Sex Difference in Christian Theology: Male, Female, and Intersex in the Image of God by Megan K. Defranza

Sex Difference in Christian Theology: Male, Female, and Intersex in the Image of God Reviews

• 
  David

  This book was not what I expected, but in a good way. I thought this was going to be a book talking about intersexed persons, maybe analyzing a bit of science and scripture to come to some conclusion on how the Church ought to relate to these too-often invisible persons. The book does include much of that, but it is so much more.
  
  DeFranza does explain the many varieties of intersex persons and it is much, much deeper than I ever knew. This chapter is one that could educate many of us and I will return to if needed. She then goes into detail on the place of intersex persons throughout history. This includes discussing eunuchs in the Bible, we do appear to be a third sex apart from male and female, as well as discussing plenty of Greek philosophers and others. One big point here that she emphasizes that the existence of intersex persons has been spoken of for milliennia and that they were honored by Jesus in his words on eunuchs and have long found places of service and leadership in the church..
  
  From this, she argues that the existence of intersex persons can force us to develop stronger theological anthropology. In this she hits on a similar point that James Brownson did in his book I just finished: are the creation stories of Adam and Eve emphasizing difference or similarity? Conservative theology argues the focus is on difference, thus marriage is a bringing together of difference. DeFranza, like Brownson, argues the emphasis is on similarity (“bone of my bones, flesh of my flesh”). Through this, she argues Adam and Eve are significant not as paradigms for how we all should be but as progenitors of a diverse human race which includes intersex persons. Thus, intersex is not something to be corrected in the eschaton.
  
  As a side note, in this she touches on theology written from disabled perspectives and others. This reminds me of Grace Ji-Sun Kim’s book Intersectional Theology which calls the church to listen to more diverse voices than we have in the past. I was a bit hard on that book, as I love church history and think there has been more diversity than Kim gave credit for. Yet, there is still some truth that “theology” proper is differentiated from “black liberation” or “feminist” theology, as if only black people or women have bias. The reality is, we all have so many blind spots and...yeah, DeFranza has given me some books to read. That said, she is critical of some theologies she mentions and appears to remain more conservative and traditional then might be expected.
  
  She works to decenter the masculinity of Jesus by decentering sex and gender in what it means to be human. It is a basic question: if Jesus is fully divine and fully human, the quintessential human, what does this mean for women? We all are called to become like Jesus. Must women become men? (Some in history have argued as much). DeFranza argues that male, female and intersex are all created in the image of God and called to become like Christ who is the image of the true human, not male perfection.
  
  Overall, pretty brilliant work.
• 
  Claire Gilligan

  A fascinating, rigorous, valuable contribution to the discussion on gender in Christianity!
  
  By focusing her research on intersex persons, an undeniable physical reality, the author seems to be taking a first baby step toward bridging the vast gap between traditional Christianity and queer theory. She writes from a Roman Catholic/Evangelical perspective, and from what I can tell from my RC perspective, she doesn't especially distort either. She preserves important nuances throughout, leaving her suggestions sometimes uncomfortable to the conservative theologian but never making an intellectual leap nor omitting an obvious objection.
  
  I can't speak to the scholarship on the intersex or queer theory, although it seemed good. Her focused history fit with what I know, and she offered intriguing interpretations of both important biblical texts and common theological concepts (the latter is often lacking in what little queer theology I've encountered). She invokes theologians who argue for any number of positions, such that a reader looking to see the Church's sexual teachings changed will find sympathetic arguments, but so will the reader looking to retain those same teachings. This book is essential!
  
  I will especially take away with me the reframing of the way in which we were created in the imago Dei: as essentially social creatures, just as the Trinity is inseparably communio. How truly lovely!
  
  A small critique: I can't speak to her summation of Grenz's work, but her summary of JPII's theology of the body seemed more like a summary of a common inferior interpretation of TOB. It's still an important widespread position to be debunked, but I'm hard-pressed to think that JPII was really positing the marital bond as the prototypical relationship for ALL human relationships!
• 
  Josh

  Defranza's book is well researched in postmodern theologians, while almost completely ignoring alternative theological proposals (the general exception is her engagement with Roman Catholic theology). She dismisses proposals that locate intersex as "result of the Fall" without ever interacting with them, and almost completely elides a discussion of how procreation relates to the (also dismissed) "binary" view of the human body. The result is a book that has assumed its conclusion (the phenomenon of intersex destroys the gender binary and must be accounted for in theology) without ever evaluating its soundness.
• 
  Dylan Worrell

  In a word: Thorough. Not the most readable (289 pages in 6 chapters) and very scholarly in tone, but she does go through some interesting history of how the Church has responded to people who don’t fall into the male/female binary over the centuries. I think she could have accomplished her goals with a much shorter book. Not my favorite, but still a useful read.
• 
  Annika

  I am revising my rating for this book. I was originally feeling a 3.5 and went with a 3. However, I have realized that some of my disappointments came from my own expectations. For some reason (likely because of who gave me this book) I had expected this book to focus even more on intersex people in Christian spaces. It certainly does cover this, but it does so in context of the wider discussion of sex difference as a whole in Christianity. This is the literal title of the book, so I have only myself to blame for any unmet expectations.
  For it's actual stated purpose, the book does an excellent job tracing how gender had been seen through the history of Christianity. Although dry at times, the book is thorough and not difficult to read. I have found now that when I read other books on similar subjects, this book is frequently called to mind and deepens my understanding of my current read.
• 
  Nick Bersin

  This is hands-down one of the most important books for the church today. DeFranza's careful attention to both conservative theology and the lived reality of intersexed persons is rare and badly needed.
• 
  Andy

  This is an excellent contribution about identity and gender in particular in relation to intersex persons and their full place amid humanity and the heart of God.
  Not a light read but well worth engaging with
• 
  W Tyler

  This book is a must-read for Christians interested in the theological dimensions of questions of gender identity and sexuality. DeFranza treats a narrow topic - the place of intersex people in the Church and how conservative theologians might make space for them in their anthropology - and only touches lightly on the wider issues around LGBTQ+ people and the Church. This narrow focus is a strength and makes for a deep theological discussion that is not only engaging and meaningful but also thoroughly enjoyable.
  
  After briefly introducing a variety of intersex conditions that are recognized by the medical community, DeFranza spends the first half of the book outlining the history of Western Christian thought about biological sex. She argues convincingly that the ancients assented to a sex/gender hierarchy, with women at the bottom, men at the top, and eunuchs/intersex somewhere in the middle. In essence, there was only one sex - male - and women (and intersex people) were thus seen as (physically and morally) degenerate versions of men. This was in keeping with wider Roman culture and may have helped the early Christian church win its respectability. At the same time, however, this way of looking at things was at odds with Jesus' elevation of the eunuch as a model of discipleship (Matthew 19:1-12) and with Paul's insistence that in Christ "there is no longer male or female" (Galatians 3:28). In practice, however, space was made for the intersex to take on a traditional gender role so long as they did not bring about disorder by switching their gender role after it had been chosen. After the Industrial Revolution, when men first left their households for the sake of work, women were elevated to the status of being their own sex. Along with this came a shift towards a complementarian (rather than hierarchical) view of gender roles, as well as a shift towards "correcting" the intersex through surgery. By the time of Karl Barth in the 20th century, theology had taken a turn towards emphasizing how the image of God is expressed through our relationality. Marriage became the key human model for the "I-Thou" relationship between Christ and the Father, but as a result those who could not enter into traditional marriages (including the intersex) were kept from seeing themselves as being made fully in the image of God.
  
  From here DeFranza attempts to open up space for the intersex in conservative Christian theology, exploring what the implications may be if we pay attention to and include the intersex rather than closing our ears to them. She reframes Adam and Eve as fountainheads for human diversity in age, language, race, sex, etc. rather than as archetypes (male/female) that all people must conform to. This makes sense so long as biological sex is not more essential to personal identity than these other variables. She notes the tendency of theologians to ignore the Holy Spirit when considering the "I-Thou" relationship between Christ and the Father, suggesting that including the Holy Spirit in this picture "does not undermine duality but opens up the kinds of relations possible by moving beyond two subjects in relation". Similarly, she suggests that we may include the intersex in our anthropology without demolishing the concepts of male/female; it is not the far ends of the continuum that are harmful, but rather the absolute binary that excludes the possibility of any middle ground. Ultimately we must look to Jesus to tell us what the image of God looks like in us, but even here we must be careful not to make too much of Jesus' maleness. Though perhaps unlikely, it is possible that Jesus was intersexed; in any case, imagining him in this way forces us to open up space for the real intersexed among us. Deriving our ultimate identity from Christ also implies a decentering of our "natural" identities along the lines of race, gender, sexuality, etc. By not taking our own biological sex so seriously, we can again open up room for others who do not fit the typical categories of male/female.
  
  DeFranza's tone throughout is gracious and irenic, so if anyone has a chance of getting through to conservative Christians on the topic of intersex, I think it is her. I worry that her openness to other possibilities in gender and sexuality will cause her arguments to fall on deaf ears, but in my view it is that very openness which makes her work so commendable.
• 
  Ashley

  This book exposed me to a population I didn’t really know existed - those whose bodies are clearly male or female. I suppose I knew it was possible, but not how common and wide-ranging. And it sheds light on how our binary system (you’re either this or that. Full stop) is so harmful. We really need to practice more humility here, there’s so much we don’t know or understand.
  However, this book was really dense and hard to get through. I’d love a more entry level book on the topic.
• 
  K Kriesel

  Essential to any Christian
• 
  Carrie Lynne

  Really scholarly. Not a light read. I learned a ton though.
• 
  Paul

  What does it mean to be made in the image of God when you're born outside of the culturally imposed binary system of the sexes? Megan DeFranza asks this important and timely question and brings together a mixture of history, anthropology, theology and gender studies in an effort to answer it in a way that addresses the concerns of conservative Catholics and evangelical Protestants. Whether she succeeds in addressing those concerns is not for me to say, but I found helpful DeFranza's two-pronged argument: 1) that Adam and Eve represent not a paradigmatic template regarding sex, gender or sexuality but rather a starting point from which human diversity has grown to include gay, transgender and intersex individuals, and 2) that while Jesus cites Adam and Eve as male and female examples for marrriage, he also praises eunuchs – including those "born that way" – as examples worthy of emulation. Thus, DeFranza argues, there is room for the intersex to see themselves as made in God's image and included in Christ's incarnation.
  
  DeFranza pushes back against the efforts of more liberal theologians who find in the intersexed a reason to upend heteronormativity more generally, but it seems clear that she doesn't necessarily disagree either. Mainly, DeFranza seems concerned that using the intersexed in this way is likely to harm their ability to find acceptance among churches that tend to be more conservative – never mind that some intersex individuals do not themselves agree with the effort to overthrow the conservative heteronormative hegemony.
  
  I learned a lot from this book; DeFranza describes the history of intersex both in western culture and in the church, and she surveys the history of interpretation regarding Jesus' comments about eunuchs. She also briefly delves into the history of theological anthropology, a fancy phrase for how theologians have described the image of God as it pertains to men and women and their practical interactions. In the end, she finds that under the category of "eunuch" the intersexed had found a measure of acceptance, even privilege, in some eras of the church, but with the rise of Enlightenment modernism, the existence of intersex threatened the neat binary categories and was shoved to the shadows (or medically "corrected"). With the rise of postmodernism and the collapse of modernist hubris, DeFranza sees a new dawn for acknowledging the intersexed, welcoming them as fully imaged parts of the divine creation and allowing them to embrace their identity – both as intersexed individuals and, more important, as members of the body of Christ.
  
  Although addressing intersex specifically, DeFranza's book is worth reading for anyone interested in the hard work of bringing the historically marginalized – women, intersex and LGBT individuals – into the church in a way that accepts and respects their identity but also moves them toward a fuller identity in the embracing arms of Jesus. But be warned: This was a Ph.D. dissertation, so it is a dense read that I hope will eventually be rewritten for the popular level. Until then, by all means make the investment in this well-researched, thought-provoking book.
• 
  Melisa Blankenship

  This is a very well written and thorough look at the topic of intersex. She takes time to look at all of the physiological. Sons of intersexuality, she looks at the cultural history of how society has dealt with gender in general as well as the history of how the church has approached gender issues. In the second half of the book she looks at some theological positions and how they are supported or not supported scripture.
• 
  Bryan

  Excellent book on the often neglected topic of intersex and Christian theology. The author adds a nuanced balance to the topic, showing how the church can be accepting of intersexed individuals, yet still true to Biblical sexual ethics. Defranza is probably too liberal in her approach for many conservative Christians, but I don't see how to support a more conservative approach and still respect intersexed individuals for show they are. Although well written, Defranza does sometimes become hard to follow, and at times is repetitive and somewhat disorganized. Still, a valuable contribution to the topic.
• 
  Billie

  This is a great book. Lots of good information and DeFranza does a great job bringing the broader "conservative" Christian theological traditions and recent science into conversation over the topic of sex differences. I do wish that the book contained more of DeFranzas own original theology, in some places it felt more like a (well done) lit review of other theologians.
• 
  Ellis S

  Dense. I know this started out as a dissertation but it still reads like one, which is unfortunate because there's some good material, it's just not written in a way that makes it accessible or engaging to the lay person, non-academic theologian type believer
• 
  Delle Mccormick

  I agree that this reads like a dissertation, but I found it riveting and learned a lot. It's a clergy must read.