Lovers of Debate and Controversy

It's late again, and I think copying some of what I've written earlier today will need to serve double duty as a blog post.  

What I will paste here was a comment on someone else's post.  In the OP, my Facebook friend said people like to joke about her love for debate on controversial subjects.  She sought to counter that perception of her by saying that speaking out comes at considerable cost.  I believe her.  

Although she did not reference the pandemic specifically, I know that this was often a conflictive topic in her writing.  I agreed with her about pandemic matters, even with less skin in the game than she had. She is motivated by the fact that she is the mother of medically fragile adopted and homemade children.  She has spent many years living abroad, so Amish/Mennonite provincialism seems foreign to her.  She also was drawn to Anabaptism from other religious traditions, and in the past two years was deeply distressed to see people around her seeming to flaunt those humble, loving ways that she thought of as representative of Anabaptism.

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Here's what I wrote:

Miriam Iwashige

I identify with so much of this. Mistakenly being labeled as someone who loves controversy, and wading in anyway when a love for people, for truth, for obedience to the promptings of the Holy Spirit propels us forward . . . Last night I was in a church prayer meeting where someone confessed the personal and collective sin of being more concerned about protecting our rights than exercising our responsibilities. The pandemic was not specifically mentioned, but that's where my mind went immediately.

Earlier, I had latched onto the Scriptures where Jesus stated the two greatest commandments as the bedrock foundation for directing pandemic responses. Getting our heads and hearts straight on rights/responsibilities and loving God and our neighbors would go so much further in showing Jesus to the world than promoting "snake oil" remedies or uncovering conspiracies or clinging to "business as usual" ways of being the church.

I'm happy to say though that I saw people around me doing things exactly right in some of the ways that everyone should have done. Adjusting wedding and funeral plans could happen, as it turns out, as well as finding safe and legal ways to gather and to worship. I know that there were losses and regrets, but I believe that not many people who honored the guidelines the government imposed feel today that not honoring them would have been preferable. On the contrary, they experienced much blessing and even delight, growth, and effectiveness during that time of restricted circulation.

This is getting too long . . . sorry. I still want to mention one more thing: the matter of Christians and politics/government involvement. I believe that the pandemic revealed something that has really gone off the rails in Anabaptist communities: the conflation between right-wing politics and righteousness. The answer is not to veer toward left-wing politics, but to see all of its purposes as belonging to a different realm than the Kingdom of God, and to re-orient ourselves to Kingdom loyalties and purposes.

Thank you [Facebook friend]  for using your voice to speak truth in such kind ways. I'm convinced that it accomplishes more than you'll ever know.

My List for Tomorrow

I just got home from a meaningful prayer and singspiration service.  Now it's time to think again of the things I need to finish before April 1--or at least make a decision on.    I'll start by listing them here:

1.  Placing an order for $50.00 of free merchandise that is offered every quarter as a benefit of our Medicare supplement (Humana).  The available products are all health-related.

2.  Writing down my thoughts on our seating arrangement in church.  Should we continue in the vein of our Amish tradition (with women on one side of the center aisle and men on the other, or mix it up with families sitting together)?  I would personally favor making it more convenient (with shorter benches for moving in and out more easily) for families with very young children to sit as families at the back, with the rest continuing to sit segregated.  I'm sure that this way of doing seems incomprehensible to people who aren't used to this practice.

3.  Deciding on the width of the beds and paths for the Partridge Community Garden.  Thankfully, I'm not doing this alone.

4.  Writing answers to a survey questionnaire about Pilgrim that NY sent me--for data that he will incorporate into a paper that he's writing for a class he's taking at FB.

5.  Relaying to those who need to know that there's compost for sale on the Merle Yoder farm.  It sells for $50.00 for a pickup load.  Some people buy it by the 5-gallon bucketfull.  

    

Cremation, Religious Passion in Politics, and a Husband in the Kitchen

Today we attended Chee's funeral.  Afterward, we went to the cemetery where there was a committal service for the cremated remains of both Chee and her husband Smitty who died a little over three years ago.  I'm told that my three-year-old grandson had a lot of questions about what was happening.  I'm glad he has good parents to explain things 

I have a largely negative feeling about cremation.  Maybe I would also have a negative feeling about embalming and other ways of treating the physical remains of a departed loved one if I knew more about it.  I guess it's just all a rather unpleasant aspect of reality, and I shouldn't borrow trouble by obsessing about it when I really have no decision to make on the matter. 

No doubt my sensibilities have been strongly influenced by convention.  The thing is, conventions in society are in flux, and cremation is becoming quite common.  It's less expensive than embalming and burial of an intact body.  Are there really justifiable reasons for opposing it? From memory, it seemed to me that in the Old Testament the burning of bodies was associated with sin and judgement.  I think I was remembering the story of Achan and his family and how their bodies were disposed of.  This memory may be why it seems disrespectful to me to burn a body.

This website sheds some light on the subject: "In general, the practice of cremation was taken more as a punishment than honor in the Bible. In fact, most people who were burned in the Bible were cursed."  Nevertheless, whoever writes a conclusion on that website feels that there really is no clear biblical instruction either for or against cremation. 

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It's a borrowing-from-Facebook night again.  First , the heavy stuff.  Here's what I posted this morning:

Miriam Iwashige

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Favorite quotes from Michael Gerson's recent column.

" . . . there might be some lessons to be taken from the Thomas-Meadows exchanges. They illustrate many of the reasons that people — including religious people — get disturbed by an outsize role of faith in politics.

· The Christianization of politics makes people in a democracy less persuadable. . . .

· A religious certainty on uncertain matters can blind people to difficult and complex debates. . . .

· Religious passion in politics can easily become tribal, as opponents are transformed into infidels. . . .

· Religious passion can lower the standards to which we hold leaders, since the only real political choice is between a favorable strongman and the social abyss. . . .

· Religious passion in politics can encourage an apocalyptic tone that drives out real deliberation.

"I say all this as a religious person. I say all this because I am a religious person. I believe that religion can raise the moral sights of politics (see the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.) and root our belief in human dignity. But it is the very power of religious conviction that can make people co-opt it with their own passions and beliefs. Instead of being judged and challenged by the best of their faith, they use their faith to judge others. And they move closer and closer toward blasphemy.

The Christian writer and lay theologian C.S. Lewis wrote: “I am a democrat[*] because I believe that no man or group of men is good enough to be trusted with uncontrolled power over others. And the higher the pretensions of such power, the more dangerous I think it both to rulers and to the subjects. Hence Theocracy is the worst of all governments. … The inquisitor who mistakes his own cruelty and lust for power and fear for the voice of Heaven will torment us infinitely more because he torments us with the approval of his own conscience and his better impulses appear to him as temptations.”

The problem, of course, is that this furor is rooted primarily in a theological error. And there is very little that government can do to address it (except for the healthy maintenance of democratic institutions). Oddly for a secular age, our country might be waiting on a theologian equal to the moment."

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*Lewis was British, and did not belong to any American political party. He was using this term in a generic sense. Lewis died in 1963.

You can read the entire column here.  

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Now for a lighter post, also from this morning.

Miriam Iwashige

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What "It's ready" means at mealtime:

When Hiromi speaks: The smoking-hot breakfast griddle, laden with hash browns, eggs, and ham, has just been turned off.

When I speak: The table is set with a plate, filled water glass, and three piece of flatware at each place setting. All the food is in serving bowls or on plates on the table, with a serving utensil in each one. Condiments or minor meal accompaniments (butter, soup crackers, etc.) are at the table, along with anything needed to serve them (pickle forks or tongs, for example).

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Thoughts about meal preparation:

In Hiromi's mind: This is no big deal.

In my mind: Trying to remember so many things can be exhausting (but I still love to cook).

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Note: During most of our marriage, I prepared breakfast for the family. In retirement, since Hiromi has no regular work schedule to commit to, he'd rather cook breakfast for both of us whenever he's ready than to be inconvenienced by breakfast being served before he's ready. I do appreciate his facility in the kitchen and his willingness to use it to benefit us both.

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Several of the comments are too good not to share. I'll refrain from identifying the authors, because I have not asked their permission to share.

First comment: This precisely describes our marriage in this area. It was fun to read.

Second comment:  So true! [husband's name] cooks a lot, but when he wants people to come to the table, often serving utensils are missing for the main dishes, and condiment utensils are always missing. He is sitting at his place waiting to pray, and I am still running around filling in the missing items!

Deconstruction

One of my Facebook friends shared something written by Geoff Warder.  I'll copy it below: 

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"Is the doctrine that slavery is ok still part of mainstream Christian theology?

No? Thank deconstructionists

Is the doctrine of indulgences still part of mainstream Christian theology?

No? Thank deconstructionists.

Is the practice of murdering those who disagree with you still part of mainstream Christian theology?

No? Thank deconstructionists.

Every advancement in Christian theology and practice is because there were followers of Jesus willing to suffer rejection, be dismissed as heretics, and (and in some cases risk their life) to deconstruct the beliefs and practices of the status quo in order to bring us to a place where we resembled Jesus more.

Now we are deconstructing toxic beliefs and practices, (anti gay, pro torment, abuse, power grabbing, etc) in mainstream Western Christianity. Trust the process - we are all going to end up more like Jesus."

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My Facebook friend had posted a meme in connection with this.  The meme is copied below:  

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I'm sure that you can tell by now that deconstruction is being presented as a good thing.  Some of my other FB friends raised questions about what deconstruction is and expressed some doubts about whether it's fair to associate it with Jesus' and the apostle Paul's example and to present it as a good thing. 

Deconstruction is a buzzword in Christian circles (and former Christian circles).  The writer of the original post clarified in the comment thread that she wants people to see deconstruction as a good thing--not to be feared, because it leads people to better places.  It involves burning wood, hay, and stubble to recover the essence of Christian faith. 

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Here's my comment:

I have often wondered why it's not called "reconstruction" instead of "deconstruction." I've heard some explanations of the term deconstruction, but they do not completely satisfy me, for some of the same reasons that [J. W.] mentioned. Basically, I think the goal in examining matters of faith should always be to orient oneself around a better construction (or perhaps simply to edit and add elements judiciously to an already-standing structure)--not merely to dismantle and create wreckage of what is already present. I'm sure that some who call it deconstruction would basically agree with me on this, but if this is what they mean, I wish they'd chose a better word to describe it.

I believe also that it's healthy to invite those in our church fellowship--to whom we are already committed--to share in the process of examining matters of faith. I didn't think of it in these terms, but just yesterday, I asked my SS class to pray for me as I wrestled with a basic element of faith: What does it mean to be saved? Praying the sinner's prayer? Knowing Scripture and giving assent to the basic elements of it that almost all churches teach? Loving others? Confession of sin? Honoring Jesus as Lord? Producing the fruits of the Spirit? A combination? If a combination, in what proportions or sequence or priority? Does it matter--as long as we're responding to the Lord's invitation and doing the best that we know to do?

I'd like to think that in a healthy brotherhood it's safe to "reconstruct" without being destructive. If honesty, kindness, humility and surrender to God are in evidence, any radical shaking up of existing structures (re: the examples in the OP) will result in people looking back on the results and seeing a clear turning from darkness to light. Otherwise, I believe that the action will be perceived primarily as "slashing and burning"--producing a sudden destructive flare that soon dies, leaving nothing valuable in its wake.

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The wood, hay, and stubble reference actually followed my first comment.  In response to that, I wrote this:

 I think I understand your perspective, and I agree to some extent. Still, I believe that the "burning down" is often undertaken too lightly and carelessly, with too little understanding of the fact that what we're calling wood, hay, and stubble, may in fact be more substantive than that--which our impatience keeps us from perceiving.

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I saw just now that someone I don't know addressed me directly with this comment:

Miriam, I've been considering the term a lot, because to me the word has felt off from the first. However, I think it boils down to what you are deconstructing. Church culture and indoctrination? These need to be deconstructed.

Many who I know and love that have embraced the term have taken it to the level of deconstructing their Faith, and I see this as a separate matter entirely.

To be clear, I take no offense at this comment and agree with all of it--except that I have a quibble with sentences three & four:  "Church culture and indoctrination?  These need to be deconstructed." I think saying this is too much like saying "Classroom rules and instruction?  These need to be eliminated."

In my opinion, when we're thinking about church culture and doctrine, a lot more nuance is called for than simply saying "these need to be deconstructed."  I believe, in fact, that most of the culture and the teachings (indoctrination, if you please) that I have received as part of my church life have been a big help in keeping me on track in every area of life--spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and even physically.  Along with the essence of a living faith that grows out of a relationship with Jesus, church culture and doctrine have had a part in making thriving possible. I think I would be foolish to set out to "deconstruct" them.  They're just "mechanics," but even those pedestrian and utilitarian customs, methods, and values have oiled the gears that make the whole "life together" thing work, as well as making it possible to offer a hand to those outside our group.  

Certainly some religious institutions, rituals, and dogmas are not much help to a life of faith.  They may even complicate a wholehearted commitment to following Jesus at times. I suspect though that almost always a life of deep faith can be pursued within any given church structure, and when people feel the need to escape the structure, something besides a relentless pursuit of pure and undefiled religion is often involved. 

The fact that the deconstruction process does sometimes lead to a complete loss of faith (as the last FB comment refers to) is real cause for concern.  The writer says that this is a completely different thing than doing away with church culture and doctrine.  I'm not so sure.  I think all the things she mentions can actually be found on one continuum--sometimes, at least.  I'm not a fan of looking at every tiny detail of every issue and obsessing unduly over questions like this:  If I made this choice in this situation now, where will it lead?"  Yet, the trajectory set at the beginning of a journey determines the destination, unless the course changes along the way.  This is sobering.

Perhaps the most sobering aspect of deconstruction for me is the notion that I as an individual can take charge of deciding what is right and wrong and what I will give assent to and embrace.  My dad often said "It's not our job to decide what is true;  our job is to discover it."  I don't think I can improve on that sentiment as it related to deconstruction.  

More Christians in Politics?

 I'm taking another shortcut today.  I will copy a Facebook post from earlier today, but first, I'll copy what I wrote by way of introduction to some of our ministers when I sent them a copy of the article:

"The writer is David French, whose writing I appreciate perhaps more than that of any other columnist in mainstream media.  He is a Christian, a lawyer by training, and a journalist by profession. This article can be found in The Dispatch, a conservative online news source."

Several of our ministers had said something in church today along some of the same lines, and I thought they would enjoy seeing it written in such eloquent language.  I often feel like French is better at articulating the traditional position of Mennonites in relation to politics than most of conservative Mennonites are doing today.  He is a veteran, as you will see referenced in this column.  I had heard somewhere that he is pacifist, but I haven't been able to corroborate that.  If so, he clearly changed since the Iraq war.  

Miriam Iwashige

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Preach. So much "yes."

Below is an excerpt from a confessional column--a rare phenomenon in journalism. I can't think of a better way for earning respect among believers than to do what Christians are called to do "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed." James 5:16 (KJV)

So very many of us are distressed by the fractures in relationships among citizens and the gaping wounds that we see inflicted by prominent figures and influencers in the public square. No matter our position, we should all care about making things better. Confession and prayer are a good place to begin.

Please read the entire column for a more complete picture of the writer's route to where he "lives" now. Reading it makes me profoundly grateful for being able to arrive at similar understandings by a far more quiet route. All I needed to do was follow the godly example of many who preceded me in the family, the church, and the community.

"I now see that my young desire for “more Christians in politics” and “more respect for Christians in public life” was part of the plank in my eye. Indeed, it helped make me gullible and tribal. I found myself loath to admit or confess sins in the church and quick to defend Christians from external fire. By contrast I was often eager to critique secular cultures and slow to respond when my own narratives came under credible attack.

To be sure, some of the best people in public life proclaim the name of Christ. But so do some of the worst. While some of the most important fights for justice have been led by Christians—including the civil rights and pro-life movements—some of the most destructive political and cultural forces have been loudly and proudly led by Christians as well."

The entire essay can be accessed here.  Please read.  

Writing Duty Done

 Today was Spring Celebration at Pleasantview.  I wasn't planning to attend until I realized that it was the first year that Shane would be introducing his latest business venture to the community as part of this longstanding event.  I thought maybe I should show up in support of that.  The pulled pork sandwiches being served at Skyland Industrial sounded good too.  The whole family was present, including the chubby baby, and other employees were helping out with the logistics.

The building that Shane had been renting on the Fairview Service site is being repurposed as a coffee shop, the project of Rodica, the daughter of the Fairview Service owner.  So Shane purchased a Sturdi-Bilt office/garage combination.  It was in place for today, but the inside was not finished out yet. 

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In other news, Hiromi and I planted eight 15-ft. onion rows today.  One bunch was a mix of Intermediate Day onions (Candy, Super Star, and Red Candy).  I also planted Patterson, the replacement for Copra, which is a long-keeping onion.  The other kind was Red River.  

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This evening the ladies in the Miller family got together at Myron and Rhoda's place.  It was the first of what we hope will be a recurring event.

While we were there, Andrew, (Myron and Rhoda's son), came home from work (at 8:00 pm?).  He had gone to work at 3:45 AM.  Reportedly, the crew he works with poured three times the amount of concrete that another local crew has ever poured in one day.  The owner of the business was my student once upon a day.  This feat does not surprise me as much as a massive volume of schoolwork accomplished in one day would have surprised me earlier.  

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I met someone at Stutzman's today who had apparently driven in from western Kansas.  He reported that there was a massive fire west of Stafford which he saw as he traveled.  Stafford is in the country west of Reno County where I live.  I didn't hear about it from other sources.  I'm happy that the wind was less wild than it was here during the Cottonwood Complex event when 35 homes were lost, plus many outbuildings, pets and farm animals.  One person died. 

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I got my first look this evening at Nelson and Hannah Martin's son Caspian.  He was sober and watchful and contented a good part of the evening, although he has definitely mastered the silent but gravely distressed facial expression to a T.  Nor is he always silent when he's distressed.  He's a handsome child.  

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Bella and Ezra, my sister Lois' grandchildren, are older and much more vocal.  They played happily nearly all evening.  

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My Sunday School class preparation is not finished, and I need to move along, despite having failed to write about anything at all that is significant in anyone's world except mine.

    

A Nature Walk From Gethsemane to Calvary

Today's nature walk with the grandchildren proved to be quite a workout, but it was a wonderful experience.  "Can we come back here?" Wyatt asked as we were leaving.

We drove out and parked at Pack's Ponds, southwest of  the farm home of Randy and Annette Matthias.  This farm is located about one mile north of where my parents raised their family--where our son Shane and his wife live now.  Salt Creek runs through the Packebush-Matthias land roughly from west to east.  It crosses the Partridge-Nickerson Road a little over a mile south of 4th Street. 

We have walked on this property a number of times for nature walks, but today was a markedly different experience for several reasons.  First, the men in the Packebush and Matthias families have done an extraordinary amount of work to clear the pasture of the Locust forest that has taken over what used to be grassland.  On earlier walks, we could never stray far from the broad mowed path that mostly hugged the perimeter of the pasture because of the impenetrable jungle of wickedly thorny trees.  Many of those trees, however, fell recently to a huge saw that cut off trees at ground level, operated by someone seated on a piece of machinery that powered the saw (can you tell that I don't know the name of such a machine and can't really even picture it?).  Another machine pushed everything into huge brush piles, and Randy Matthias came along and painted every stump with Tordon--a chemical treatment that prevents regrowth of the cut trees.  Now the pasture is far more open, and the creek is visible from the walking path.  

The second thing that was different is that the Matthias family has invested in making the walk a reflective, worshipful experience by capitalizing on the season we're in on the Christian calendar.  The trail that they have marked out with arrows on small signs and resting places along the way is .93 miles long, exactly the same distance as the walk from Gethsemane to Calvary.  A cross stands at the end of the trail. 

The third thing that was different today is that the windmill by the ponds was turning slowly, and water was running into one of the ponds in a steady stream from the end of a long pipe connected to the windmill.   

The little open shelter by the ponds is the place to begin the walk to the cross.  Walking sticks are available, and two small galvanized tubs hold other items to make the walk meaningful.  One tub has smooth stones and permanent markers.  All are invited to name a burden they're carrying and write it on a stone.  The stone can be carried to the cross and laid at the foot of it.  The other tub contains tiny crosses made from a snippet of those locust thorns.  It's glued to a paper on which is printed a scripture verse about the death and resurrection of Jesus.  Many different verses are recorded.  Each person who takes the walk may also take a cross -and-verse memento.

Annette Matthias urged us to tell our friends about the opportunity to walk the Gethsemane-to-Calvary trail.  They warmly welcome people to do so.  

I have visions of Sunday School classes, small groups, families, exercising friends, and school children doing the walk together.  If you'd like to do this, contact me or someone else who has taken the walk for more specific instructions on how to get to the trail head, what to expect in terms of walking conditions, etc.  A stroller, wagon, or even a wheelchair could probably be used, or a small powered vehicle like a Gator. The walkway is wide (like a driveway), and it has been smoothed out, so there are no ruts, and no clumps of vegetation create a tripping hazard.  It's level most of the way although the path dips down to cross a huge drainage culvert at one point.  I walked the entire length in walking shoes, after more than an inch of rain earlier this week.  Just so you know--mud is not a huge problem, although the first part of the trail crosses part of a wheat field.

The children marveled, as I did, that the path to the cross was so long.  No wonder Jesus couldn't carry his cross all that way.  Annette told us that her brother Steve would like to learn what a crucifixion cross weighed, and what the length of the pieces was.  Then he would like to recreate a life-sized cross.  

My brother Myron worked on the Packebush farm for many years.  Those farm ponds where the walk begins?  Ask Myron to tell you some time about the time that Pack's pickup rolled right into the pond and sank out of sight.  Myron got the honors of swimming down deep enough to hook a chain onto one part of the truck so that it could be pulled out.  

If you're lucky, you  might see waterfowl on the ponds and in the creek, tiny fish and snails along the shore, kingfishers in the trees, and hawks overhead.  For people with sharper eyes than mine, small songbirds enliven the  scene.  You'll hear familiar bird calls, even if you might not be able to spot them or identify them.  You might see tracks of deer, turkeys, racoons, and other wild animals. Today we saw an armadillo, digging busily at first, then scuttling away to hide under a pile of brush or "old iron."

Randy and Annette are both retired teachers.  I think retirement looks really good on them, and I'm grateful for how they're using their time to bless the community by making this walking trail available to others, as well as in many other ways.    

Women in Today's News

I love Kansas.  I might even have a loyalty bordering on pride when it comes to my home state.  That doesn't keep me from being deeply ashamed at times about what the world knows of Kansas and some of its people.  

Today I felt shame again when I read the story in the news about what the wife of Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas has been up to.  Her name is Virginia (Ginny) Lamp Thomas.  She was apparently in direct conversation with people in the White House and others who were part of the Trump administration, strongly promoting efforts to keep Biden out of the White House after January 20.  The events of January 6 were part of the effort she supported.  

As it turned out, it is actually Nebraskans that might more properly feel shame.  My memory was just a smidgen faulty, and I thought Mrs. Thomas was from Hutchinson, Kansas.  I was going by memory from events in 1991 when her husband, Clarence Thomas, was under consideration for appointment to the Supreme Court. A former employee of his named Anita Hill came forward at that time with allegations that he had sexually harassed her.  

Virginia Thomas had a sister living in Hutchinson, and our local newspaper printed a story about the local connection.  It was a lengthy article, as I recall, and made much of how severely both Clarence Thomas and his wife suffered through the confirmation ordeal, and how unjust the accusations were that Anita Hill brought up.  

Anita Hill was in largely uncharted territory when she went public about her experience.  It was certainly the first time in my memory that so much publicity was given to the sexually harassing behavior of a public figure.  I don't remember that the fact that both Thomas and Hill are black was a significant point of interest in the unfolding story, but now, in retrospect, I wonder how different the coverage might have been if one of them had been white.  Ironically, some of the offensive language that Thomas allegedly used in Hill's presence is very similar to that which a former president of the United States used in public--and he still won a presidential election, supported by many evangelicals.  A lot has changed in 30 years.

Fortunately I don't remember the name of the local person who is a relative of Virginia Thomas'.  Here is Dan Rather's newsletter about the breaking news on Ginny Thomas. 

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Ketanji Brown Jackson is a black woman who is currently undergoing confirmation hearings for the Supreme Court of the United States.  I haven't watched the hearings, but I've heard corroborating reports from several sources that some of the questioning was "jackassery," as Republican Senator Ben Sasse from Nebraska put it--perhaps a bit too colorfully.  Sasse believed that cameras in the courtroom make it tempting to those who are running for re-election to use the hearings as a campaign opportunity.  Ted Cruz asked Jackson, for example, if she can define what a woman is.  She didn't take the bait.  Here's what Isaac Saul in today's issue of "Tangle" said about that exchange:  "When Ted Cruz is checking his Twitter mentions two minutes after he's done "questioning" a Supreme Court justice (he was really just interrupting, delivering monologues and implying she had a soft spot for pedophiles), it's clear what the game is."

I ventured into a Facebook conversation this afternoon that had controversy written all over it (I couldn't seem to help myself).  The OP was about Jackson refusing to define "woman" in response to Cruz' "questioning." The person posting felt that this was the crux of a big problem:  people can't seem to acknowledge plain truth.  

One person commented who had a contrarian view.  Essentially, I took her to be saying that she doesn't believe that determining what a woman is is as simple as examining external body parts.  I learned a lot from an article to which she posted a link, although even before I read the article I could see that it was indeed wise to allow for some nuance in how sex is defined.  How gender is defined should be even more nuanced.  Here are two of my comments on that post:

First comment:

I first became aware of the fact that some "girls" in fact have an XY chromosome pattern when I was having babies. I gave birth only to boys who all have XY chromosomes, as far as I know. What interested me though about learning this is that it explained that in some large all-girl families, a portion of the girls have sometimes been discovered to have XY chromosome patterns. As I recall (getting on shaky ground here because I haven't looked it up recently), a second "prompt" of some kind must occur after conception for an XY-chromosomed individual to go on to develop with typical male characteristics. If this does not occur, the baby is born "female" by all appearances and in all typical ways of biological functioning. Reproduction can happen normally, for example. The article you've linked to expands on something I first learned of nearly 40 years ago, and I want to come back to reading it entirely soon. If SCOTUS nominee Jackson knows what the writer of this article knows, it makes perfect sense that she is reluctant to define "woman." Thanks for posting the link.

Second comment:

I'm currently reading the book Tomboy: The Surprising History and Future of Girls Who Dare to be Different. I'm not very far into it, but one of the big takeaways for me so far is how very many of our associations with gender are culturally defined and have nothing to do with how individuals are made. Pink and blue? When our oldest boy was born, we received a beautiful pink hand-crocheted baby afghan from his Japanese grandmother. In what "universe" was that a faux pas? A very inflexible, uncharitable, immature one, IMHO. I think some of the other gender definitions we mindlessly ascribe to have similarly indefensible roots.

The bottom line for me in these discussions of sex and gender is that God's design of male and female persons is good.  We do well to celebrate people like both Adam and Eve.  We also do well to recognize that God delights in each individual who has been born since Adam and Eve, despite the fact that everyone's DNA is more muddled than was the case for the first two humans. 

I love simple, straightforward definitions of words like man and woman.  Indeed, for most situations, the simplest definitions will do.  For rare cases, like when someone ends up with a genetic code for sex like XXY or XYY, or when someone is trying to score points with a partisan political group during the vetting of a SCOTUS nominee, a great deal of reticence to make definitive pronouncements is not only permissible, but it is mandatory.