A critical analysis of Gretha Wiid’s sex ideology and her biblical hermeneutics

Abstract

Gretha Wiid and Angus Buchan have established themselves as the moral gurus of the Afrikaner Christian community with their ‘Worthy Women’ and ‘Mighty Men’ mass conferences. Wiid is also often invited by the broadcast media to participate in TV and radio talks to discuss her views on relationships and sex – she is even invited by popular Afrikaans singers to share the stage with them. Recently, Gretha Wiid was again on the front pages of popular magazines to promote her and her husband’s views on sex and sexuality based ‘on the Bible’. She suggests that women hand over their sexuality, their bodies and their sexual decisions completely into the hands of men. Her view is that the husband is the king, prophet and priest in the family and should be honoured accordingly. The aim of this article was to use Wiid’s public appearances and publications as a case study to analyse her statements, hermeneutic principles and procedures and to demonstrate how her interpretation of sex and sexuality is infused by heteropatriarchal biblical discourse. The purpose of the article was to unveil the hermeneutic principles ‘ordinary’ Christians such as Wiid apply in interpreting biblical texts and how these are culturally inscribed on women’s and children’s bodies.

How to cite this article:
Nortjé-Meyer, L., 2011, ‘A critical analysis of Gretha Wiid’s sex ideology and her biblical hermeneutics’, Verbum et Ecclesia 32(1), Art. #472, 7 pages. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/ve.v32i1.472