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Biblical Name-Calling in Christian Anti-Feminist and Manosphere Discourse : Jezebel, Delilah, and Eve as Sticky Symbols of Hot Women Burning Men

Liljefors, Hanna LU orcid (2026) In Bible and Critical Theory 22(1). p.1-25
Abstract
This article examines how three women from the Hebrew Bible (Jezebel, Delilah, and Eve) are framed in material that relates to Christian anti-feminist and manosphere discourse: a sermon published online by US pastor Mark Driscoll, two videos on the YouTube channels God for Purpose and Manosphere Highlights Daily, and Canadian psychologist Jordan B. Peterson’s book We Who Wrestle with God: Perceptions of the Divine. The study applies qualitative content analysis, looking for broader patterns and themes, and utilizes Sara Ahmed’s notion of stickiness to examine which affects stick to the three biblical women in the discourses. The biblical women are framed as highly sexualized, deceitful, and as posing a threat towards individual men and the... (More)
This article examines how three women from the Hebrew Bible (Jezebel, Delilah, and Eve) are framed in material that relates to Christian anti-feminist and manosphere discourse: a sermon published online by US pastor Mark Driscoll, two videos on the YouTube channels God for Purpose and Manosphere Highlights Daily, and Canadian psychologist Jordan B. Peterson’s book We Who Wrestle with God: Perceptions of the Divine. The study applies qualitative content analysis, looking for broader patterns and themes, and utilizes Sara Ahmed’s notion of stickiness to examine which affects stick to the three biblical women in the discourses. The biblical women are framed as highly sexualized, deceitful, and as posing a threat towards individual men and the gendered order, making them sticky symbols of men’s shame, paranoia, anxiety, and fear. In addition, the literary characters are assumed to disclose inner qualities of real-life contemporary women and are therefore, through affective politics, supposed to generate real political implications. The framing of the biblical women as well as the implications of the biblical name-calling of women today, are criticized by utilizing feminist biblical scholarship, challenging patriarchal biblical reception history as well as disrupting affective economies. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
manosphere discourse, Christian anti-feminism, biblical reception criticism, stickiness, Jordan B. Peterson, Mark A. Driscoll, Jezebel spirit, Jezebel, Delilah, Eve
in
Bible and Critical Theory
volume
22
issue
1
pages
25 pages
ISSN
1832-3391
project
Scripture and Secularism: Mapping the Impact of the Bible on Conceptualizations of Europe
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
dd862d57-5494-4dc6-a035-5304a7d1d95b
alternative location
https://bibleandcriticaltheory.com/vol-22-no-1-2026-hanna-liljefors/
date added to LUP
2026-06-29 14:57:07
date last changed
2026-06-30 11:27:48
@article{dd862d57-5494-4dc6-a035-5304a7d1d95b,
  abstract     = {{This article examines how three women from the Hebrew Bible (Jezebel, Delilah, and Eve) are framed in material that relates to Christian anti-feminist and manosphere discourse: a sermon published online by US pastor Mark Driscoll, two videos on the YouTube channels God for Purpose and Manosphere Highlights Daily, and Canadian psychologist Jordan B. Peterson’s book We Who Wrestle with God: Perceptions of the Divine. The study applies qualitative content analysis, looking for broader patterns and themes, and utilizes Sara Ahmed’s notion of stickiness to examine which affects stick to the three biblical women in the discourses. The biblical women are framed as highly sexualized, deceitful, and as posing a threat towards individual men and the gendered order, making them sticky symbols of men’s shame, paranoia, anxiety, and fear. In addition, the literary characters are assumed to disclose inner qualities of real-life contemporary women and are therefore, through affective politics, supposed to generate real political implications. The framing of the biblical women as well as the implications of the biblical name-calling of women today, are criticized by utilizing feminist biblical scholarship, challenging patriarchal biblical reception history as well as disrupting affective economies.}},
  author       = {{Liljefors, Hanna}},
  issn         = {{1832-3391}},
  keywords     = {{manosphere discourse; Christian anti-feminism; biblical reception criticism; stickiness; Jordan B. Peterson; Mark A. Driscoll; Jezebel spirit; Jezebel; Delilah; Eve}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{1--25}},
  series       = {{Bible and Critical Theory}},
  title        = {{Biblical Name-Calling in Christian Anti-Feminist and Manosphere Discourse : Jezebel, Delilah, and Eve as Sticky Symbols of Hot Women Burning Men}},
  url          = {{https://bibleandcriticaltheory.com/vol-22-no-1-2026-hanna-liljefors/}},
  volume       = {{22}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}