Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale has never failed to produce controversy. As required reading in Gordon’s Jerusalem and Athens curriculum and many high schools, it elicits extreme and diverse responses from each reader. Set in a speculative fictional dystopia of New England which has fallen back under an oppressive Puritanical rule, the reader follows the unreliable narration of Offred as she chronicles her daily life as a Handmaid, one of the last remaining fertile women assigned to produce children for the elite class. Readers experience the trauma this oppression elicits firsthand through this narration perspective and how it affects the people Offred encounters throughout the novel. The book has often been criticized for anti-Christian messaging. From a shallow reading of the novel, it is easy to draw this conclusion. Gilead, the new Puritan regime, quotes biblical passages at every turn to justify their actions. However, a closer reading of the text reveals quite the opposite sentiment. The Handmaid’s Tale is critical of weaponized religion, not religion itself.
Atwood herself addresses this concern in the introduction of her book, clarifying that her book “is not ‘anti-religion.’ It is against the use of religion as a front for tyranny; which is a different thing all together” (Atwood XVIII). The critical thinking that Atwood invites through her novel is an essential attribute of the Christian life. Although Gilead claims to be Christian, do its actions support this claim? This analysis is vital for anyone to engage with the novel, and particularly for Christians who seek to live into the story of the Gospel and share the message with others. We are constantly faced with institutions and belief systems that clash with one another yet still claim to be Christian. So how do we proceed forward amidst this confusion?
In a world, like Gilead, claiming to know him whenever it supports their agenda, Jesus knew that this is a struggle we would constantly face as his followers, living in the tension of the “all ready, not yet” of life after his resurrection and before his return. In the gospel of John, Jesus counsels his disciples and all future believers with how we can discern what is of God and what is of the enemy. In response to the questioning of the Pharisees, Jesus says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10 NIV). How different from the powers of Gilead who claimed that their destruction was all for the best. In our stress and confusion, Jesus calms us and clearly points us to the path of life. All that seeks to steal, kill, or destroy is of the enemy, while all that brings life is of God. No masquerade can fool those who walk in the path of life. All those who claim Christ and leave destruction in their wake, who cause pain and suffering, follow a false gospel. This temptation has been a threat to believers since the beginning of the Church. In warning the church in Galatia against this temptation, Paul exclaims,
“Evidently, some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!” (Galatians 1:7–8 NIV).
Paul minces no words here, clearly demonstrating how essential it is to the life of the Christian to be vigilant in analyzing all messaging and institutions that claim to carry the Gospel.
Rather than being “anti-religion,” Atwood’s work encourages Christians to follow the teaching of Jesus Christ. We should never merely accept someone or something simply at their word that they follow the Gospel. We should analyze their actions and always look for the life promised by the Gospel. Gilead is the exemplary demonstration of a religious institution devoid of the Gospel. Rather than bringing the life that they may claim in the literal reproductive sense, they leave abuse and destruction in their wake, dismantling the freedom and livelihood of both the women and men under the regime.
Let Gilead remind Gordon what institutions can become when we lose sight of the Gospel. The critical thinking that we hone as students at Gordon is not for show nor simply for the academy, but is an essential aspect of the life of a Christian who seeks to follow the Gospel. In order to contribute to kingdom-building work in this world, we must not lose sight of the Gospel. This warning should not produce fear, but rather encouragement. Jesus himself has shown us what is good. Go forth and walk with confidence. He has promised you life to the full.