Bonus Post: Stop Forcing American Values into Scripture

This series has systematically dismantled misinterpretations that distort the gospel’s integrity, using Greek and Hebrew texts to affirm women’s leadership in the church (Parts 1–6). From exposing complementarian errors in Romans 16:7 (apostolos), 1 Corinthians 14:34–36 (sigatōsan), and 1 Timothy 2:12 (authentein) to clarifying adelphoi’s inclusivity and kephalē’s meaning as “source,” the series has rooted its arguments in scripture’s original languages and contexts. Yet, a broader issue looms: the tendency to impose modern American cultural values—specifically rigid gender roles (man/woman) and socioeconomic divides (rich/poor)—onto biblical texts. Scripture was not written with America in mind. Modern American culture, with its individualism, consumerism, and hierarchical norms, more closely resembles Babylon’s self-aggrandizement than Israel’s covenant community. American “Churchianity,” shaped by these values, often diverges from biblical Christianity’s call to equality, humility, and universal grace. This bonus episode critiques these distortions, arguing that forcing American cultural lenses onto scripture obscures the gospel’s transformative power.

Scripture’s Context: Not America, but Ancient Near East and Greco-Roman World

The Bible was written in specific historical and cultural contexts: the Hebrew scriptures in the ancient Near East and the New Testament in the Greco-Roman world. These contexts shaped its language, imagery, and imperatives, which differ starkly from modern American assumptions. Israel’s covenant community emphasized collective identity and dependence on God (Deuteronomy 7:6–8), while the New Testament addressed diverse, often marginalized, communities under Roman rule (1 Corinthians 1:26–29). America, with its emphasis on individual achievement, material wealth, and gendered hierarchies, aligns more with Babylon’s pride and excess in Revelation 18:2–7 than with Israel’s humble reliance on God. Israel, as a historical and ongoing covenant people (Romans 11:1–2), bears little resemblance to America’s cultural landscape, yet American Christians often read scripture through their own cultural biases, distorting its meaning.

Gender Roles: American Patriarchy vs. Biblical Equality

American culture often projects rigid gender roles onto scripture, assuming male dominance and female subordination as universal norms. This mirrors complementarian misreadings of kephalē (head) as hierarchical authority rather than “source” (1 Corinthians 11:3; Part 3; Fee 1987, 502–5) and sigatōsan (keep silent) as a universal ban on women’s speech rather than a context-specific call for order in Corinth (1 Corinthians 14:34–36; Part 5; Paige 2002, 241). The Greek term adelphoi (brothers and sisters), used inclusively for mixed congregations (Romans 1:13; Part 4), and roles like diakonos (Phoebe, Romans 16:1) and apostolos (Junia, Romans 16:7) affirm women’s leadership in the early church. Similarly, ‘ēzer (helper, Genesis 2:18) denotes an egalitarian partner, as seen in Deborah’s leadership (Judges 4–5; Part 3; Trible 1978, 90–92). These texts clash with American patriarchal norms, which often prioritize male authority over biblical equality.

In American “Churchianity,” gender roles are shaped by cultural ideals of masculinity (strength, leadership) and femininity (submissiveness, domesticity), rooted more in 1950s suburban ideals than in scripture. Galatians 3:28—“there is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female [arsen kai thēly], for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (NIV)—abolishes such distinctions in God’s kingdom. Imposing American gender norms onto scripture distorts the gospel’s egalitarian vision, marginalizing women and contradicting the Spirit’s universal outpouring (Acts 2:17–18).

Socioeconomic Divides: American Consumerism vs. Biblical Justice

American culture’s obsession with wealth and status also distorts biblical teachings. The prosperity gospel, prevalent in American Churchianity, equates material success with divine favor, reflecting consumerist values rather than scripture’s call to justice and generosity. Jesus’ teachings in Luke 12:15 (“life does not consist in an abundance of possessions”) and James 2:1–5 (“has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith?”) condemn favoritism toward the wealthy. The early church shared resources communally (Acts 2:44–45), a stark contrast to America’s individualism and economic stratification.

Scripture’s economic ethic, rooted in the Hebrew tsedeq (justice, righteousness; Deuteronomy 16:20) and the Greek dikaiosynē (righteousness; Matthew 6:33), prioritizes care for the poor and marginalized. American readings often spiritualize these terms, ignoring their socioeconomic implications. For example, the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19–31) warns against wealth-hoarding, yet American Churchianity sometimes celebrates prosperity as a sign of God’s blessing, echoing Babylon’s “luxury” and “splendor” (Revelation 18:7). This misreading elevates the rich/poor divide, alienating the gospel’s call to equality and humility.

American Churchianity vs. Biblical Christianity

American Churchianity often blends cultural values—individualism, consumerism, and hierarchical gender roles—with Christian rhetoric, creating a hybrid that deviates from biblical Christianity. Revelation 18 portrays Babylon as a city of pride, wealth, and self-reliance, qualities mirrored in America’s cultural emphasis on personal success and national exceptionalism. Biblical Christianity, by contrast, calls believers to humility (Philippians 2:3–4), community (1 Corinthians 12:12–26), and dependence on God’s grace (Ephesians 2:8–9). The early church’s diversity—Jews, Gentiles, slaves, free, men, women (adelphoi, Romans 16:1–16)—reflects a radical inclusivity that challenges American divisions.

The imposition of American values onto scripture also undermines the voluntary nature of faith, a theme central to this series (Parts 5–6) and the critique of Calvinism’s double-predestination. Just as forcing belief contradicts God’s loving character (John 3:16–17; Romans 10:9–11), imposing cultural norms distorts the gospel’s universal call. The Greek pisteuō (to believe) in John 3:16 and homologeō (to confess) in Romans 10:9 emphasize personal choice, not cultural conformity. American Churchianity’s tendency to prioritize cultural ideals over scripture risks creating a gospel that serves national identity rather than God’s kingdom.

Cultural Lenses and Biblical Misreadings

Two examples illustrate how American values distort scripture:

1. Gender and Leadership: American Churchianity often restricts women’s roles based on cultural assumptions of male headship, misreading kephalē and authentein (1 Timothy 2:12; Parts 3, 5). In the Greco-Roman context, women like Phoebe and Junia led mixed congregations (Romans 16:1–7; Part 2), and prophēteuō (prophesying, 1 Corinthians 11:5) included women’s public speech. Applying American patriarchal norms obscures these roles, limiting the church’s witness.
2. Wealth and Status: The American dream’s emphasis on wealth distorts passages like Matthew 6:19–21 (“store up treasures in heaven”). Prosperity teachings ignore warnings against materialism (1 Timothy 6:10) and the call to care for the poor (Matthew 25:35–40). This aligns with Babylon’s excess, not the sacrificial love of Christ’s kingdom.

These misreadings reflect a broader pattern: American Christians often approach scripture as a mirror of their culture, not a challenge to it. The Bible, written in contexts far removed from modern America, demands humility and cultural self-awareness to interpret faithfully.

Theological Implications for Today

The gospel’s universal and egalitarian message—rooted in adelphoi, arsen kai thēly, and pisteuō—calls the church to reject American cultural impositions. Biblical Christianity transcends gender and socioeconomic divides, affirming women’s leadership (Parts 1–6) and care for the marginalized (James 2:5). It demands voluntary faith, not cultural conformity, as seen in the Great Commission’s call to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19, matheteusate). Modern churches must confront American Churchianity’s tendencies to elevate patriarchy and prosperity, embracing scripture’s countercultural vision of equality, humility, and justice.

This aligns with the series’ rejection of coercive interpretations, whether complementarian restrictions on women (Parts 5–6) or Calvinist double-predestination. Just as forcing belief undermines God’s love, imposing American values distorts His kingdom. The church must read scripture through its original contexts—ancient Israel and the Greco-Roman world—not through the lens of American exceptionalism or consumerism.

Conclusion

Scripture was not written with America in mind. Its call to equality (adelphoi, Galatians 3:28), justice (tsedeq, dikaiosynē), and voluntary faith (pisteuō, homologeō) challenges American Churchianity’s patriarchal and consumerist distortions. By likening modern America to Babylon rather than Israel, we recognize the need for humility in interpreting texts from ancient contexts. Rejecting American values of man/woman and rich/poor restores the gospel’s transformative power, calling the church to embody biblical Christianity’s inclusive, grace-filled mission.

Bibliography

Bauer, Walter, Frederick W. Danker, William F. Arndt, and F. Wilbur Gingrich. 2000. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3rd ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Fee, Gordon D. 1987. The First Epistle to the Corinthians. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

Paige, Terence. 2002. “The Social Matrix of Women’s Speech at Corinth: The Context and Meaning of the Command to Silence in 1 Corinthians 14:33b–36.” Bulletin for Biblical Research 12, no. 2: 217–42.

Trible, Phyllis. 1978. God and the Rhetoric of Sexuality. Philadelphia: Fortress Press.