The greatest quote I've ever heard about the story of Eve and Adam was in an article I found a few years ago and immediately forwarded to all of my friends. "Remember it only took Eve to tempt Adam, and it took the Devil himself to tempt Eve." I thought this was a funny quip, but I didn't realize it was one of many ways that we can use to reclaim a story that not only explains the unity of genders, but also shows the strength and beauty of women.

I don't know if, even as I was beginning to understand issues of patriarchy and androcentrism, I ever understood that story beyond women and men being equal in sin. I think more than just reclaiming this story for women, all of humanity should reclaim this story for both genders. Of course the story is set as metaphor, but it is amazing to see humanity set as perfection in God's eye only when there is community. Only when women and men exist together are they fully human. This pushes us to think beyond gender and towards other issues that have long separated us. Are we fully human, if we are not complimented by others?

It then becomes dangerous, as this can be a tool to institute dualisms. We can falsely look at this story and the unity through diversity (as African-American philosopher Alain Locke comments) and see distinct, unchangeable diversity between gendered men and gendered women. We must look at Eve and Adam's diversity through gender as only a tip of the iceberg. We cannot let this story, once reclaimed as feminist, to maintain strict gender differences, which will ultimately shut out other members of our human community.