Interpreting theology: Why did God create Eve in Genesis?
Editor's note: As part of our commitment to foster civil conversations in Viewpoints, we're inviting faith leaders to submit edited versions of their homilies that transcend religion, with messages that can appeal to people of all faith traditions.
Just like elections matter, theology matters. It can be wielded as a weapon or applied as a balm.
For generations, people have abused the creation stories in Genesis, misusing them to assert the power of men over women, and endorse straight relationships but not queer relationships. Most recently, those stories have been used to attack the transgender community.
These are not the only interpretations, of course. They are the ones that conservative, evangelical Christianity tells using its outside voice, as its mostly white and patriarchal leadership seeks to establish and maintain power and control.
As it turns out, those same stories offer us a theological foundation for equity, mutual aid and trust.
In the first creation story in Genesis 1, God declares everything good — dry land, waters, vegetation, animals and creepy crawlers. The only variation comes with the creation of humans. Instead of good, God calls us very good.
But in the second creation story found in Genesis 2, we do not find a series of declarations about the goodness of creation. This story is set apart in that God finds something not good.
In this version, God has formed 'āḏām (a human — more commonly known to us the name Adam) out of the dust and breathed the breath of life into the human. But then God realizes, “It is not good that the human should be alone.”
Notice that God does not say, “It is not good for Adam to make his own sandwiches.” No. God says, “It is not good for the human to be alone.” Isolation and lack of connection are explicitly named as “not good.” Even after God forms all the animals and lets Adam name all of them, it is still not good. God tries again, this time with success. Eve becomes Adam’s partner, his helper.
Throughout scripture, the word translated “helper” (ezer) describes creatures, humans and God’s own self. Scholar Phillys Trible reminds us that ‘ezer’ suggests equality, the specific kind of helper that is a necessary counterpart; one who fits the needs that the first cannot handle by themselves.
As it turns out, this story is not about power and control, but about our need for one another as humans.
And what is Adam’s response to this helper? Adam does not say, “Finally, someone to make me feel like a man!”
No. Adam says: “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.” We can almost hear the relief in his voice. Adam is so very glad to see another human being, someone else made of the same stuff — bone and flesh.
What a remarkable story about humanity — one human recognizing another human, someone else made of the same stuff, and finally feeling seen, knowing that they have someone to make a life with.
How different this world would be if we saw one another like Adam saw Eve ― made of the same stuff, a partner, a helper and someone to delight in.
Perhaps we would spend less time trying to control one another, dictate who can use which restroom or govern in ways that further enrich the wealthy and more deeply devastate the poor.
There is no question which theology God would choose. But which will we?
The Rev. Lori Allen Walke is senior minister at Mayflower Congregational United Church of Christ.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Creation stories in Genesis are about humanity, not gender roles
