the body. Verses that have
been used to protect power, excuse entitlement, defend abuse, erase autonomy, and
call it faithfulness.
It is also for those who have been conditioned to believe there is something wrong with
them, when what they are actually sensing is manipulation. It is for the ones who were
told their discomfort was rebellion, their questions were dangerous, their discernment
was bitterness, and their refusal to bow to distortion was a lack of faith.
It is you God is calling. And woe to those who have led you astray.
Paul warned about deception. He specifically referenced Eve when he wrote, “the
woman, being deceived, became a transgressor” in 1 Timothy 2:14. But somehow that
warning has often been turned into a permanent indictment against women, instead of a
sober reminder that deception is real, powerful, and still operating when Scripture is
mishandled.
So yes, I already know some people will start the name-calling. Raging feminist. Battle
axe. Jezebel. Heretic. Blasphemer. Rebellious woman. Bitter woman. Deceived woman.
Honestly, the list is old. Besides, I can think of someone else who was called a few
names too.
And it is time to call the whole thing out.
So check back as this series unfolds. I will update it as I see fit, follow the trail where it
leads, and call out the baloney where I find it.
