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CHRISTIAN PODCAST EPISODE #50
What is the Church Too movement? How does it relate to the Samaritan Woman’s Story in John 4? Caryn A. Reeder. Professor of New testament and co-coordinator of the Gender Studies program at Westmont College, Santa Barbara, California.
And we’re going to talk about sex, and me too, and church too, and the Samaritan woman too. Caryn, welcome to the show. How are you doing today?
SKIP TO: 1:20
Is Jesus racist?
SKIP TO: 4:17
It is a story that is surrounded by the question of the racial tensions between the Samaritans and the Jews. And I certainly think that the story has been read in a way that can make Jesus seem very racist bringing his Jewish superiority into the Samaritan Village and forcing this woman to recognize his superiority. He says, salvation comes from the Jews after all. Umm But in the end of the story, the message turns out to be one of reconciliation of umm Jesus saying, actually, it’s not the Jews who are the people of God. It’s also not the Samaritans there’s a new way to be the people of God that welcomes both Jews and Samaritans. Umm is Jesus a racist? He certainly in some stories in the New Testament reflect some of the racial tensions of his day? Yeah, but also the message of the gospel is one of reconciliation and justice for all people. So
Okay, so I have, I have like three main ideas for this episode. So one of them would be, can you walk us through the Samaritan woman story, then from there, we’ll move on to a little bit of the uh me too movement, what it means what it still is, what it’s not maybe, and then to the church too movement. So first of all, can you walk us through a little bit of the Samaritan woman story, as we read it in John, chapter four?
SKIP TO: 6:05
Yeah, for sure. So here’s how I read the Samaritan woman story. We’ve got Jesus going home to Galilee after being in Jerusalem to celebrate Passover, which was the great festival celebrating God saving the people of God from enslavement in Egypt. Umm on the way he passes through some area, which was something that not all Jews would choose to do. So many Jews chose to go around some area rather than through some area just to avoid any potential dangerous interactions or awkward interactions with the Samaritans. But Jesus goes through some area he sits down by a well, that happens to be a really important place. Right?
Let’s let’s try to move from there to the me too. Before we go to church too so how is that relate or tell us just let’s just start right there. What is the me too movement? And then we’ll move on on to how is that related to this story?
She receives a revelation of Jesus own identity, he tells her I am and of course later in John’s Gospel that I am, before Abraham was I am, is the revelation that Jesus is God. And the Samaritan woman is the first person to hear Jesus say, I am in the gospel.
Caryn Reeder
So the me too movement, it was originally proposed by an activist named Tarana Burke, a long time ago, but it really took off in the fall of 2017 as actresses and then it filtered out to waitresses, hotel workers, politicians, and just across the country across the globe, actually, women were using the #metoo hashtag to report their experiences of harassment and assault and rape. That had gone ignored for way too long. Umm I would say maybe we could just move on to church too know if that’s okay, as well and get it all?
Yeah, yeah. So the church too moment, it didn’t take too long when the me too movement really took off. Umm that women in the church started reporting their own stories of harassment and assault, umm of sexual grooming by respected pastors, by youth leaders. Umm and so that those women and some men as well started using the hashtag church too to share their own stories. And it’s been a heart-breaking absolutely heart-breaking and devastating to read these stories to umm yeah recognize the way that spiritual authority in the church has not always been used well, but sometimes it has been used in ways that hurt and abuse vulnerable people in our churches.
Ok so I guess let’s just summarize. Is sex good?
The bible says sex and marriage is very good.
You can also watch our video.
CHRISTIAN PODCAST YOUTUBE
The Samaritan Woman’s Story, reconsidering John 4 after #churchtoo | Caryn A. Reeder
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