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The Magdalene Legacy: Exploring the Wounded Icon of Sexuality
Rushing's seminal work addresses the ways in which modern women struggle with holistic spirituality, sexuality, and anger. She employs the Mary Magdalene model as an archetype in which sexuality and spirituality are united. Using extra-canonical texts, Rushing explores the dynamics of the relationship between the Magdalene and Jesus, one that created tension within the collective and was excluded from the canon itself. The Magdalene, known as the apostle to the apostles, has remained tainted through repressive scholarly action and deliberate distortion. Her historical treatment is paralleled for women today who wish to remain within the church but who experience a subtle, ongoing sexual bias. The author's blending of the sociological theory of Thorstein Veblen and the psychological constructs of Carl G. Jung is unique in its theological application.
Hardcover
First published September 29, 1994
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April 9, 2015
I was entering into Holy Week, having just concluded another book, and I pondered what to pick up next. I saw this book on my bookshelf. It was written by my next-door-neighbor when I was a student at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. I had read it shortly after it was published, but hadn't picked it up in nearly 20 years. It was a real treat to read it again as if for the first time.
My good friend Rev. Sandra Rushing came to seminary with an extensive background and understanding of Jungian psychology, and she brought those gifts and insights into the work and ministry of the church. So in this work she examines various insights from Jung about the life and work of the modern church, focusing much of her attention on the 'shadow' aspects of leadership in the church, both historical and contemporary; she uses some of her own painful experiences as a woman within the call system of the Presbyterian Church (USA) as evidence of deep-seeded challenges facing the church still to this day as it seeks to reclaim relevance for hurting people.
I can certainly relate to the dysfunction which Sandra methodically notates in the work of Presbytery Committees on Preparation and Committees on Ministry. And she easily illustrates the power of the shadow material in modern politics, both in our own country and around the world. She writes from her unique perspectives as a woman, addressing issues of woundedness carried particularly by women - and all was insightful for me as a white male.
This book will challenge the reader to consider new and deeper insights into the message and power of the gospel. And while critical of the organized church and the many Christians who distort the message of Scripture and Christ, Rushing continues to maintain loyalty to the Church and hope for its reclamation as a tool for God's use in our (now) 21st century.
Most challenging for me was Sandra's acceptance of Gnostic Gospel materials as authoritative. This, of course, has been a non-sequitur for Christianity since the 2nd century. Her matter-of-fact belief, based upon the gospels and Gnostic writings, that Jesus was in fact married to Mary Magdalene will grab the attention of many. Her arguments, based upon Scripture and historical understandings, is compelling; but this will be a huge battle for any sort of acceptance in modern Christianity.
I truly appreciated Rushing's sharing of her Seminary Statement of Faith included at the conclusion of the book. It nicely pulls together themes and insights that were shared throughout her work.
While filled with challenges and criticism of modern Christianity and the workings of many of those who claim to follow Christ, Sandra's message was every hopeful and healing. I would close by reprinting these closing words found near the end of the book:
"I believe that God is more real and more accessible when intuitive, belly-level honesty is a vital part of knowing god. As long as the church continues to poke its collective, ostrich-like head in the sand of past tradition, all the while claiming that tradition as the only form of Truth, then it will die the death that has been pronounced upon it for decades.l it will not live if it continues to be the very representation of so much that is superstitious and ignorant, and plainly at odds with contemporary human reality........It is my hope that others, both women and men, who have had experiences not dissimilar from mine will find pieces of themselves within these pages. it is my hope that those who live by the role that declares, 'Do not remove the ancient landmark that your ancestors set up,' will open their hearts to some small part of what I have written. For as long as 'the dead govern the living,' we are carrying within ourselves, in the very deep places of our souls, a deathness which will not allow new life to spring forth. it is my hope and prayer that those who have walked away from the churches of their ancestors, and a belief in a living God, will find a fragment, a knowing, of a new God within these pages."
My good friend Rev. Sandra Rushing came to seminary with an extensive background and understanding of Jungian psychology, and she brought those gifts and insights into the work and ministry of the church. So in this work she examines various insights from Jung about the life and work of the modern church, focusing much of her attention on the 'shadow' aspects of leadership in the church, both historical and contemporary; she uses some of her own painful experiences as a woman within the call system of the Presbyterian Church (USA) as evidence of deep-seeded challenges facing the church still to this day as it seeks to reclaim relevance for hurting people.
I can certainly relate to the dysfunction which Sandra methodically notates in the work of Presbytery Committees on Preparation and Committees on Ministry. And she easily illustrates the power of the shadow material in modern politics, both in our own country and around the world. She writes from her unique perspectives as a woman, addressing issues of woundedness carried particularly by women - and all was insightful for me as a white male.
This book will challenge the reader to consider new and deeper insights into the message and power of the gospel. And while critical of the organized church and the many Christians who distort the message of Scripture and Christ, Rushing continues to maintain loyalty to the Church and hope for its reclamation as a tool for God's use in our (now) 21st century.
Most challenging for me was Sandra's acceptance of Gnostic Gospel materials as authoritative. This, of course, has been a non-sequitur for Christianity since the 2nd century. Her matter-of-fact belief, based upon the gospels and Gnostic writings, that Jesus was in fact married to Mary Magdalene will grab the attention of many. Her arguments, based upon Scripture and historical understandings, is compelling; but this will be a huge battle for any sort of acceptance in modern Christianity.
I truly appreciated Rushing's sharing of her Seminary Statement of Faith included at the conclusion of the book. It nicely pulls together themes and insights that were shared throughout her work.
While filled with challenges and criticism of modern Christianity and the workings of many of those who claim to follow Christ, Sandra's message was every hopeful and healing. I would close by reprinting these closing words found near the end of the book:
"I believe that God is more real and more accessible when intuitive, belly-level honesty is a vital part of knowing god. As long as the church continues to poke its collective, ostrich-like head in the sand of past tradition, all the while claiming that tradition as the only form of Truth, then it will die the death that has been pronounced upon it for decades.l it will not live if it continues to be the very representation of so much that is superstitious and ignorant, and plainly at odds with contemporary human reality........It is my hope that others, both women and men, who have had experiences not dissimilar from mine will find pieces of themselves within these pages. it is my hope that those who live by the role that declares, 'Do not remove the ancient landmark that your ancestors set up,' will open their hearts to some small part of what I have written. For as long as 'the dead govern the living,' we are carrying within ourselves, in the very deep places of our souls, a deathness which will not allow new life to spring forth. it is my hope and prayer that those who have walked away from the churches of their ancestors, and a belief in a living God, will find a fragment, a knowing, of a new God within these pages."
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