"Gender as Love" (Fellipe do Vale)

TITLE: Gender as Love: A Theological Account of Human Identity, Embodied Desire, and Our Social Worlds
AUTHOR: Fellipe do Vale
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2024, (272 pages).
 

One of the biggest contentions today in the Church has to do with gender. In the past, there used to be constant debates about what it meant to be male or female, and what roles they were supposed to be playing. Then we have the feminist movement that pushes back against male dominance. Those issues remain active in many parts of society but are increasingly eclipsed by debates surrounding multi-gendered definitions and nuanced multi-dimensionally. Today, the line between male and female is increasingly blurred. The core issue is not sexuality but what it means to be human. Realizing that gender issues are becoming more divisive each day, we need to have a way to talk about these matters rationally and theologically. Thus, this book probes the biblical understanding of gender sexuality and tries to make sense of it in an increasingly complex social construct today. Simply put, it is to shed light on the question: "What is gender?" and How do we understand gender theologically? With so many different theological interpretations today, how do we do "theological theology?" Author-Professor Fellipe do Vale kicks off by laying out the categories in terms of two "bifurcations":

1. Divisive Philosophy: Between proponents of gender as "Essence" vs that as "Social Construct."
2. Divided Theology (Methodological): One anchored on modern academic discipline and the other on traditional beliefs.

He spends some time unpacking "theological theology" as a way to do theology well. He distinguishes it from other disciplines by saying that it is both biblical reasoning and also God-centered thinking. From this central thesis, one can then proceed onward with interpretations of all other narratives, and in this case, anthropology and gender matters. He presents four theses for our consideration.

Chapter Two lays out the most prominent view of gender as "a social construct." Chapter Three covers broadly the rest of the views via the four theses:

1. Gender is an essence
2. A full understanding of gender will be revealed in the eschaton
3. Any theory/theology of gender must be in line with the cultivation of justice
4. Gender and identity go hand in hand.

Chapter Four deals with the fourth thesis. Chapter Five is a conversation with Sarah's Coakley's asertion that gender and desire are intimately linked. Chapters Six and Seven look at gender via the theological narratives of creation, fall, redemption, and consummation. The concluding chapter of the book lays out the author's position on the question of gender. After acknowledging the various angles of interpretation, he proposes a unifying position that we all understand gender as love. We all need to learn the "task of loving rightly."

My Thoughts

The Bible has said that God created humans as either male or female. As time goes by, many have not only challenged the binary definitions of created beings but introduced multidimensional views on gender. Some countries have even introduced Gender X to allow individuals for whatever reasons not to choose either male or female as their gender. In the name of inclusivity, Canada has even introduced terms like 2SLGBTQIA+ as an umbrella term for a third gender category. Is there a way to challenge any of these positions without being branded judgmental or labeled a bigot? Fellipe do Vale shows us a way to do just that, to focus on points of view instead of persons of whatever gender persuasions. 

This book is an academic treatment of gender and sexuality. Knowing full well the controversies surrounding the question of gender, he urges us to return to the true nature of theology: To see God and God's purposes for creation. We should not let modern social constructs manipulate our theology. Rather, we should adopt the position of engaging with love especially when we deal with contentious matters at hand. Learn to recognize the pain experienced by the marginalized. Our identity is less about desire and more about love. We should let our theologizing be based on Scripture and not let human emotions dictate our positions. I appreciate the care the author takes to explain what "social construction of gender" means. Many contemporary academics and theologians seem to be taking this "social construct" as the "right" way to interpret gender, that is, preferring "gender-neutral" instead of "gender-specific" positions. The most common reason is to push back against "oppressive social structures," referring usually to those who take the "gender-specific" position. 

I must commend the author for his nuanced understanding of "social constructs" and his careful reasoning about his own stand. One needs to read his work carefully in order to avoid jumping to conclusions about his conclusion. A key point is how he qualifies his arguments to show that he is in neither the "social construct" camp nor the "gender as essence" camp. He proposes that we recognize this diversity of views to welcome all to the table of conversation. In summary, this book is about a conversation over arguments, and not judgment statements per se. In that light, we should not see this book as some ammunition for any one particular position. His compromise is to simply conclude with the term "gendered pilgrims," which I feel in itself is already a form of label influenced by the very social construct he is arguing about.

That said, this is not an easy book to read. In fact, it might be quickly misunderstood without careful reading. His four theses cover a wide range of views surrounding gender today. Basically, our identities should transcend our various views of gender. This is exactly what the author encourages us to do. Chapter 5 is a key chapter to understand his proposal. 

Fellipe do Vale (PhD, Southern Methodist University) is assistant professor of biblical and systematic theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. He specializes in the juncture where theological anthropology and moral theology meet and has published widely on gender, ethics, and systematic theology. He lives in the Chicago area with his family.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5.

conrade

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This book has been provided courtesy of Baker Academic via NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.