Nonbinary (enby) epistemology, in its rejection of rigid binaries, challenges the traditional understanding of God as sovereign and invulnerable. It suggests instead that true power lies in vulnerability, not invulnerability. This perspective exposes how our aversion to vulnerability and limitation is often projected onto sacred texts, influencing not only our interpretations but also our theological frameworks. Paradoxically, these texts frequently reveal the very opposite: that vulnerability is the lesson, especially when it comes to the incarnation.
In Jesus, who claims to be the representation of the divine and is understood by Christians to embody the wisdom and power of God, we see a profound rejection of invulnerability. Jesus does not model a God of unassailable dominance or distance but a God who enters fully into the fragility and limitations of human existence. From his birth in a marginalized community to his death as a condemned criminal, the incarnation is a narrative of divine vulnerability. This is not incidental but central to the message of Jesus: that the power of God is revealed in solidarity, suffering, and presence, not in domination or control.
Enby epistemology illuminates how these truths are often obscured by the human tendency to project our fear of vulnerability onto God. This projection has led to theological frameworks that equate divine power with invincibility and sovereignty with superiority. Such ideas, untethered from the relational and vulnerable nature of divine power, have perpetuated harm and upheld systems of empire throughout history. The insistence on an invulnerable God has justified conquest, colonization, and oppression, all in the name of a deity who must be perceived as unrivaled and superior.
The incarnation challenges this destructive paradigm. In Jesus, divine power is not shown through domination but through self-emptying (kenosis), humility, and love. The cross, often misunderstood as a symbol of divine wrath or punitive justice, is better understood as the ultimate act of vulnerability—God’s willingness to suffer alongside creation. This reframing offers a radical critique of empire and superiority, showing that divine power is not about enforcing sovereignty but about transforming the world through presence, compassion, and solidarity.
Until we untether notions of divine power from invulnerability, we will continue to perpetuate harm. Theologies of supremacy—rooted in the need to assert superiority, control, and sovereignty—have caused immeasurable suffering through the ages. They have upheld systems of patriarchy, white supremacy, and heteronormativity, each predicated on the binary thinking that NB epistemology seeks to dismantle. By clinging to these flawed notions of power, we reinforce a world where strength is measured by dominance rather than by the ability to connect, empathize, and love.
Enby epistemology offers a path forward by inviting us to embrace vulnerability as sacred. It calls us to revisit the texts and traditions with new eyes, recognizing that what we often perceive as weakness is, in fact, the essence of divine power. This perspective does not diminish God but enlarges our understanding of what it means to be divine. It affirms that power is found not in avoiding limitation but in entering fully into the human condition with courage and authenticity.
This reimagining of divine power has profound implications for how we live, believe, and relate to one another. It challenges us to reject systems of harm and empire and to build communities rooted in mutuality, humility, and love. It invites us to see our own vulnerability not as a flaw but as a reflection of the divine. In doing so, Enby epistemology not only troubles the binary of sovereign versus limited but also transforms it, offering a vision of God—and humanity—that is expansive, liberating, and deeply interconnected.
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