Jesus and Gender

What did comedian and actress Sarah Silverman mean when she posted this? Who knows and who cares. Well, a lot of irate fundamentalist Christians, that's who. After a lot of online scolding and hating Silverman responded:

"I was in Wales w my boyfriend and his family. I was sitting in the car on the way to Christmas at his sister's and figured I'd send out a Christmas tweet." Silverman, who dates actor Michael Sheen, added, "decided to add on a word from our collective new vocabulary, since, to me, it's funny, beautiful, and true in that He is all of us."

Rather harmless, don't you figure? Mark Silk, Jewish as Silverman is Jewish, and as Jesus was, come to think of it, offers his thoughts. He rightly points out through the centuries Christian mystics have recognized the feminine in Jesus, as one aspect of his incarnation. Julian of Norwich wrote, “Jesus Christ therefore, who himself overcame evil with good, is our true Mother. We received our ‘Being’ from Him ­ and this is where His Maternity starts ­ And with it comes the gentle Protection and Guard of Love which will never ceases to surround us.”

Read Silk's entire piece. It's thoughtful http://marksilk.religionnews.com/2015/12/28/sarah-silverma-has-a-point-about-gender-fluid-jesus/?utm_content=buffer5aa08&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=bufferforbiz



This kerfuffle brings to mind the brash,"manly" Jesus preached by megachurch pastor Mark Driscoll and the wannabes who followed his lead. When nasty-tempered, arrogant Driscoll was finally given the boot by his board they claimed he hadn't done anything immoral and heretical. But I figure the Jesus he was inventing to support patriarchy was evidence of his immorality and heresy.

I'll take Sarah Silverman's off-the-cuff tweet over all the Jesus-as-tough-guy sermons any day.

Thoughts?