Michelle Bachmann and submission

I think I have shown remarkable restraint in not posting about Michelle Bachmann's answer to the "as President would you submit to your husband?" question from the recent GOP debate. It is kind of in my wheelhouse with the whole confluence of gender, the church and politics all in one. But my good friend and brother Josh Gelatt took up the gauntlet in light of what Michelle Bachmann said and more specifically what Stephen Prothero said. Prothero, writing for CNN, claimed that Bachmann responded to the question by addressing respect, not submission and thereby ducked the question. In his post, Michelle Bachmann's Wonderfully Biblical Answer, Josh takes issue with Prothero's statement.

But it is Prothero who misunderstands. The companion passage to Col 3:18 is Ephesians 5:22, which is more well known and most likely serves as the basis for Bachmann's earlier comments about submitting to her husband. In Ephesians 5:21 Paul commands all believers to "submit to one another", and then he gives several ways that submission should take place. Verses 22-33 are specifically about the mutual submission within the marriage relationship. Verses 22-24 deal with the wife's submission to her husband, and verse 25-32 deal with the husband's submission to his wife. He then offers a summary of his entire argument in verse 33.

There is more to his argument obviously but for the sake of space, I only reprinted a paragraph. You should read the rest. This is my lengthy comment to Josh:

I am also not a huge fan of Bachmann and I liked her answer even less.

A couple of thoughts regarding "mutual submission" Certainly Christians are to submit to one another (Eph 5:21). However as you say Paul's thoughts don't end there. Paul launches next into a series of examples of submitting to/obeying others using the example of husbands/wives, parents/children and masters/slaves.

Paul uses the imagery of the church and Christ in Ephesians 5, verses 23-30. As Christ is the head of the church, so the husband is the head of the wife. The church submits to Christ and Christ loves the church so much that He gave Himself for her. Likewise the wife is to submit to her husband and the husband is to love his wife. Would you describe the relationship between the church and Christ as mutual submission?

In speaking of submission and giving examples, Paul gives several examples as you point out, examples which continue into chapter six. Paul says that slaves should obey their masters. Is mutual submission expected there? Paul also says that children should obey their parents. Is mutual submission being demonstrated in those relationships? My believing children are not on equal footing with me, especially not now given their age. I love them but I do not submit to them. Likewise Paul tells masters who own slaves to stop threatening their slaves. Not that they should free them (although certainly one would hope that would be the case but the example of Onesimus and Philemon is instructive where Onesimus is now more than a slave but a slave still nonetheless, Philemon 1:16 ). The relationship between slave and master is still intact even though they ultimately have the same master in God. I just don't see mutual submission set forth as the standard in any of the three examples Paul addresses.

Wives should submit to their husbands "in everything" just as the church submits to Christ in everything. Husbands should love their wives as Christ loves the church. Children should obey, i.e. submit, to their parents and parents, esp. fathers, should love their children and not provoke them to anger. Slaves should obey their masters and master should treat their slaves as is fitting in love, knowing that both slave and master (and parents and children, husbands and wives) have one who is Master over all. It is instructive that nowhere do we see anyone called to compel anyone else to submit/obey. A wife's submission to her husband is an act of obedience to Christ just as a husband's love for his wife is an act of obedience. We cannot and should not try to make anyone submit to us but we should seek to obey God out of love and obedience to Him.

I don't think we should spend a bunch of time trying to make people submit to us. I find it unseemly when those who are supporters of clericalism suggest that Christians who are not "under the authority of godly men" are in disobedience and perhaps not even regenerate. Likewise I don't feel the need to "make" my wife submit to me. Having said that I wish Michelle Bachmann would have answered differently. Much as I dislike Prothero I think he is right, she avoided the question and as he also pointed out when you make your evangelicalism a part of your personae as a candidate, you need to be ready to "give an answer" just as Mitt Romney is going to get questions about his mormon underwear. What do we expect from a press that is antagonistic to any expression of faith? She should have answered yes or no or refused to answer the question. Her response was a dodge. She knows what the questioner was getting at and I found her answer to be inadequate and inaccurate.