Be the Bee # 159 | What it Means to Be a Man (or Woman)

[@y2am]

Don't forget to download the workbook for this week's episode: mailchi.mp/goarch/bethebee159

[@gamer242mooo]

It so interesting to see the faith views on gender as my own culture (Navajo American) shares a common ground with a faith they didn’t have any contact with for centuries. We are raised with with a understanding that women are connected with the spiritual side of the world and guide others to better understand what it means to be connected spiritually and men are meant to protect the tribe and their clans by be willing to to confront the world and put down their life if need be- so when we raise our young we see what path they are drawn too and help connect them with both the “ feminine” and “masculine” to fully come into their own as members of the clan and tribe- To have have spiritual insight and understanding while also having the strength and courage to protect the ones they love. it’s really fascinating when I see both my cultural background and my faith intersect with each other in ways I never thought of before thank you.

[@stevenchristoforou1667]

Fascinating! Many Church Fathers looked at the wisdom of the Greek philosophers and realize that they had stumbled on some truth before the Truth revealed Himself; it seems like we can say the same thing here.

[@StasBalabay]

@@stevenchristoforou1667 not sure if the analogy is correct though. In our Church it is the men who were the apostles and Christ was a man so all of the priesthood must be men. So it is exactly the opposite from the Navajo American culture.

[@stevenchristoforou1667]

@@StasBalabay Every analogy has limits. We can rejoice where the Church brings out something true in a culture. And we have to be careful. Yes, only men are called to be bishops and presbyters (though how deaconesses would work today is an interesting conversation). Yet many women have been called Equals to the Apostles. St Mary Magdalene, for instance, is recognized as the Apostle to the Apostles.

[@StasBalabay]

@@stevenchristoforou1667 I was told by my priest that deaconesses didn't serve as priesthood but as helpers to women in chuches for example help them with chrismation. Of course, we should remember that regardless of differences of calling, men and women are equal before God. You brought up an example of St. Mary Magdalene, I could add that I go to a church of Olga Equal to the Apostles and how we generally revere the Mother of God :)

[@stevenchristoforou1667]

@@StasBalabay Deaconesses have become a complicated question. Some people see it as the first step towards female presbyters and bishops (which it never was in Church history; we can view this question apart from the "progressive" views of today). At the same time, we do have records of the ordination service. I haven't looked at them in a while, but I'm pretty sure they're identical to the service for ordaining deacons (the only difference being the saints that are mentioned in the service). So there's strong reason to believe deaconesses had a liturgical role.

[@jennyc.8358]

This might be one of my favorite videos - I've never heard this approach to gender before (priestly king / priestly prophet) and I feel like my mind is blown. Thank you for sharing this perspective as it is SO much more helpful than the cultural gender norm discussion. God bless you for being bold (and gentle!) enough to tackle this topic.

[@stevenchristoforou1667]

Glory to God! I'm really glad it was helpful.

[@katabenaa]

I like how you take our view away from gender identity to a christian identity. 👍

[@stevenchristoforou1667]

Exactly!

[@magdalena-lisarobertson4143]

Thank you for this topic. It is very timely. I am still very confused by the abstract concepts, but that is just me. I do appreciate the concrete examples you gave and will try to focus on those and study the lives of the saints.

[@stevenchristoforou1667]

Not a problem. Let it sit for a while. If there's anything that's still not clear, let me know and I'll be happy to help clear things up. God bless you!

[@tinapassis]

Steve you always edify and enlighten us Christians. You are a light in this darkness. Europeans say we are too religious in the USA I disagree ,we need more theologians like you to show the beauty and intelligence of orthodox faithful.

[@stevenchristoforou1667]

It's very kind of you to say. Glory to God alone. Pray for us!

[@charlescassis]

A highly needed video for men and women in this day and age. At least for me being a young adult male in 2020 in the church. Loved this video and learned a lot. Thank you so much for a video that I can come back to for nice reminder of who I am to be no matter what year it is, or what we are taught in society today. Have a blessed Advent and a glorious Christmas (old and new calendar).

[@stevenchristoforou1667]

God bless you!

[@joannafioto]

So enlightening and educational. Thanks, Steve!

[@HomoEucharistica]

Really, that was the mindblowing approach to understand gender

[@fotinipazartzis3227]

One of your best videos! Well presented! Thank you for your service!

[@stevenchristoforou1667]

Glory to God! I was really happy with how this turned out.

[@dimitrioszabarelos5168]

Thanks once again seems like you comfort me with these videos exactly when I need particularly with this topic. God bless and keep up the good work ❤️

[@stevenchristoforou1667]

God bless you as well!

[@nektariatoscas9545]

This is a complicated topic, so thanks for the video as I found it very refreshing and helpful. A really balanced perspective.

[@CristinaJacksonLMT]

Thank you! This is brilliantly done!❤

[@jansuser6345]

Thank you for your work, brother! Many greetings from the Heart of Europe. ☦️ :-)

[@stevenchristoforou1667]

This is a complicated but important topic. I'd love to hear what you think!

[@happynameday]

Thank you, Steve! It’s really nice to hear this!

[@TheWormzerjr]

men have penises , women have vaginas. if thats too complicated for you, you might be intellectually disabled.

[@stevenchristoforou1667]

@@TheWormzerjr Our genitalia don't have a necessary connection to our life in Christ. A man might be a husband and father, or a monastic. This isn't a helpful answer.

[@TheWormzerjr]

​@@stevenchristoforou1667 1 Corinthians 11:3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. I feel that you dont know your bible and are a deceiver, but that is my opinion.

[@stevenchristoforou1667]

@@TheWormzerjr Ah, now you're saying something more substantial than pointing at genitalia. 1 Corinthians 11:3 is a small piece of what's presented in the video. Christ is the Head of the Church, and died for His Bride. Just like a man is supposed to be ready to die for his wife (to be a priestly king, as we discussed in the video). What about this make me a deceiver?

[@christochrysostomou106]

This is amazingly good. Well done.

[@mariaziogas7960]

Great presentation on this topic! You are doing a fantastic job with each video! God bless you!

[@ericnelson3021]

Thank you!

[@stevenchristoforou1667]

Glory to God!

[@yourhighnesshashitout6621]

I love watching your videos thank you 🙏

[@stevenchristoforou1667]

Glory to God! I hope they're spiritually helpful.

[@yourhighnesshashitout6621]

@@stevenchristoforou1667 I’ve been watching for years now, since my mother died. Y0u and Fr Damick have helped me immensely and I can’t thank you enough x

[@njejlester1603]

Very helpful ideas. Thank you!!

[@proflob]

How to relate to homogeneous clergy in the orthodox church? Why are prophets not allowed to serve in the altar and proclaim wisdom if this is their main task?

[@inezvasquez8104]

Perfect ❣️.

[@emiliosantoniou]

Good speach-episode with many Theological meaning Brother 😄. I remember these Theological meanings from the theological studies in Thessaloniki Greece!👍💛

[@doubleduch]

Hey Steve! Great video! I was wondering if you know where we can buy a copy of the book you mentioned “The Ethics of Beauty” ?

[@stevenchristoforou1667]

Glory to God! Here's the publisher's page: www.stnicholaspress.net/ethics-of-beauty

[@doubleduch]

@@stevenchristoforou1667 thank you! God Bless You ☦️🤍

[@tinapassis]

Steve if you can touch on homosexuality one day that would save alot of people. I feel you would approach it in a way that would be edifying than most Christians. Thank you.

[@stevenchristoforou1667]

Yeah, that's a big, important question. I've talked about it during retreats. I've been wondering if there's a good way to talk about it in a video. Let's see.

[@FrAbrahamWassef]

How do I download the workbook that accompanies this video? Thank you.

[@Caledoniadream]

Very interesting. As St.Paul said, in Chist we have no gender. Nevetherless, I assume the ideological war in the Western world today is more about our social and sexual roles as men/women, not as Gods children. But if you wanted to guide christians out of this mess, I can see your point.

[@stevenchristoforou1667]

The hope is get people to see (very real) gender differences through our relationship to Christ. Not our loyalty to particular politics or culture.

[@Meganopteryx]

FYI the CC text is not accurate.

[@stevenchristoforou1667]

Ah, thanks for the heads up! I switched off the automatic closed captions and uploaded the script, that should fix it.

[@nuclearfireriding2199]

Hey my uncle's afraid he's going to hell but he's forgetting that jesus loves him what do I tell him

[@stevenchristoforou1667]

That's exactly what you tell him! God loves us and desires the salvation of all. "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

[@nuclearfireriding2199]

What do you think about the aerial toll house?

[@stevenchristoforou1667]

@@nuclearfireriding2199 What about them?

[@nuclearfireriding2199]

Like what's your opinion about the aerial toll house

[@stevenchristoforou1667]

@@nuclearfireriding2199 They're an image that people sometimes take too literally. blogs.ancientfaith.com/wholecounsel/2020/07/09/on-tollhouses/

[@faykoussias7293]

Hey Steve. Really like the approach of how each gender relates to prophet priest king. I think, tho, the hypothetical scenario of how Eve could've behaved more like a king didn't hit the spot with me. May need a little work. Maybe play around with the word king/ nobility/ queen... or maybe king IS the word we must grapple with even in Eve's case. What would I know 😉 ... just a thought.

[@stevenchristoforou1667]

It's the same word for both Adam and Eve to stress that it's the same role. Kings and Queens don't have the same roles and responsibilities in most places.

[@jeffreyhoward6319]

Steve, when were you in seminary? was it Holy Cross in Brookline MA?

[@stevenchristoforou1667]

Yup! I graduated in 2013.

[@John-FourteenSix]

What does it mean to be a Man? It’s shocking our culture is very confused about this and clearly doesn’t know. Jesus Christ was a Man, be like Him.

[@StasBalabay]

Interesting take though the video and the summary at the end sounded exactly like liberal feminism. They also give verbal credence to gender differences but in the end the differences don't matter much and we should raise everyone in a similar way, boys and girls with no difference to functions in society as they say. I see nothing here that would contradict liberal feminism. So do you then agree with that? (notice I didn't specify my view of things) But much more importantly. The Orthodox Chrisitan is the one following the Church and Church Fathers. So, are this terminology and notions found in Church Fathers? I expected there would be the patristic view of Scripture and Tradition in regards to gender. Not even single word from saint John Chrysostom or other Church Fathers that wrote on the issue. There is an Orthodox take on women in the following podcast (because they include the views of Church Fathers, though it doesn't mean people there represent the views correctly at all times, naturally): kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZCVYWtulr1ljq8&t

[@stevenchristoforou1667]

What sounds like "liberal feminism" in the video? Questioning socially defined (and superficial) gender roles doesn't lead to "liberal feminism." A boy that loves to bake or a girl that enjoys playing with trucks isn't a threat. The video suggested that males are called to live into holiness through the kingly calling first. We can see in this a call to traditionally male leadership roles, both at home and in the wider community (though, again, that's complicated; St Catherine challenging the pagan philosophers puts pressure on a narrow, cultural definition). Women are called to be truth-tellers. We can see in this a call to traditionally female roles like education and motherhood (though, again, the witness of the saints can complicate this). Our priority needs to be holiness, not where we fall in silly liberal vs conservative debates.

[@StasBalabay]

​@@stevenchristoforou1667 I guess I didn't listen to the video closely enough. I thought if both men and women have the same type of calling that must imply the same roles. My mistake. Thanks for clarification :)

[@irodjetson]

Theology = Logic of the things of God, or the science that study things about God. Theology of Gender??? that clickbait image doesn't really make sense.

[@stevenchristoforou1667]

Yes, there's a specific definition of "theology" (especially when contrasted with "economy"), but most people work with a wider definition: "the study of the nature of God and religious belief; religious beliefs and theory when systematically developed." In any event, this video presents an analysis of gender that's grounded in the person of Jesus Christ (ie, the Son of God). And it uses the example of Adam and Eve (who are presented in the thumbnail image) as concrete examples. So the thumbnail seems fair. Certainly not "clickbait."

[@scottheld4837]

@@stevenchristoforou1667 Amen

[@FrAbrahamWassef]

I'm sorry. I found it.

[@stevenchristoforou1667]

Excellent, I hope it was helpful!

[@Noone-rt6pw]

I liked it from the start. Look at patriarchs, they were all gentle, meek types it seems. Moses, King David, Isaiah, Jesus. Fruits of the Spirit in Galatians. Imitating Christ, it is challenging, where we need the support of others. Machismo really doesn't seem to fit in the church. But socio-cultural conditioning encourages such an ideology. Look at women who speak up for oppressed and such. A virtuous woman. Around Proverbs 36. As being created in the image of God. God is a spirit. So how do we reduce him to man? Just like to desire truth, we have to be open to consider other ways of viewing things in contrast to how we have been taught. Which so many things are psychological. Other things, deductive thinking, assumptions based on what we're exposed to. As to Adam and Eve, we can blame them, but look at all the things ones done wrong, I doubt we can challenge Adam or Eve too much. Jesus is about the toughest man recorded. Like questioned by Pilate? I question if he wasn't more as like interrogated, where look at Old Europe and their questioning process, surely it came from the Roman Empire. Where get interrogated, one might see it's trying. So much is socially culturally affected, otherwords we're programmed. Even what we do without can affect us by lack of input. Very good!

[@derycktrahair8108]

The Adam & Eve thing is surely a parable about FREE WILL. We have a choice & that's why there is suffering. But HE made the tree. How can you love & trust HIM when HE plays games with you?

[@stevenchristoforou1667]

How is God playing a game here?

[@HeyImLucious]

>Steven replies >no response lol

[@uvvioleteyez3422]

I believe that its more of a story than an event. its showing human nature, eventualy if it wasnt them then it would be someone else and i understand where youre coming from its showing humans greed and satans deception

[@applesnicolle5144]

Must you play that abrasive Muzak in background?? Does it make you cool in some way? Not

[@stevenchristoforou1667]

I'm not terribly interested in appearing "cool." I stopped worrying about that long ago. The music is there to help create a nice video. I'm sorry you don't like it.

[@applesnicolle5144]

@@stevenchristoforou1667 / It’s NOT appropriate sound on a spiritual matter - but it’s typical of you Godless Liberals to always need to appeal to secular collectivity of low consciousness

[@stevenchristoforou1667]

@@applesnicolle5144 This is a KZbin video. I fail to see how background music is inappropriate. Also, why do you keep insulting people? What makes you call me a "Godless Liberal?"

[@applesnicolle5144]

@@stevenchristoforou1667 / How blind are you?? It’s the choice of Muzak ! You’re so disassociated from reality & what’s going on especially your contaminated church… It’s no longer an Ecclessia , no, it’s a country club led by secular Godless homosexuals

[@GDKLockout]

Whwre are you getting this from? Since non of this comes from the bible. The bible is quite clear that God punished Adam for listening to eve instead of following his command. And God held eve responsibile for listening to the serpent. Never mentioning that Adam should have taken full responsibility himself.

[@nattykadifa2856]

Pretty much all Christians teach that Adam is held responsible over all

[@alexandriasdaughter]

@Y2AM @stevenchristoforou1667 I absolutely love this video. However, I am puzzled at why in the title you put "or Woman" in parentheses, as if we were an afterthought. You devote at least half the video to us.