ABSTRACT

In a culture of increasing biblical illiteracy, the Bible serves principally as an oppressive icon. Despite the incredible ideological hype from both political and religious propaganda machines, the Bible never refers to “the family.” The Bible, in fact, in its original languages of Hebrew and Greek, consistently refers to the “house/household” commonly involving everyone living under the same roof or on the same patriarchal turf. In a culture of increasing biblical illiteracy, the Bible serves principally as an oppressive icon. The churches that insist most on the inspiration, authority, and veracity of the Bible are those that have become most idolatrous with their “either/or” dichotomies that seek to support traditional nuclear families, while insulting, harming, and seeking to destroy all those who find themselves in other domestic arrangements. Many churches followed the teaching of Marcion, and when they circulated a somewhat reduced version of Romans, they composed the beautiful doxology that now concludes the letter.