5. Sexuality and Spirituality

The upsurge of women participating in Wicca surely says something to the Church in its mindset over the role and ministry of women. It is clear that Jesus set himself against the patriarchal attitudes of his day and upheld the equality of women in God's sight (e.g. John 4). He offered empowerment for them to live in a society that denigrated females. His kingdom teaching encompasses the dignity and worth of all humans irrespective of gender.

One of the overlooked yet striking features of the Gospels is that they give prominence to the testimony of women in connection with the death and resurrection of Jesus. It is perhaps not appreciated these days that back in Jesus' time the testimony of women was deemed worthless. What is so provocative about the Gospel accounts is that each one features without embarrassment the testimony of the women as providing an unbroken chain of witness to the crucifixion, burial and resurrection. The spiritual sensitivity of the women to Jesus is borne out in these narratives, whereas most of Jesus' male disciples go into hiding when he is arrested.

Elsewhere the New Testament affirms that every believer, male and female, is a priest before God (2 Peter 2: 4-10). The New Testament bears out that women exercised spiritual gifts, such as prophecy (Acts 2:17; 21:9). The Apostle Paul counted amongst his co-workers in ministry various women, such as those listed in his salutations in Romans 16. This same apostle likewise taught that there is neither male nor female in Christ (Galatians 3:28), for we are all one. Even in the patriarchal days of the Old Testament we find examples of women exercising spiritual gifts and leadership such as Deborah the judge of Israel (Judges 4:4ff), and Huldah the prophetess (2 Kings 22:14; 2 Chronicles 34: 22).

The Church has become polarized around the issue of ordination, but has not thoroughly addressed the wider implications of women exercising a ministry beyond the pulpit. The Church must repent of the misogyny and wife abuse that occurs within its ranks. As long as Christians pretend these things don't happen, we need not be surprised that honest seekers look elsewhere to find spiritual nourishment.

On another level, many Wiccans relate sexuality to spirituality, as seen in their sex magic rites. At times the Church has been so terrified of sex it has espoused celibacy as a virtue and denigrated the human body. The repression of sex inevitably erupts into abuse or promiscuity. The Biblical texts clearly uphold sex as a gift from God to be enjoyed within the bounds of marriage. The human body is God's handiwork and is to be enjoyed not escaped as if it were some sort of prison. To view the body as a prison for the spirit is to descend into Gnosticism. The Song of Songs in the Bible is entirely devoted to the celebration of sex.

The celebration of feminine empowerment through menstruation is another earthy instance of sexuality and spirituality being joined together. For too long menstruation has been seen as unmentionable subject or one where male jokes can be made at the expense of women. As males are biologically unable to experience the monthly cycle they lack any sensitivity to what menstruation entails for women. Whether it be the onset of period pain and the raw emotional tension women feel, or the potential social embarrassment caused by the discharge of bodily fluids and issues of personal hygiene, menstruation generally carries a stigma. Indeed menstruation has invariably been associated with notions of spiritual contamination and pollution.

Wiccans have found that patriarchal attitudes reinforce the denigration of women when menstruating, and has been used as a justification for isolation from spiritual rituals. Wiccans have inverted all this, and quite properly view menstruation as something to be affirmed not denied. Thus various rites of passage associated with menstruation, menopause and post-menopause have been developed. Male Christians need to recall how Jesus treated the woman who suffered with a severe menstrual problem (Matthews 9: 20-22; Mark 5: 25-34; Luke 8: 43-48). In the Jewish context, a menstruating woman was classified as unclean and spiritually polluting. To have contact with a woman during menstruation was to share in that contamination. Two striking points emerge from this narrative with Jesus. First, is that the woman receives healing from Jesus and is commended for her faith. The second point is that the woman touched Jesus. She did not contaminate him, but rather Jesus transmitted healing and purity to her. Jesus was not constrained by the patriarchal attitude towards menstruating women and the taboo of physical contact with the woman concerned. Surely there is a lesson here for Christians. Wiccans feel strongly about celebrating their fertility. Why do Christians seem to have nothing positive to say on the subject?

Finally, there are neglected questions for Christians to address. What is it to be a female or male made in God's image? In other words, no matter what our marital status happens to be, we are inherently sexual beings. Our sexuality is not confined to the act of intercourse, but rather is an expression of who we are. The Church ought to be able to say some very meaningful things about this.