Untune the string

“Untune the strings and hark what discord follows.” (Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida). What happened in New Orleans among 10,000+ Southern Baptist and continues to happen among the 100’s of thousands of Southern Baptist is the fear of what might happen if the string of ‘women as second-class citizens in God’s Kingdom’ were to become untuned. Second class because women, i.e., Eve, is the cause of sin in the world (“Thank you” Augustine and Southern Baptists for letting us men to become free of first responsibility for sin). In Shakespeare’s play there is a betrayal as she returns to her father. There is also a betrayal of courage as he fears the consequences of going after her. Among Southern Baptists, the “fathers” of the doctrine or creed rose to speak in New Orleans, and the women betrayed themselves by returning to the ‘fathers’ beliefs and creeds. The men were intimidated by their fear of the doctrinal or creedal “fathers” and choose not to go after and redeem the women. As the depth psychologists have taught us, we are so often ruled by fear, often without having consciousness of it. How often, not only among the Southern Baptists in New Orleans, but among all of us, has fear caused us to betray our ‘better selves?’