It's probably no coincidence that Southwestern Baptist Seminary chose to launch their new BA in Humanities with a Concentration in Homemaking on the 50th anniversary of the first season of "Leave it to Beaver." Now, there was no better homemaker than June Cleaver. She could cook and clean with the best of them -- never breaking a sweat and always wearing a nice clean dress.
Southwestern President Paige Patterson, one of the movers and shakers behind the Fundamentalist takeover of the Southern Baptist Convention, has raised quite a bit of conversation in recent months over the new BA program. Just today, there is a front page "Column One" essay in the LA Times by Stephanie Simon. The online headline goes: "
They love to do their homework." In this 23 unit women only degree program, students will learn to iron, clean, cook. They'll learn good manners and etiquette. They'll also learn how to "graciously submit." What I found interesting in this particular article is a comment about the remainder of the curriculum. While the concentration in homemaking is designed to make June Cleavers out of modern women, the humanities portion is designed to prepare women to stay home and educate their children. As the SBC seems to be heading toward a showdown over public education, this part of the equation shouldn't be overlooked.
As for the program itself, Simon writes:
So far, just eight of the 300 students in the undergraduate program are enrolled in the homemaking concentration, which is similar to a major and counts toward a bachelor of arts in humanities. Many more women, including graduate students and wives of seminarians, study traditional gender roles in courses such as "Wife of the Equipping Minister." On a recent evening, more than 50 women -- some in sloppy sweats, others in prim sweater sets -- pulled out notebooks as class opened with student presentations.
What is interesting to note as well is that the participants in this program, such as 19 year-old Emily Felts, see this as their biblical destiny. In other words, they should take on what looks to be a 1950s stereotypical white middle class identity -- Ala June Cleaver.
But, as Martin Marty writes in his October 2nd
M.E.M.O column in the
Christian Century -- most southern women are gracious enough and need little coaching, but more than that, there is a question about how biblical this all is.
He writes, noting that in Matthew 6 Jesus is shown to be cooking and as a tent maker, Paul knew how to sew:
From what I know about (us) male ministers today, I'd say that if we cannot cook like Jesus, if we cannot sew like Paul, then it's we who need homemaking lessons. How about men-only or mixed gender courses? They'd' be inspired, even biblical.
Now Emily Felts might disagree, considering that she believes God has called her to take up these tasks so her man doesn't have to. Whatever Emily decides to do, that's her choice, but I know that Marty is right -- we men need to know our way around the house. If not, we're sure to starve!!!
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