Photo by Renaud Camus

By Young Lee Hertig

“Jesus rode into Jerusalem, announcing his kingship on a borrowed donkey.  He had no palace, much less a place to lay his head, and lacked a transportation.  This subversive king exorcised the temple, set limits on Caesar’s authority, publicly declared that a poor widow’s minimal offering was greater than all others, and redefined servanthood as beneficial for the needy rather than the benefactor.”[1] 

Following Jesus’ teaching against empire is relevant whether Roman or contemporary.  Women of color, facing multiple ideologies against her full leadership and authority, prompts the sharpening of subversive toolboxes in navigating imperial, patriarchal, capitalistic systems.

As a woman of color, my professional journey as a pastor and professor has raised enough eyebrows.  When in a subordinate position, a woman is typically treated as less than equal to men in the church regardless of her longer term of service in contrast to an MDiv male student who gets placed immediately on ordination track and better pay (there are many cases as such).  The double whammy here lies in the fact that women are discriminated against due to a gender they did not choose which limits her leadership role in the church and penalizes her with less pay.

In the rare circumstance of a supervisory position over a man, the woman is often targeted with misconstrued accusations.  The realm of authority in the faith community predominantly belongs to men and thus by virtue of women’s position of authority, women in senior leadership position face attacks against her personal integrity and authority granted by her position. The easy route for a male subordinate to dismiss a female supervision and authority is to discredit her personally and thus dismiss her authority.

In navigating misogynistic double standards, church women leaders walk on thin ice to follow God’s calling and the teachings of Jesus.  As more women of color today take on the position of authority over men, women faith leaders experience misogyny from male subordinates whose patriarchal values collide with women’s authority.

In dealing with double standards of the patriarchal system, subversion is one of the tactics women utilize.  The extent to antagonizing a woman’s leadership goes far enough to QAnon’s conspiracy tactics against Hillary Clinton that smeared her with lies.  We now see Kamala Harris being targeted by birtherism.  Once splashed with false accusations, women are left in defensive positions to clear their names.  The tricky part is whether to confront the false attack or let it flare up and remain smeared.

From ancient biblical examples, we see two queens subverting the palace’s patriarchal system: Queen Vashti and Queen Esther.  Vashti chose upfront subversion against the drunken King Xerxes’ summons to show up to his banquet naked.  Instead of obeying his crooked order, Vashti asserts her power of saying “no” by organizing an alternative Palace Women’s banquet.  The perceived threat from the patriarchs for the queen’s action caused the King to consult with an astrologist, some lawyers, and so on.  Often the center of power has much to lose when insurrection as such occurs.   They foresaw an imminent end of patriarchy if Vashti was not deposed.   In life, sometimes such an occasion presents itself and the woman must decide whether to opt out from the system at all costs and create an alternative space no matter how transient it may be.

Another subversion tactic in the ancient biblical example comes from Queen Vashti’s successor, Queen Esther.  Many Asian American women are named after Esther whereas Vashti remains largely unknown.  Culturally Asian Americans resonate more with Esther’s subversive style.  First, Esther works with a male ally, Mordecai.  Second, once she began owning a sense of mission, she summons a National Day of Prayer—Purim.  Third, she holds the cards close to her chest and executes a mission strategy for saving her people, step by step, led by the Spirit and in partnership with Mordecai.

In our extremely polarizing world with the easy tool of smear tactics that flood our social media, we witness another version of subversion based on lies and fabrications which spread like wildfire.  All who care about truths and are committed to following Jesus’ example face enormous challenges beyond our imagination in the world of algorithms that dictate our daily life.  Subverting such lies not only will take courage but also tactics of both Queens — Vashti and Esther.  Of course, working with male allies and co-conspirators is more significant than ever rather than alienating them as other patriarchs do to women leaders in the name of God and the Bible.  The double standards around race, gender, and class in our society in criminal justice and politics also run deep as we witness daily how black lives are brutalized by simply being black.   For these reasons, women of color today must sharpen the art of subversion for the sake of conversion to Christ- likeness.

Rev. Dr. Young Lee Hertig is executive director and a founding member of ISAAC (Institute for the Study of Asian American Christianity) and AAWOL (Asian American Women On Leadership). She teaches in the Global Studies and Sociology Department at Azusa Pacific University and is an ordained Presbyterian clergy as well as a commissioner of the Presbyterian Church USA to the National Council of Churches Faith and Order.

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[1] Hertig, Paul. “The Subversive Kingship of Jesus and Christian Social Witness” in Missiology: An International Review, vol. XXXII, No. 4 (October 2004), p. 475.