One of the most gender-subversive aspects of Jesus’ life and teaching was (along with his easy acceptance of women against prevailing norms) was the implicit teaching that runs throughout his mandate to make peace. At the center of that teaching and ultimately practice is the critique of masculinity constructed as domination and conquest.

One way to unpack this around the subject of rape (as MacK and AD did) is to consider how often we hear — in everyday speech — themes of sexualized revenge, of sex as punishment, of prison rape, eg, as the ultimate punishment and comeuppance for “bad” men.

Another way to discern the cosmology of male dominance is by studying the “conquest-meme,” as Maria Mies and others have done, wherein male conquest applies — with interlocking metaphors — to conquest of women, conquest of colonies, and conquest of nature. Here is a three-and-a-half minute video that a friend and I did on that one.

Studying the conquest-meme through film, especially but not exclusively looking at male revenge fantasies, this comes through loud and clear.

I’m glad I found this blog; and I’m glad to have found this piece. And don’t let go of this topic, please. There will be plenty of pressure to do so.

As MacKinnon pointed out, “Rape is not prohibited; it is regulated.”

There will be no kingdom-not-a-kingdom, no on-earth-as-it-is-in-heaven, until our sisters are embraced in your full humanity;;and this is the precondition for our very friendship. This is the most important controversy awaiting resolution for those of us who have been baptized in Christ.

If you download the audio, you can fast forward it and hear it that way too.

-Don-

I didn’t watch the Driscoll video after tiring of the 4 or 5 minute intro and self-promotion. However, since he has blamed everything from poor sex drives to marital infidelity on women, I don’t hold out a lot of hope that he is rational on this topic, either. I would love to be wrong. I just don’t have 73 minutes to watch the linked video above. Perhaps there’s a transcript out there that I can speed read?

Having worked with women who were raped or brutalized by the men in their lives, there have been striking similarities in their stories. Shame (that they were trying to work, travel or socialize and it was ‘late’) and anger (that when they reported it to the police, they were basically told “we rarely catch these guys. are you willing to prosecute?”) as if the detective work would be done based on their personal strength to see the conviction through. It’s a rare person who, in the midst of PTSD, can say “sure let’s go through the hell of a court trial to put the jerk in jail.” They just know that their life as been turned upside down.

What also grieved me, though, when I did an unscientific, on=line data collection through Survey Monkey last year, was that the women who were raped did NOT go to their pastors or spiritual advisors until well after the initial treatment and medical care. They found ER nurses more understanding than a pastor. That grieves me. Men who were raped said that they didn’t even go to the ER.

Until we remove the social stigma of shame and embarrassment from reporting sexual crimes, we won’t get very far in raising the volume on this crime.

Deb

Thank you for your response. I am so sorry for the way you’ve been treated. I think all the points you bring up are incredibly valid and important, and I’m glad you’ve shared them. Everything you’ve said is part of the picture, part of the examination the church will have to go through at some point.

Thanks again,
Jessica