I watched from afar as one viral tweet from Alyssa Milano gave so many the confidence to believe the internet was a safe enough place to speak openly about traumatic experiences. I was jealous as I had spent years crying to friends, trying to explain how badly I was hurting, only to receive uncomfortable gazes that I was bringing it up yet again. As I watched the movement rise, I was sick with jealousy and anger. I believed, if my story was worth the trauma, my friends would have hugged me, been outraged for me, and told an adult instead of rolling their eyes. 

When Hollywood was getting involved with #SpeakUp, I believed the nail was in the proverbial coffin. My trauma hadn’t been enough before, and I wasn’t famous, so my story would never matter. I told myself to suck it up, and went on with my vow of silence on the issue. 

And then came 2020. While the world was baking bread and putting together puzzles, I was giving birth to my son. Parenthood, as cliche as it sounds, changed something inside of me. One day while I was holding in my arms a baby who could barely do more than lift his neck, he farted. That wasn’t surprising. What surprised me was that he giggled. It was such a boyish thing, to giggle at a fart, that for the first time I looked at my child and panicked. Although he can be whomever he chooses to be, at his young age I was looking into the face of someone who might one day be a man in this world. I knew then the issue was more complicated. I couldn’t just protect this child, I needed to instill in him strong enough morals to overcome the rape culture that prevails in our society. I had to know my child would never perpetuate abuses against another person.  

I thought of my childhood church. Christ is where most turn for moral guidance, and he instills in parishioners a godly value system. And yet, I realized, I had never even thought of seeking help or guidance from my own pastor growing up. Although being groomed was traumatic, I had other experiences that were worse, and for those I had sought both support and guidance. Something about my church experience, though wonderful in so many ways, had left me feeling too unsafe to find help with Christ for this issue. 

Welcome to Samaria

You know the story: Jesus asks an unsuspecting Samaritan woman for a drink. She is surprised because she believed Jews would not associate with her. She had been raised to believe historical, racial, gender, and religious differences between groups (in this case the Jews and Samaritans) would divide them. It is then Christ and the woman go on a conversational journey about these old beliefs.

The woman is locked into theologically based traditions and values which, if left to continue, will impede her growth and potential. As they talk, Christ is leading her towards the bigger picture, but it is with duality he is genuinely interested in her heart, circumstances, and story. 

I want to encourage Church leaders to begin a journey into becoming a safe place for every person by inviting victims and women within their communities to talk about how to dismantle barriers. This is the first, and most important starting place. While I will give suggestions below on ideas that came to me, the real work begins by acknowledging that this group of people may have something important you need to hear so as not to impede your own growth and potential.

That said, please use this list as examples during to kick off the conversation:

• Inspire men and women into action without shaming, just by using the words of Christ himself. 
• Teach young people about acceptable levels of touching and why it matters to God.
• Be honest and transparent about healthy ways to express interest in another person. 
• Hold all congregation members to the same standard of behavior using church discipline when appropriate and calling the authorities when a crime has been convicted.
• Cultivate a culture of listening and compassion for victims. 
• Invite victims’ stories to be told from the pulpit. 
• Don’t counsel victims to forgive and forget.
• If a victim makes an allegation within your community, do not fail to be alarmed by reports of concerning behavior. The “missing stair” is no longer an appropriate way of classifying people. 

God beckons all who are hurting to the safe haven of His home. I encourage you to make your community safe enough that every 15-year-old girl would have the confidence to ask for help in her darkest moments. 

The post #MeToo Meets Samaria appeared first on Political Theology Matters.

Hello dear faith advocates for social justice!

I’ve been on hiatus because my wife and I just moved to Hawai’i. Why, you may ask. The answers are found in the title. These “sets” of things come from a book I just read, The 5 AM Club: Own Your Moving, Elevate Your Life, by Robin Sharma. He advocates for building up four areas of our lives involving our health, mind, soul, and heart (aka, the “sets”). If you are a Stephen Covey fan, it involves sharpening the saw, plus many meaningful additions. 

Hog Heaven. I’ll talk about Sharma’s book soon, but I thought you’d like to hear about some of the bigger changes and adaptations necessary for life here in Paradise. We have a fence around the yard for the first time in my life. It’s not to be snooty. It’s called a hog fence because we have feral pigs here. They root up your plants and are especially fond of pineapples. Just ask our dear friends, David and Doug.

We saw a boar on the side of the main road to our house and stopped and told him not to go down our street. He listened or didn’t, wagging his tale with his snout firmly ensconced under a clump of dirt and grass. He probably weighed 250 pounds. 

My father, from Arkansas and land of the razorback hog, tells me that’s a small pig, a shoat, he called it. Dad went on pig hunts as a boy and saw a 600-pound boar. He’s also a fisherman, so perhaps that is a porcine fish tale. I leave that to you to sort out.

Roosters crow at all hours, seemingly devoid of any understanding of dawn, except they spout off then, too. We also have wild goats and donkeys in various places. Interesting things and critters to look at pop up regularly around here.

The 5 AM Club and the 20-20-20 Rule. One of the ways to address the four of the “sets” involves the 20-20-20 rule. For those who know me, the idea of my getting up at the ungodly hour of 5 am would make them guffaw. It’s mostly because I have severe sleep apnea and use a BiPAP machine. The full-face mask looks like it would suck my face off. Instead, it blasts pressurized air into my windpipe to “prop” it open because it is too small. 

Consequently, I have a nightly struggle to get the mask fitting right, find a good position, and hopefully drift off to a pleasant sleep. When I don’t sleep well, I need a nap fit for an Olympian. I am the queen of the nap. I would win the gold medal in the 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-hour nap categories if it were an Olympic sport. I’m also a champion snorer without my machine, but I digress.

I was attracted to this book because I’m in a new place, starting a new chapter. Despite my sleep battles, I want to be more productive earlier in the day. That’s partly because we are 6 hours behind Eastern Time. So from a ministry perspective, the earlier, the better. If I manage to get up at 5 am, it’s already 11 am in Michigan and the eastern states.

20 minutes of vigorous exercise. Robin Sharma offers a formula for the first hour you are awake, called the 20-20-20 rule. The first 20 minutes involve vigorous exercise. Again, here’s a source of laughter for those who know me. The most vigorous thing I do is periodically carry heavy stuff (handy during a move). 

However, I’m willing to give this a try because when we sweat, we release cortisol, the stress/fear hormone. Sweat generates a “brain-derived neurotrophic factor” (BDNF), which creates healing for brain cells plus new neural connections. This intrigues me because I’m an excellent “sweat–er.” And I could use a regular off-load of stress and fear–heck, right now, we all could.

20 minutes of reflection. The second 20-minute segment involves reflecting, meditating, and/or journaling. There are lots of great resources for this. I use centering prayer; you can read all about that in a previous blog. Meditation clears the mind of what bothers us, and we can let go of the ceaseless “noise” in our busy, over-scheduled, hard-charging life. Meditation also releases cortisol, and the brain slows down through “transient hypofrontality.” 

You can try lectio divina (praying and meditating on a sacred text), walking meditation, mindfulness meditation, prayer beads, and a host of others that will fit your needs. 

20 minutes to promote growth. The last 20 minutes of your first hour of wakefulness include reading material that will build you up, journaling, and writing down ideas that occur to you. I read this book to promote growth by learning more about how important exercise is, what cortisol does to us, and how meditation has many physical and spiritual benefits.

The next blog will round out The 5 AM Club with info on becoming more productive by incorporating a cycle of rest paired with periods of focused performance.  I recommend it to you!

81eQ6mdkxgL._AC_UY436_QL65_.jpg

Blessings on your journey.

The post Hawai’i: Healthset, Soulset, Mindset, Heartset appeared first on Political Theology Matters.

Abortion rights: the fight isn’t over

Reproductive rights will be a huge midterm issue for many Americans. Even with Roe overturned, abortion rights can still be codified into federal law. Congress would need to pass a law that would provide the same protections that Roe did – a law giving women the right to abortion without excessive government restrictions. The law would be binding for all states. But Republicans have thus far successfully blocked any efforts to do so. 

Under current filibuster rules, a three-fifths majority, or 60 votes, is required to stop debate on a bill, even if the bill has enough support to pass. Debate on a bill must conclude before the bill can be voted on, allowing an opposing minority to prevent the passage of a bill by indefinitely holding the floor of the Senate and preventing the bill from coming to a vote.

With the Senate currently split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, Republicans have been able to use the filibuster to block approval of abortion bills.

President Biden said this week that he would support suspending the Senate filibuster rule in order to codify abortion rights into law. However, not all Democratic senators support ending the filibuster. Joe Manchin of West Virginia  and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona have voiced opposition to ending the filibuster. And even if the filibuster rule were to be removed, the votes to codify abortion rights may not be there. In May, Democrats failed to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, a bill that would have enshrined abortion rights into federal law. All Republicans voted against it, as did Manchin, stating the bill went too far. 

But if Democrats can pick up just one more Senate seat in November, things could change. Last week’s overturning of Roe vs. Wade has led to early reports of soaring support for Democrats. Salon reports that at least three congressional polls now show Democrats holding a significant lead over Republicans. Republicans must defend 21 of the 35 seats up for reelection this year – two of which are in states Biden won in 2020. FiveThirtyEight forecasts show Democrats as very slight favorites to keep the Senate, possibly picking up Pennsylvania, where Lt. Gov. John Fetterman is polling ahead of the Republican candidate, TV personality Mehmet Oz. 

But Democrats still face significant challenges. The president’s party tends to lose seats at midterms, and has done so in all but two of the last 21 midterm elections. Biden’s approval rating is at 39%, the lowest of his presidency so far, and high inflation is a top concern for voters, which may increase the likelihood of Republicans taking control of the Senate. However, Democratic voters are more likely than Republicans to say the Supreme Court’s recent decision will encourage them to vote during midterms. In a recent poll, 78% of Democrats said they now are more likely to vote in this year’s midterms, compared to only 54% of Republicans.

According to the Washington Post, the balance of the Senate could be determined in four states where Democratic incumbents are up for reelection: Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and New Hampshire. Let’s take a closer look at these Senate races. 

Arizona

Biden’s approval has declined in Arizona, where Democratic incumbent Mark Kelly is up for reelection. The Republican candidate won’t be decided until August, but the top candidates all suffer from low name recognition. The state narrowly voted for Biden in 2020, and midterms are expected to be close. Kelly, a former astronaut, is seen as more favorable than his potential contenders, and Democrats are hoping his brand can withstand Biden’s low approval ratings. 

Georgia

Democrat Raphael Warnock won a highly publicized special election in Georgia last year, and is now running for his first full term. Biden won Georgia by fewer than 12,000 votes, and his approval ratings are low there as well. The leading Republican candidate is former NFL running back Herschel Walker, who has Trump’s endorsement. A new poll shows Warnock has a 10-point lead over Walker. (Side note: Stacey Abrams, who lost the gubernatorial election in 2018 in a race fraught with claims of voter suppression, is back in the race and currently tied with incumbent Brian Kemp at 48%). 

Nevada

In Nevada, Democratic incumbent Catherine Cortez Masto is up against Republican nominee Adam Laxalt, the state’s former attorney general. Nevada is another state that is always close, and Cortez Masto won by a narrow margin in 2016. Laxalt lost a bid for governor in 2018, but only by 4 points. Given Biden’s low approval rating in the state, if Democrats aren’t galvanized –  especially Latino and Asian American voters – a win for Cortez Masto could be tough. 

New Hampshire 

New Hampshire is also often close, and Democratic incumbent Maggie Hassan won by only about 1,000 votes in 2016. But she has some advantages, and the Republican candidate won’t be decided until a September primary. 

No matter where you live, make a plan to get involved with this year’s midterm elections, whether it’s by donating to key races, helping register young voters, providing rides to polling places on election day, or simply reminding your friends to vote. Follow Rock the Vote on social media and help spread accurate information to eligible voters. 

The post 2022 midterms elections: rapidly changing forecasts appeared first on Political Theology Matters.

The decision to overturn Roe is “one of the few times the Supreme Court has ever invalidated an earlier decision that declared a constitutional right — and the only time it took away a right that had considerable public support,” reports NBC News. 

Minutes after the decision was announced, Missouri became the first state to ban all abortions, except in cases of medical emergency. Twelve other states have similar trigger laws that will automatically go into effect within 30 days, jeopardizing the health and lives of millions of women. Nearly half of U.S. states are expected to ban or severely restrict access to abortion. 

“It’s a sad day for the court and for the country,” President Biden stated, speaking from the White House. “The health and life of women in this nation are now at risk …Too often the case, poor women are going to be hit the hardest.”

“The only way we can secure a woman’s right to choose,” he continued, “is for Congress to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade as federal law. No executive action from the president can do that.” Biden urged Americans to make their voices heard in midterm elections this fall and elect more pro-choice representatives. 

Roe may have been overturned, but the fight isn’t over. Many personal freedoms are on the ballot this fall, Biden noted. Americans can still elect state leaders who will protect abortion access at the local level, and senators who will pass federal legislation protecting abortion rights. 

Until then, the president pledged to do everything within his administration’s power to protect women’s rights, also noting that the Supreme Court’s decision does not prevent women from traveling to another state to receive an abortion. 

Many states have signed abortion access rights into law. Sixteen states, plus the District of Columbia, have laws that protect the right to abortion: four states and the District of Columbia have codified the right to abortion, and 12 states permit abortion prior to the point of fetal viability or when medically necessary to protect the life or health of the pregnant person. View a list of state abortion policies here. 

What can you do now? 

Donate to abortion funds that provide funding, travel, lodging, and other supports for people seeking abortion at abortionfunds.org.

Find a community. Attend a local rally or protest, and if possible, join a local group dedicated to protecting reproductive rights. It’s important to connect with others who feel the same in order to process your feelings and know that you’re not alone. 

Consider purchasing abortion pills or emergency contraception to keep on hand if you may need it. Learn more about abortion pills at plancpills.org. 

Join the fight to expand the Supreme Court. The Judiciary Act of 2021, which would add four seats to the court, now has more than 50 co-sponsors in Congress. Visit Take Back the Court to learn more. 

Use period tracking apps with caution. If you are a woman of child-bearing age, exercise caution if using any period-tracking apps. Many activists are urging women to delete these apps on the grounds that customer data may be shared and ultimately used to determine if a woman may have terminated a pregnancy. HIPAA protections do not apply to period apps. If the app doesn’t have a clear privacy policy, don’t use it. 

The CEOs of Clue have pledged to never turn user data over to any authorities who could use it against them. 

Continue to pay attention as midterm elections approach. Today’s decision prompted a joint statement from the leaders of the Democratic National Committee and the party’s campaign committees for House, Senate and governor, stating: 

The 2022 election will now determine whether new, cruel, and punishing restrictions will be put in place on women and families. With Republicans in power, states could make abortion illegal without exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother, and women and doctors could be charged with a crime if they have or perform an abortion.

The stakes of November’s elections could not be higher – and voters will make their voices heard by standing with Democrats up and down the ballot.

The post Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade: What happens now? appeared first on Political Theology Matters.

What is rainbow washing? 

Urban Dictionary defines rainbow washing as “the act of using or adding rainbow colors and/or imagery to advertising, apparel, accessories, landmarks, et cetera, in order to indicate progressive support for LGBTQ+ equality (and earn consumer credibility) – but with a minimum of effort or pragmatic result.” 

In other words, rainbow washing occurs when businesses and for-profit organizations add rainbows to their logos and social media profiles during the month of June in order to suggest that they support LBGTQ+ rights, without actually putting in any effort to advocate for, amplify, or give back to the queer community. Or worse, these organizations may engage in practices that are harmful to the queer community – such as donating money to anti-gay and anti-trans politicians. 

Examples of rainbow washing

In addition to dressing up their social media accounts with bright, rainbow-centric imagery, organizations participating in rainbow washing may engage in practices such as: 

• Highlighting LGBTQ+ employees or local community members on social media
• Posting photos of queer people wearing or using their merchandise 
• Publishing statements claiming they support the LGBTQ+ community, without actually working on the issues that impact members of the community 

In 2019, Judd Legum, founder of the independent newsletter Popular Information, exposed several organizations that claimed to support the LGBTQ+ community while simultaneously donating $1 million or more to anti-LGBTQ+ politicians. 

These included: 

• AT&T 
• Verizon
• UPS
• FedEx
• Comcast
• Home Depot
• General Electric

Other organizations that have donated to anti-LGBTQ politicians include: 

• CVS, which has claimed to oppose anti-LGBTQ legislation and yet has donated money to Texas state senators who sponsored anti-trans legislation
• Wells Fargo, which currently boasts “30 years of Pride” on its Twitter profile, but has donated to politicians who have posted anti-trans articles online (as well as members of Congress who refused to cooperate with the January 6 committee)
• Walmart, which claims to “celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community” on its website, but supported politicians who helped pass a bill in Arkansas to ban gender-affirming care for trans youth

How to fight rainbow washing

What can you do to avoid falling victim to disingenuous or misleading LGBTQ-friendlymarketing claims? 

Do your own research. Don’t assume that rainbow flag-waving organizations are actually LGBTQ-friendly. 

Familiarize yourself with reports such as the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index, which rates corporations on both internal policies and public advocacy for LGBTQ rights. Companies with a demonstrated commitment to diversity and equality include Apple, American Airlines, Nike, and J.P. Morgan Chase. However, the list is not foolproof: you’ll notice AT&T and Walmart also have high scores. Why? HRC doesn’t factor political donations in their scorecard. You’ll still need to do your own research to find out which politicians organizations have supported through financial contributions. 

HRC also produces a Congressional scorecard, which reveals how elected officials have voted on several key issues, including the Equality Act and the International Human Rights Defense Act. 

Ask yourself some key questions when evaluating companies and brands. Why are they getting involved in Pride month? Are they genuinely trying to provide support, or just trying to make a buck? 

The Urban List offers these suggestions for evaluating the intent of an organization that uses rainbows and pro-LBGTQ imagery or messaging in their marketing campaigns. Ask yourself: 

1. Is the support year-round? 
2. Do they uplift queer employees year-round?
3. Do they have a clear mission statement?
4. Is their support measurable (has clear outcomes)?
5. Do their policies align with UN standards of conduct? 
6. Do they address community issues and take feedback?
7. Do they offer paid opportunities for queer folk?
8. Do they speak up to impact anti-LGBTQ+ policy and legislation?

Shop small. There are a lot of reasons to support small businesses – one is that it’s often easier to discern who owns the business and what their core values are. Make a list of companies and brands that take public stands on the issues that are important to you, and support them to whatever degree you are able. 

ABC News offers this list of brands that give back to the LGBTQ+ community, which includes Fabletics, Converse, Bombas, Savage X Fenty, and Kate Spade. 

What are your favorite brands that support and give back to the LGBTQ+ community? Let us know! 

The post What is rainbow washing? (and how to fight it) appeared first on Political Theology Matters.

I know that can be difficult for some people to understand, but I’ve done a lot of research, study, and prayer to come to that conclusion. Following are some of the resources over Biblical history/culture/linguistics/etc. that I’ve been reading. This is not everything you need to know if you are learning about how Christianity and Queerness coexist, but it is a list of some things that I have found helpful in my personal journey. If you have any that have been helpful for you – I would love to know about them!

Please know that most of these are not even trying to be persuasive. Some are simply informative and others use what they say to provoke thought and help guide the reader to see perspectives outside of their own. It is completely ok to disagree with anything you read; the point is simply to listen with an open and understanding heart.

Books

Shameless – A Sexual Reformation by Nadia Bolz-Weber 

First one I read out of all of these – really great at showing multiple perspectives.

This I Know – A Simple Biblical Defense for LGBTQ Christians by Jim Dant 

Super small, super quick read

Queer Virtue – What LGBTQ People Know About Life and Love and How It Can Revitalize Christianity by Reverend Elizabeth M. Edman 

Pretty dense, and I’m a slow reader so I’m not even done with all of it

Online Resources

Queer Theology

A number of types of resources here. One that helped kick things off for me was their “Is It Ok to be Gay” course. They email videos and articles over the course of a week. They dig into the main passages that mention homosexuality in the Bible in this. https://www.queertheology.com/is-it-ok/

The Bible Project    

They are on Spotify and Youtube! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS RESOURCE! It never talks about homosexuality specifically, but in their videos and podcasts Tim Mackie talks a lot about historical context and culture. I’ve found having a better grasp on this gives better perspective and understanding when reading the Bible. He also has a really great way of explaining things to make them super understandable and it really makes you think about what many churches teach and how they teach it and which parts may or may not have gotten skewed. https://bibleproject.com/

Online Articles

Has ‘Homosexual’ Always Been in the Bible? – United Methodist Insight (Obviously this article can’t contain everything, but it’s a start to learning about translations!)

What are the clobber passages? Stop shaming LGBTQ people with the Bible – Political Theology Matters by the Rev. Dr. Marcia Ledford, Esq. “Seven Biblical passages are used to beat LGBTQIA over the head. The spiritual harm we suffer as a result is impossible to describe or quantify.”

There’s also a movie being made about the translation of the RSV. “1946” and their website  1946themovie.com has some helpful information as well as other sources to go to. From their site: “1946 is not an attack on Christianity or the Bible. It is a quest to discover biblical truth and honor God’s Word.” 

Homosexuality: Not a Sin, Not a Sickness Part II “What The Bible Does and Does Not Say…” | Religious Institute

The post Christianity and Queerness: How they coexist appeared first on Political Theology Matters.

I just did not think THAT would happen. And indeed it hasn’t yet. There is still time for Chief Justice Roberts to convince his colleagues that some compromise must occur to avoid complete chaos and the unnecessary deaths of scores of women who will be forced to seek back-alley abortions. 

Patchwork Nation

I say chaos because the US is in the process of becoming what I call a “patchwork” nation. For example, before the SCOTUS opinion on Obergefell v. Hodges, we couldn’t go to just any state in the union for a same-sex marriage license. We had to pick and choose where we went. Our then-governor Snyder refused to recognize the marriages of the “Michigan 300” (300 couples) following a ban issued by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. That left 300 couples in legal limbo, as the case traveled its way up to SCOTUS to be finally decided on June 26, 2015.

My wife and I have family in Washington and decided not to get tied up in the legal machinations in Michigan. We just wanted to get married without the drama after all those years of being activists. The Michigan 300 was caught up in this quagmire for over a year. We’re getting too old for that stuff, although it is super important. Dear friends of ours were part of the 300, and it was very difficult to have strangers decide if they can marry. It’s important to say that we had the resources to go somewhere else or we would have been in the same boat with the “301.”

If a women in Texas wants an abortion, there are many reasons she may want to go to another state because of one of the most draconian statutes passed recently by the state legislature. What if you are in Alabama where there is only one abortion provider in the state, you have serious cardiac issues, and you have no money to go to another state?

The Epicopal Church’s teaching on abortion

Let me state here that as a priest in the Episcopal Church (TEC), I accept the teaching of TEC that “within every abortion lies a tragic dimension,” and I completely agree. However, my church also teaches that women must have safe, legal reproductive care available to them. In other words, women must be trusted to make appropriate decisions and to care for their bodies and reproductive health without the government’s intrusion. 

The Right To Privacy – Abortion and Same-Sex marriage fall in this catory of fundamental rights

For most of my adult life, I have lived with governmental intrusion into my most intimate relationship. The federal government brazenly refused my fundamental right to marry until the Obergefell decision in 2015. My spouse and I were legally married in 2014 in Washington State after sharing our lives for 32 years. How outrageous and ridiculous for us and our peers to wait that long to get married – or rather to wait at all!

As a young firebrand attorney fighting for same-sex marriage, I and my colleagues worked for equality even though we paid our taxes and did everything else accorded to good citizens. Yet we labored under the constant message that we were “less than,” that the way we expressed love with our bodies and our shared lives made us inferior. 

It’s the same thing all over again. The GOP-led forces work tirelessly to propel the federal government faster and faster towards a frightening reality. Our government “by and for the people” will no longer recognize that we are guaranteed the right to make our own decisions and to love who we love. Likewise, our government edges towards an ugly future in which women can no longer be trusted to decide about their family composition and how many children they raise. These same forces will work to eradicate same-sex marriage, too.

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness – or, Body, Mind, Spirit

This phrase, enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, promises us certain inalienable rights to live our lives based on our own needs and wishes. 

We hold these truths to be self-evident,
that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable Rights,
that among these are
Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Of course, when the declaration was released on July 4, 1776, this phrase applied only to white men, although black men and women had been here as slaves since 1619, and Native Americans for centuries as free peoples.

Slowly over time, various groups achieved their rights, including emancipation and the right to vote. First, white women, and then black women and men became more fully franchised with the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Gaining these rights have come at a terrible cost. The late Congressman John Lewis (D-GA) was nearly beaten to death as he worked to pass the Voting Rights Act.

It’s about the sanctity of our very bodies

In our history, the bodies of people of color became opportunities for domination and humiliation. Despite being enfleshed, people of color have been treated as though they are disposable, like tools or gadgets. The racism and continued lynchings that occur in this country are not random accidents. They serve as evidence of slavery and the white privilege that treated Blacks, Latin@s, Native Americans and Asians with such contempt. In many instances, such discrimination was enacted into law. And of course, women from all of these groups suffered greatly as well, as have white women, particularly respecting reproductive freedom.

Stop Saying “Choice!” It’s about our Fundamental Rights as human beings

The buzz language for reproductive freedom resulted in the phrase “Pro-Choice.”

We dubbed our opponents to abortion as “Anti-Choice.” 

I’ve never been comfortable with describing access to reproductive care as a “choice.” It is so much more fundamental than that – it’s a right, a fundamental right to have jurisdiction over our bodies and our life, mind, and spirit. Our messaging must change to outright anger and resistance over the loss of fundamental rights!

The Right immediately shot back with the phrase, “It’s a Child, not a Choice.” Frankly, I thought it was a very clever response and not only because of the alliteration. The Right twisted the phrase’s meaning – that supporters of abortion see the decision to have one as capricious, superficial, or lackadaisical – the easy way out. 

Always better at messaging, anti-abortion advocates recoined the phrase to “Pro-Life.” Well, I’m pro-life, as mentioned in the Old Testament, but I also believe women must have access to safe, legal, comprehensive health care, including reproductive health care.

Women who decide to have an abortion take the decision very seriously.

According to an official statement issued by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)

Pregnancy imposes significant physiological changes on a person’s body. These changes can exacerbate underlying or preexisting conditions, like renal or cardiac disease, and can severely compromise health or even cause death. Determining the appropriate medical intervention depends on a patient’s specific condition. There are situations where pregnancy termination in the form of an abortion is the only medical intervention that can preserve a patient’s health or save their life. 

As physicians, we are focused on protecting the health and lives of the patients for whom we provide care. Without question, abortion can be medically necessary.

This decision is one of the most difficult decisions one can ever make. However, the medical realities indicate

• Some pregnancies must be terminated to save the life of the woman 

• Sometimes pregnancies occur due to rape or incest. And while those pregnancies are rare, they involve an evil perpetrated on the women. Therefore the women must decide whether to carry the pregnancy to full term without the state’s intervention.

• Sometimes it is clear a fetus will not survive in utero or once born due to congenital and irreversible birth defects. Pregnancy, labor, and delivery are potentially life-threatening to the woman. To require a woman to carry a doomed fetus to term endangers the mother unnecessarily. Only 1.2% of pregnancies were ended in late term, or after 21 weeks, however the care must be readily available.

In an article by Dawn Stacey, PhD, LMHC, and medically reviewed by Monique Rainford, MD, women often cite two to four reasons for ending a pregnancy, further showing the complexity of this decision for most women. 

For younger women, feeling unprepared for motherhood, lacking financial resources to support the child, and being with an unsupportive partner are the most common reasons. Sometimes women don’t want anyone to find out they are having sex. The heated debate over abortion can also make the decision more complicated because it makes women feel more self-conscious. 

Women often cite that they are responsible for other children already or that they are beyond child-bearing years. These reasons are consistent regardless of race, income, educational level or parental status.

Roughly half of birth control methods fail, resulting in unplanned pregnancies. There is a stigma attached to having an abortion, although it is the most commonly performed surgical procedure for women. 

Abortion is still legal 

SCOTUS has not officially released an opinion of record, so get the help you need while you still can.

What can we do? 

We need community organizing where like-minded people come together [could we link this to the Province V recording with Adonis from Michigan United?] over a common cause. People bring their unique skills, talent, experience, resources, etc. We then join all of that power together into a public power. It works! Just remember the work of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the late Congressman John Lewis.

There is power in the people! Contact your local Planned Parenthood or go to their national website to join their activities. 

Additional resources include:

• People for the American Way 
• The ACLU (for starters, they need money for the huge litigation costs they have) 
• NARAL 
• National Abortion Federation 
• Center for Reproductive Rights 
• List of Abortion Rights Organizations in the USA

Next week, I will go into more detail about what we can do before the critical mid-term elections in November. In the meantime, find somewhere to roll up your sleeves. The organizations listed above need all the help they can get from us.

Blessings on your journey.

The post Roe v. Wading into Chaos appeared first on Political Theology Matters.

Personal salvation

In our overwhelmingly white and Evangelical country, salvation in the US is understood only as personal salvation that gives one eternal life. To be saved in this context requires someone seeking salvation to declare a somewhat established statement of faith in front of others, such as “I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and accept him as my personal savior.” 

Baptism in the name of the Holy Trinity almost always occurs at some point after such a public statement is made. No further good works are required, and the salvation is “permanent.” This has been referred to as “being born again.” The phrase relates to the conversation between Jewish elder Nicodemous and Jesus, and when Jesus says that we must be born again by water and spirit (John 3). I was baptized like this at age nine via full immersion into water after proclaiming Jesus as my personal savior.

Salvation through compassionate works and public theology

However, another kind of salvation requires us, as disciples of Jesus Christ, to love and care for one another. This commonly occurs through doing charitable works and engaging in public theology. 

Reminder: I’m defining public theology as 1) speaking about our faith as the reason for our work, 2) in a public forum of some kind, and 3) to as broad an audience as possible. 

By working publicly for justice, we naturally experience spiritual growth when we stop focusing only on our personal salvation — our personal gain. Jesus models what working for justice looks like as a public theologian. 

After John the Baptist baptized Jesus, wherever Jesus went, he helped others. Jesus’ work often occurred before a crowd and in opposition to Roman or Jewish leaders. He challenged systems of oppression throughout his ministry. This is public theology in a nutshell.

Jesus continues to call us to heal each other, to bind each other’s wounds, and to call out injustice wherever and whenever we can. It is a good and joyful thing to lift our hearts to God by helping others. In doing so, we experience the gift of salvation via spiritual growth. Our compassion for the beloved community therefore expands, and we become invested emotionally in the well-being of that community.  

Oppressors need salvation, too

Exploiting others eats at our souls whether we realize it or not, and causes us to believe we are “god-like,” and therefore better than others. In fact, oppressors need healing from these selfish beliefs and behaviors. Oppressors must be freed from both the need and the sense of entitlement to exploit others. In working to ease the suffering of others from marginalization and deprivation, we thereby free ourselves from the loss of wholeness when we live a life solely as an oppressor. 

At times, political theology stirs up controversy by challenging others to consider their own erroneous embedded theologies. By embedded theology, I refer to what we were “taught” to believe without questioning it, usually as children. Sometimes what we are taught is not correct, and therefore we need to make shifts in longtime cherished patterns, or paradigms — and that can feel very threatening. 

Often these paradigms have been passed along by multiple generations, that is, attitudes about social diseases like racism, sexism, and classism. These “isms” exist because we don’t challenge our embedded paradigms on large scales.

The cost of being a disciple of Jesus Christ

Nevertheless, just because it is difficult to challenge such ingrained conventions of hate and discrimination, there is no sufficient excuse to avoid doing it — it is the cost of discipleship in Christ Jesus. Doing public/political theology imparts a duty for us to be humble and clear about what our beliefs are and why. Additionally, we must make ourselves available to engage in dialogue after the fact. We must strive in the pursuit of salvation while we live on earth.

Salvation as discussed in the Bible

The theme of salvation runs through both testaments of the Bible. Much of the saving that occurs in the Old Testament is earthly. God rescues the Israelites repeatedly, and people are healed, and even raised from the dead to continue a life on earth. 

The New Testament describes the idea of salvation as past (including the Old Testament), present, and future events. It’s ongoing and never-ending.

Specifically, the New Testament speaks of salvation in the past tense (we “have been saved” [Eph. 2:8]), in the present (we “are being saved” [1 Cor. 15:2]), and in the future tense (we “shall be saved” [Rom. 5:10]). Salvation works fluidly, across time — it is not a “one-off.”

Protestantism and salvation

In classical Protestantism, salvation is forgiveness of sins and rescue from the condemnation of the law. According to theologian Paul Tillich, “In the modern period, the ultimate threat is having a sense of meaninglessness and nihilism, and salvation is the gift of meaning, purpose, and wholeness of life,” especially in the West. In general, Americans are parched for spirituality and spiritual expression, and often seem to lack an understanding of our relationship with the Divine.

When our relationship with the Divine is impeded, our earthly relationships are likewise impeded. This speaks directly to humanity’s deep need for meaning-making, particularly in its respective contexts, in order to feel fulfilled in life, and to experience salvation on earth. The grace we received in personal salvation has a crucial earthly component that requires us to contribute our time, talent, and tithe as thanksgiving for that salvation. We are called to love one another in community as Jesus did.

Unfortunately, the word “salvation” has also become heavily freighted and coupled with only individual salvation in Evangelical dogma. 

Yet, salvation involves both the final existence of the eternal soul, as well as our much-needed work in society to usher in the reign of God. Below is a broadcast form of Evangelical public theology on a billboard in Texas that refers only to personal salvation. 

This billboard presents an example of a Christian Evangelical proclamation advertising the need for salvation. Perhaps the unidentified author of the billboard offers this communication as a faith-based opportunity for social change in response to the meaninglessness that so many Americans experience. 

Motivation aside, it is disconcerting; it ignores the need to contribute to social transformation for four reasons:

1)    It is excludes anything other than Christian conversion in an increasingly pluralistic country;

2)    It is unclear who is in need of healing, or is it the actual real property that needs “saving?”

3)   It is unclear as to who makes this designation of who should be healed; and,

4)   It is silent as to how the saving and healing occur.

Draping Jesus in the flag

In the billboard, the American flag has been overlaid onto the letters, “USA.” Then the letters have been joined with “Jes,” so that the flag draped “US” letters become part of the spelling of “Jesus.” Basically, Jesus’ name has been crammed next to “Saves,” with a flag-bearing “US.”

This is a blatant mixing of Evangelicalism and the American nation-state or civil religion. The two spheres, the non-secular Evangelicalism and the secular patriotism or civil nationalism, have been transmogrified into this ideological mutant. Frankly, it smacks of a glaring attempt to establish this brand of Christianity as supreme in the land. 

Jesus is not intellectual property!

This message claims that Jesus “belongs” to Americans, as if we have “copyrighted” him for ourselves or he has been sucked up into the American civil religion. 

To further challenge these explicit and subliminal messages, I’ve inserted some copyright symbols into this phrase “JesUSAves.” I’ve done this to highlight how many Christians have “appropriated” Jesus as their property, even their “mascot.”

Imagine the sign appearing in these variations:

1)  “ JesUSAves^© ” 

The first example copyrights the whole phrase that Jesus saves, or possibly saves the USA (but not other countries). In this scenario, the USA has claimed Jesus as our personal savior — a horrid twist on the concept of personal salvation in American Protestantism. 

or 2) “ JesUS^©Aves ”

The second phrase works to “copyright” Jesus. It telegraphs that Jesus is “US,” or the “USA,” and that the USA is “Jesus.” This message represents the USA and Jesus as interchangeable. Intellectual property law governs who owns copyrights, patents and trademarks. Holding a copyright allows the owner to “exploit” that item which is registered as intellectual property. The right to exploit intellectual property is exclusive, and “exploit” refers to the owner’s right to use or exploit the property for economic gain. The irony of “rightful exploitation” that rightfully occurs in asserting intellectual property rights

Or 3) “ JesUSA^©ves ”

The third one seems to “copyright” Jesus “as property of the USA.”  Perhaps the logic is: Jesus is legendary, and we, the American people, are legendary, so, “legendary Jesus” belongs to the “legendary USA.” 

While obnoxious and possibly blasphemous, this attitude flows from our history, legal precedents even, of using Jesus to appropriate people for our own designs. We’ve exploited the Bible to justify chattel slavery of human beings. Remember that Jesus spent a large portion of his earthly ministry challenging empires and corrupt power systems. 

Jesus belonged only to the Reign of God.

This message is arrogant for three reasons.

1) No religious entity takes responsibility for this theological content. This anonymity strongly suggests that the audience is unqualified to question it.

2) The message assumes it is the sole correct and controlling theology for every single Christian. 

3) It creates a “you’re ‘in,’” or “you’re ‘out,’” binary. If you get saved you are “in.” If you don’t get saved, you are “out.” When someone is deemed “out,” it further erodes social structures of justice and equality. Hand in hand, such erosion creates an excuse to classify those who are “out” to an inferior status; often they become targets of violence.

4) The billboard is silent about ways to care for others. Viewers are expected to know where to go for salvation and how to get it. 

Below are a few questions to spur discussion:

1)    Who/what caused the injuries from which are we to be healed? 

• Islam? Catholicism? Judaism? Anglicanism? 
• Total depravity? 
• Free will?

(certainly not Evangelical Protestants who very likely put up the sign)

2)    How will this healing take place?

3)    Who will do the healing? 

• Jesus only? 
• What about the Great I am? 
• Allah? 
• The Holy Spirit? 
• Brahma? Etc. 

(I must include an Interfaith challenge here because my mission field is near the largest population of Arabs/Muslims in the world outside of the Middle East. Our daily existence in SE Michigan includes interaction with the Abrahamic faiths as well as many Eastern traditions.)

4)    Who will be healed? 

• “Heathens” and non-believers? 
• People of African descent, Muslims, Catholics, and Jews? (Favorite targets by white supremacy groups)
• Denominations that ordain women and LGBTQ people?

5)    What will the healing look like? 

• Reparations to First Nation Peoples? 
• Legally quarantining Muslims per the US Constitution (Korematsu v. U. S.)? Limiting the number of new Mosques, Hindu Temples, Jain Temples, Sikh Gurdwaras?

6)    What does “land” mean? 

• Is it the US/territories only? (The people of Puerto Rico may wish to secede.) 
• Does “land” include the whole world? 
• Just the Western Hemisphere? 
• Just the Northern Hemisphere? 
• Just the USA?
• Just Texas?

7)    What are the implications for groups who are excluded from Christianity if they are not healed, and if they do not convert to Christianity? 

• Does healing also mean converting to Christianity? 
• Does healing mean ending racism in the USA (for example)?
• Or is it just about personal salvation?

The sign serves as evidence that many whites in the US believe that they are a: 

1) super-special Christian nation-state, 

2) heirs of an “entitled-to-get-whatever-we-want-manifest-destiny,” 

3) armed with Anglo-Saxon superiority,  

4) backed by Jesus Christ himself against the rest of the world. 

This billboard proves the existence of a well-established attitude of exclusionary, theological supremacy driving this unhealthy reality. These “billboarders” perceive themselves as the anointed, sole interpreters of the Bible and supreme arbiters of salvation. They broadcast that they determine who is saved and who is not. 

It fails to address Jesus’s call for us to love God and one another. It is only concerned about the white individual’s formulaic, heavenly disposition. Basically, “whiteness has functioned in modernity as a surrogate form of ‘salvation,’ a mythic presumption of wholeness.”^[1] (Italics mine)

Yet, our earthly existence has a heavenly component in the form of meaning-making. With right practice — good works, striving for our relationship with God, our neighbors, and creatures of the earth — we can experience heaven on earth, a form of salvation. These caring relationships provide a saving quality and can make us feel that “all is right with the world.” Our caring community restores us and provides strength for the journey. It reminds us of God’s love for us and provides that foretaste of that heavenly banquet. 

We live in the tension between heaven and earth, here and not quite there yet. We must find ways to repair that breach between heavenly joy and our earthly experience . . . “weeping may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning (Ps. 30:5).” Let us achieve joy on earth through good works leading to the Reign of God, our saving grace.

[1] Charles H. Long, Significations Signs, Symbols, and Images in the Interpretation of Religion (Aurora Colorado: The Davies Group, 1999), 8.

The post What does salvation mean in the Christian context? appeared first on Political Theology Matters.

Last week I was in a women’s restroom at a rural restaurant and saw the poster below. It encourages women who are being hurt or manipulated by their partners to call a number on the tear-off tabs below. I was really struck by how many tabs were missing–more than half. Now, I don’t know how long the poster had been there. But I felt uneasy.

Then I thought about how many times I’ve seen those posters in other restrooms and hospitals and few of the tear-offs had been taken. The fact that those posters are even needed should give us pause, but I confess that I was really taken aback by the poster above because of how many phone numbers had been taken.

Which begs the question: 

How much is too much before we become sensitized enough to recognize that domestic violence is a big issue in the USA?

We glorify violence in this country– through video games and TV shows. We allow mass shootings and mass killings to go on and on because our feckless Congress will not enact sensible gun possession laws. We are complicit in all of this.

Violence even at the Oscars this year

Tiffany Haddish openly defended Will Smith who slapped Christ Rock  at the Oscars, saying,

When I saw a Black man stand up for his wife. That meant so much to me. As a woman, who has been unprotected, for someone to say like, ‘Keep my wife’s name out your mouth, leave my wife alone,’ that’s what your husband is supposed to do, right? Protect you. And that meant the world to me.

This caused a stir, too. I understand as a white woman that there are racial and cultural aspects to Haddish’s statement that I have not personally experienced. But I do feel that violence is violence no matter who is doing

what to whom. We create a slippery slope when we support situational violence. If we don’t hold a zero tolerance for violence, where is the line of demarcation to tell us when there is too much violence? 

We need new patterns of behavior

We clearly have failed to set that boundary as a society. Instead we need to develop the skills necessary to settle conflict without violence, starting with little school kids. We need to rewrite our cultural standards of behavior. 

I’m not sure what was going through Will Smith’s head. He won the Best Actor for his portrayal in King Richard, but I think this incident will sully that rare achievement. 

What happened to a quiet word to resolve a conflict? Why does everything we do in life have to be on TV or social media? If he wanted to issue a public retort to Rock’s decidedly tasteless joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, Will Smith could have held a press conference. The media would have flocked to that.

A secret “handshake” to help us navigate away from violence

But instead we wear blinders where violence is concerned. We’ve gone so far as to need a secret hand signal to use so our abuser cannot see us use it. 

At least this gesture helped a captive teenager out of harms way. The hand signal became popular on TikTok, and is believed to have been started by the Canadian Women’s Foundation last year. It has been adopted by women around the world who need to discreetly ask for help, or show they are in distress.

By holding up our hand, palm away from us, we can communicate that we are in danger by folding the thumb into the palm and bringing our fingers down to form a fist.

Get help for yourself or another!

In the US, the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). In the UK, call the national domestic abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247, or visit Women’s Aid. In Australia, the national family violence counseling service is on 1800 737 732. Other international helplines may be found via www.befrienders.org.

The post Domestic violence: a big problem in the U.S. appeared first on Political Theology Matters.

Brave Simone Biles

I’m reminded of multi-gold medal winning Olympian, Simone Biles. She declined to compete during the recent games citing doubt and concern for her safety. Her confidence plummeted, and she feared hurting herself on the various gymnastic apparati. You couldn’t get me near a balance beam on the best day of my life!

My point is that sometimes our doubts and mental space require us to carve out some down time. Ms. Biles appeared recently on TV ads during the NCAA’s basketball championships (known as March Madness) for women and men. During these ads, Biles stated, “A pause is power.” She summed it up.

Sometimes we need a break whether others agree with us or not.7:01I loved her bravery in appearing in these ads despite her detractors. She took a great deal of flak from her critics for recusing herself from the games. Biles provided an important life lesson for all of us. Sometimes we need to know our limits…to take a pause when our well-being is at stake.

Our doubts deserve to be addressed, and for Christians, there is no better example than St. Thomas from the Gospel of John. The gospel reading for the second Sunday of Easter is always the storing of the “Doubting Thomas.” Some disciples had seen the risen Jesus, but Thomas was not at that gathering. Upon hearing this story later, Thomas proclaimed he would not believe in the risen Lord until he laid his hands in Jesus’ wounds he suffered during his crucifixion.

St. Thomas, the “Doubter”

So I offer my sermon about Doubting Thomas. As a defense attorney for many years, I naturally rise to the challenge of defending the “human” Thomas. It is no accident that Thomas’ story is so important to the Christian heritage. We all have doubts, sometimes those doubts save our lives or protect us from other kinds of harm.

Thomas had an especially big doubt early in the early church, but it was understandable. We owe it to Jesus, to Thomas, and to ourselves to recognize that doubt is a part of life, even for an apostle!

Easter 2, John 20:24-29

The 2nd Sunday of Easter always features the story of how some disciples saw the resurrected Jesus, but Thomas wasn’t there. Thomas said he’d have to place his hands in the wounds of Christ from the cross to believe in the resurrected Lord.

Read my sermon when I, as a criminal defense attorney, defend Thomas and his doubts. I offer this sermon in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, which occurs in May.

Calling the case of The One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church vs. Thomas the Twin, called Didymus, #0033-AD. The charge is “Misfeasance against the Crown, being Our Lord Jesus Christ.” The congregation will be Thomas’ jury. As Thomas’ attorney I have just read us the report from John into the record here today. Did we actually hear that Thomas did anything wrong? No. In fact, I submit, he was completely justified in his actions. Here is then, the closing argument on his behalf.

When Jesus first appeared to the disciples without Thomas, Jesus, the gateway to salvation, we learn that he cannot be barred by locks and doors. And, Jesus shares four things with them that he does not initially share with Thomas: 1) His peace that passes all understanding; 2) He gives them a mission to evangelize; 3) He gives them the Holy Spirit; and 4) He gives them the power of absolution—to forgive sins or to elect not to forgive sins.

At this time Jesus finds the disciples afraid and unsure, in other words they are not acting like they now live in a permanent, post-resurrection Easter. Instead, they are hunkered down and afraid of the Jewish leaders who successfully had Jesus executed. They are not afraid of all Jews, after all, they themselves are also Jewish. However, the followers do not understand that they are living as if they are on the wrong side of Easter.

A week later, the disciples tell Thomas that they have seen the Lord. They probably still seem very unsure although Jesus ate with them, and they were first-hand witnesses to the living Christ. And, per Jewish law, they have several more witnesses than two or three, a significant piece of evidence in the Jewish court.

So, Thomas has not had any of the benefits of Jesus’ appearance or teaching. The information from the disciples to Thomas is second-hand now, and there is no instant replay available. There’s no digital cameras or camcorders, no audio recording. There is just what they say heard and saw in real-time without slow-motion enhancement. And in this Gospel of John, seeing and believing are paramount to be Christian disciples.

Understandably then, Thomas announces that he needs some first-hand evidence. And complying, Jesus once again passes through the walls and locked doors and appears. Now think about Jesus–who had two good reasons to get upset. First, the disciples were still hunkered down and afraid and had not taken up the call to spread the Good News. They were just as petrified as they were the previous week. Does Jesus scold or say, “Hey, what do I have to do in addition to being crucified and resurrected to get you all moving?” Were they not acting after seeing because they were the real doubters? If so, what is the implication for Thomas? Acquittal.

Second, Jesus could have gotten into it with Thomas for doubting, but he doesn’t. Jesus knows that he must find Thomas, indeed, all of us, wherever we are along the faith journey to minister to us. And, Jesus is willing to do this over and over. Instead of objecting, Jesus once again offers himself, his very body, first to the very nail wounds themselves, and then again he offers his now-other-worldly wounded hands, along with a loving  embrace, open to receive Thomas’ inquiry. Jesus elects not to judge, but to save him.

Plus, Jesus never dubs Thomas as Doubting Thomas. Jesus says in the Greek, “Stop unbelieving and believe.” Jesus doesn’t actually say doubt. This nickname, “Doubting Thomas,” was given to Thomas by the early church. Unfortunately, this one interpretation has stuck to Thomas like glue, and it is an unjust assessment.

We can learn much more by examining the evidence, by seeing and believing with fresh eyes and open hearts, and by acting on that new understanding.

We are not even told that Thomas actually placed his fingers in the wounds of Christ. I am willing to bet he did not touch Jesus’ wounds. But what did he do, according to this record, that none of the other disciples did? He got on his knees and declared, “My Lord, and My God.” He recognizes in Jesus his humanity and his divinity upon sight of those marks of death on the living Christ. He equates Jesus with God for us. He sees and believes.

Thomas gave Jesus the important opportunity to draw the direct connection between his human wounds of the cross and his divinely risen self. What lesson does this encounter between Jesus and Thomas teach us? It teaches us that when God comes, we will recognize when God’s peace is offered, even in those moments when our hearts break or when brutal violence takes our breath away. We learn that God will infuse us with the Holy Spirit. In the midst of embracing this reality, we once again are reminded that we are not alone, in fact, we have already been found, right where we are.

In fact, this is really a story about Jesus more than about Thomas. Jesus brings grace by not making the disciples feel bad about their fear, unbelief, and inaction, and in responding to Thomas by going with him to where he actually was physically, spiritually, and emotionally. And, Jesus does so with us infinitely.

I submit to you that Thomas wanted very much to believe and needed what the others’ had experienced. Thomas just wanted to see Jesus whom he loved and missed, our Jesus, who was cruelly tortured and executed. Thomas missed Jesus deeply

Thomas, too, represents all of us. We call him Doubting Thomas because we fear it reflects our own doubts, doubts that are difficult for us to admit. Over the centuries we have transferred that doubt, that negative connotation onto Thomas. In truth, we often are worried that maybe we won’t recognize Jesus, even when he is two inches from our face.

We need Thomas to ask those questions on our behalf. The Johannine community lived about 75 years after the resurrection of Jesus in 100 A.D. They needed to ask those questions too. They were having a very rough time, and this gospel had a special function to encourage, to exhort this new faith, and its followers of Jesus, because it was a very dangerous business to be a Christian when the Gospel of John was written.

John was written at a time when most of the first-hand witnesses had died, and there needed to be an encouraging word to the second and third generation Christians who had not seen but did believe. We are included in this category, too, even 2000 years later. We rely on the story being told and passed on to us for over 20 centuries, in order to continue in the breaking of the bread, the keeping of the feast. And, we will pass it on until the Reign of God arrives.

A common defense tactic is to accuse someone else not standing trial to create reasonable doubt, and I moved in that direction when I suggested the disciples were the doubters. But in conclusion, I submit, that we owe our apostolic predecessors, including Thomas, the same grace and forgiveness offered by our Savior because Jesus can handle our fear, and our sin. For there truly is wonder and acquittal in those wounds.

…Oh yes, and in honor of St. Thomas. I have a special admiration and affinity for St. Thomas because I was ordained a priest on his feast day.

Peace and blessings on your journey, especially when you have doubts!

The post In Defense of Thomas the Doubter appeared first on Political Theology Matters.