The new relatedness for man and woman in Christ: a mirror of the divine

157 Pages·1993·3.413 MB·English

by  V. Norskov Olsen

The
New Relatedness
for
Man and Woman
in
Christ
A Mirror o ft he Divine
V. Norskov Olsen
The New Relatedness
for
Man & Woman in Christ
A Mirror of the Divine
V. Norskov Olsen
Loma Linda University
Center for Christian Bioethics
Loma Linda, California
1993
Copyright ©1993
Loma Linda University Center for Christian Bioethics
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any
manner without written permission of the publisher
except in the case of brief quotations embodied in
critical articles and reviews.
For information regarding Scripture references, please
see page 148.
Printed in the U.S.A.
Olsen, V. Norskov (Viggo Norskov)
The new relatedness for man and woman in
Christ: a mirror of the divine / V. Norskov Olsen,
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
. ISBN 1-881127-01 -X : $9.95
1. Man (Christian theology) 2. Trinity. 3. Men
(Christian theology) 4. Woman (Christian theology)
5. Interpersonal relations—Religious Aspects—
Christianity. I. Title.
BT702.046 1993
233'.5—dc20 93-13440
Indexes: Duane M. Covrig, Amy R. Timmons
Cover Design: Kelley Herr-Roadruck

Statements on the Topic
God said, "Let us make humankind in our image..." So God
created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created
them, male and female he created them.
—Genesis 1: 26, 271
That is the immense double statement, of a lapidary simplicity,
so simple indeed that we hardly realize that with it a vast world of
myth and Gnostic speculation, of cynicism and asceticism, of the
deification of sexuality and fear of sex completely disappears. It
seems so incredibly naive to couple the statement that 'man was
made in the image of God' with the statement that God 'created
them, one man and one woman.' And yet in the whole long
history of man's understanding of himself this statement has only
been made once and at this point. Otherwise, in a hundred
different ways, man has always said something else which
contradicts this statement; sometimes he says too little and
sometimes too much; sometimes one aspect or another of the
problem has been over-emphasized; at other times men have
cursed the fact that it exists at all. On account of this one state­
ment alone the Bible shines out among all other books in the
world as the Word of God. So there is a connexion between these
two statements: God created man in His image, and He created
him as man and woman. It will be worthwhile thinking deeply
about this, that we too may say neither too much nor too little
about it.
—Emil Brunner
Man in Revolt2
In all the common and opposing features of human existence,
there is no man in isolation, but only man or woman, man and
woman. In the whole reach of human life there is no abstractly
human but only concretely masculine or feminine being, feeling,
willing, thinking, speaking, conduct and action, and only con­
cretely masculine and feminine co-existence and co-operation in
all these things.
—Karl Barth
Church Dogmatics'
The doctrine of the Trinity is ultimately a practical doctrine with
radical consequences for Christian life.
The doctrine of the Trinity, which is the specifically Christian
way of speaking about God, summarizes what it means to partici­
pate in the life of God.
The doctrine of the Trinity is ultimately therefore a teaching not
about the abstract nature of God, nor about God in isolation from
everything other than God, but a teaching about God's life with
us and our life with each other.
The doctrine of the Trinity... makes it possible for theology of
God to be intimately related to ecclesiology, sacramental theol­
ogy, grace, ethics, spirituality, and anthropology.
Sexuality broadly defined is the capacity for relationship...and is
an icon of who God is, the God in whose image we were created
male and female. Sexuality is a clue that our existence is
grounded in a being whose To-Be is To-Be-For.
—Catherine Momry LaCugna
God For Us·
Also by V. Norskov Olsen:
The New Testament Logia on Divorce.
A Study of Their Interpretation from Erasmus to Milton
John Foxe and the Elizabethan Church
Papal Supremacy and American Democracy
Man, The Image of God:
The Divine Design—The Human Condition
Myth and Truth about Church, Priesthood, and Ordination
·!, ·' ■' ...... \
1
! ' j
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The writer is indebted to a number of people for
t heir encouragements and help; only a few of these can be
mentioned. I am most appreciative of the willingness of Dr.
James B. Torrance (Emeritus Professor of Systematic Theol­
ogy, University of Aberdeen, Scotland) to write a most
valuable introductory essay, which sets the stage for the
chapters which follow. The same may be said about the
comments on the back cover provided by Dr. David
Augsburger (Professor of Pastoral Care, Fuller Theological
Seminary) and Mrs. Alberta Mazat (Retired Professor of
Marriage and Family Therapy, Loma Linda University).
These three professors represent the areas of study for which
I his book has been created.
The unfailing support of Dr. Barton Rippon, Dr. Wil
Alexander and Dr. David Larson, respectively Dean of the
(Jraduate School, Dean of the Faculty of Religion, and Co-
1 )irector of the Center for Christian Bioethics, has meant
much to the author.
To Antoinette Yakush-Gaskell, my secretary for
many years, I am greatly indebted. Her efficiency made it
possible for this manuscript, after many drafts, to be ready
for the editorial and layout work provided by Duane Covrig,
research associate in the Center for Christian Bioethics, and
for copy- editing work provided by Gayle Saxby and Nancy
Yuen.
The service of Farzaneh Alemozaffar of the
Interlibrary Loan Department of Loma Linda University's
1 )el Webb library was invaluable for my research.
Finally, for her support, my indebtedness to my wife
is beyond evaluation. She taught me the practical applica-
tion of the relatedness in Christ.
si
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Contents
introductory Essay 13
Chapter 1 The Relatedness of the
Triune God 25
The Trinitarian God Concept
The Role of the Holy Spirit
The Headship of God the Father
A Mutually Related Creation
Chapter 2 Man & Woman in Creation 41
Male-Female as the Divine Image
Cooperative Interdependence
Equality in Complementary Service
The Wholeness of Personhood
The Results of the Fall
(Chapter 3 An Historical Backdrop:
The Subservience of Women 61
Ancient Greek Concepts
The Roman Woman
Church Father Augustine
Thomas Aquinas
Martin Luther
John Calvin