Weekly Recap for Tuesday, June 14, 2016 ProgressiveChristianity.org in Gig Harbor, Washington, United States "Virgin Birth or Could It Have Been Rape? This and more in our Free Weekly Recap of our most viewed and new resources from last week." for Tuesday, 14 June 2016
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We delved into the topics of: Transgenders, Social Issues, Rape and Father's Day.
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The Transgender Body of Christ
Timothy Murphy We can listen to our transgender siblings, support nondiscrimination against them in the broader society, together working for God’s vision for a just society where none shall make them afraid.As a minister, I am disheartened by the misunderstanding and hate displayed against transgender persons in many states across our country. According to a recent report by the Human Rights Campaign, there are 44 anti-transgender bills being considered in 16 states. Within the last week, 11 states sued the Obama administration in an effort to oppose federal guidelines concerning transgender students use of restrooms and other facilities. Opponents to the equitable inclusion of transgender persons couch their arguments as simple common sense. In doing so, they reveal their dismissal of gender identity at call, by purposely misgendering trans boys and girls. For all the fear-mongering and anti-trans rhetoric that is out there regarding transgender use of public restrooms and in schools—including death threats that are being espoused by so-called “Christians”— people should take a look at how inclusive transgender laws have played out here in California.
California law allows transgender students to choose restrooms and sport teams based on the gender they identify with. In fact, in 2014 we became the first state to enshrine certain rights for transgender kindergarten-through-12th grade students in state law. I hope the rest of the country can come to this position. California’s children are not only safer in schools, but no horror stories emerged that fear-driven and hateful reactionaries claimed would happen. Attorney General Loretta Lynch was correct when she said, “This is about the dignity and respect we accord our fellow citizens and the laws that we, as a people and as a country, have enacted to protect them.”
Transgender persons visit restrooms so that they can use them. It’s that simple. It is a complete and utter fiction to associate such usage with violence against children. Rather, it is cisgender persons who continue to threaten transgender youth and adults in and around bathrooms. A 2013 study reported that 77 percent of transgender persons had experience harassment in public restrooms. As others have noted, fears around public bathrooms pre-existed the current inane debate on transgender use, including fears of unisex bathrooms in the 19th and 20th centuries (it may have been what defeated the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s) and race-based segregation through the mid-20th century.
Opponents of transgender inclusion are actively causing psychic and spiritual harm to young people in the sloganeering of “protecting children.” According to the American Psychological Association, using the appropriate restrooms and locker rooms is a key component of successfully transitioning between genders for students. It helps them feel included and not under threat.
In recent weeks around the country, there have been instances of numerous cisgender persons being yelled at by other cisgender persons whom they falsely think are transgender. I ask my siblings in Christ, where is the compassion? Such toxic thoughts and actions inflict wounds on transgender persons, and like a virus clearly spread to damage others that get caught up in their wake.
I’ve heard so many stories of transgender persons feeling that they have to leave their church because of beliefs members have about them. It breaks my heart, and I believe that God weeps whenever someone is made to feel separate from God’s love and welcome. It violates the body of Christ.
Throughout his ministry, Jesus taught his disciples to expand their circle of inclusion. For him, that meant welcoming those his culture tossed to the margins. Paul took it another step and formed communities in cosmopolitan cities where Jews and Gentiles could live together and eat at the same table. The church is tasked with continuing to broaden horizons where before was a hard boundary. Racial segregation? A violation of each as a beloved child of God. Denying women clergy? A violation of each as a beloved child of God. Hate the sin but love the sinner rhetoric for gay and lesbian persons? A violation of each as a beloved child. We can do better; we can see the demand for dignity of transgender persons as part of the movement of the Spirit; we can not only stop barring the gates; we can push for changes that move us closer to the Beloved Community.
Christians are called to lives of compassion and of supporting the oppressed. They can start small by encouraging the promotion of gender-inclusive restroom signs in their houses of worship. But they don’t have to stop there. We can listen to our transgender siblings, support nondiscrimination against them in the broader society, together working for God’s vision for a just society where none shall make them afraid.
About the Author
The Rev. Dr. Timothy Murphy is Executive Director of Progressive Christians Uniting
www.progressivechristiansuniting.org
California law allows transgender students to choose restrooms and sport teams based on the gender they identify with. In fact, in 2014 we became the first state to enshrine certain rights for transgender kindergarten-through-12th grade students in state law. I hope the rest of the country can come to this position. California’s children are not only safer in schools, but no horror stories emerged that fear-driven and hateful reactionaries claimed would happen. Attorney General Loretta Lynch was correct when she said, “This is about the dignity and respect we accord our fellow citizens and the laws that we, as a people and as a country, have enacted to protect them.”
Transgender persons visit restrooms so that they can use them. It’s that simple. It is a complete and utter fiction to associate such usage with violence against children. Rather, it is cisgender persons who continue to threaten transgender youth and adults in and around bathrooms. A 2013 study reported that 77 percent of transgender persons had experience harassment in public restrooms. As others have noted, fears around public bathrooms pre-existed the current inane debate on transgender use, including fears of unisex bathrooms in the 19th and 20th centuries (it may have been what defeated the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s) and race-based segregation through the mid-20th century.
Opponents of transgender inclusion are actively causing psychic and spiritual harm to young people in the sloganeering of “protecting children.” According to the American Psychological Association, using the appropriate restrooms and locker rooms is a key component of successfully transitioning between genders for students. It helps them feel included and not under threat.
In recent weeks around the country, there have been instances of numerous cisgender persons being yelled at by other cisgender persons whom they falsely think are transgender. I ask my siblings in Christ, where is the compassion? Such toxic thoughts and actions inflict wounds on transgender persons, and like a virus clearly spread to damage others that get caught up in their wake.
I’ve heard so many stories of transgender persons feeling that they have to leave their church because of beliefs members have about them. It breaks my heart, and I believe that God weeps whenever someone is made to feel separate from God’s love and welcome. It violates the body of Christ.
Throughout his ministry, Jesus taught his disciples to expand their circle of inclusion. For him, that meant welcoming those his culture tossed to the margins. Paul took it another step and formed communities in cosmopolitan cities where Jews and Gentiles could live together and eat at the same table. The church is tasked with continuing to broaden horizons where before was a hard boundary. Racial segregation? A violation of each as a beloved child of God. Denying women clergy? A violation of each as a beloved child of God. Hate the sin but love the sinner rhetoric for gay and lesbian persons? A violation of each as a beloved child. We can do better; we can see the demand for dignity of transgender persons as part of the movement of the Spirit; we can not only stop barring the gates; we can push for changes that move us closer to the Beloved Community.
Christians are called to lives of compassion and of supporting the oppressed. They can start small by encouraging the promotion of gender-inclusive restroom signs in their houses of worship. But they don’t have to stop there. We can listen to our transgender siblings, support nondiscrimination against them in the broader society, together working for God’s vision for a just society where none shall make them afraid.
About the Author
The Rev. Dr. Timothy Murphy is Executive Director of Progressive Christians Uniting
www.progressivechristiansuniting.org
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Salt of the Earth
James AsparroSalt of the Earth brings to light social issues such as addictions, gun violence, wealth distribution, and gender equality. Villains scheme to bring heroes down. Who will win?Ben Dawson, widowed pastor, takes a bullet from an assault rifle triggered by an anti-abortion protester at a women’s health clinic; further unanticipated events land him in the national spotlight. Colorful characters, including a brilliant and glamorous woman, are influenced by Ben’s local progressive church, at which people of all spiritualties find purpose and meaning. Woven into the story is romance, adventure on the high seas, and a sensational dog.
Salt of the Earth brings to light social issues such as addictions, gun violence, wealth distribution, and gender equality. Villains scheme to bring heroes down. Who will win?
“Salt of the earth is a thought-provoking narrative, which brings to light numerous issues plaguing our society and today’s mainline Christian communities. Set primarily in the Pacific Northwest, with frequent mention of Portland’s cultural landmarks, the vibrant character’s personalities seize the reader. The novel evoked my emotional responses including: compassion for hardworking nurse Megan, married to workaholic and sex addicted navy officer Brandon; loathing for the arrogant Palmer who thinks expensive diamonds can buy love; and disgust for closeminded Ray Fish with his prejudice judgments. I cheered for Pastor Ben Dawson as he fell in love with Alex, applauded executive assistant Teresa for her astute business sense and honored Navy Chaplain Bill Wilson for his caring insights. . . and I loved Lizzie the dog! This is a well-researched, fast paced story, which will leave you asking for a sequel.” ~Amazon Reviewer, Noakark2
“I am so glad I read this book! It had the perfect combination of thoughtful, serious themes and laugh-out-loud moments that came just when you needed them. There were characters I loved, characters I loved to hate and also characters that were mixed and complex. Redemption and forgiveness are central themes of this book, which gave it a hopeful quality that was truly inspiring. I teared up at the story of the lonely, elderly veteran who bonded with a sweet dog; I laughed at loud at the rom-com-style misunderstandings; I sat on the edge of my seat at the suspense and military action; and I choked up at the story of a very real family torn apart by absence and addiction. I’ve never been particularly religious, but this book showed a side of religion that was more than repeating prayers and believing in the impossible. It showed a diverse group of people who all came together to accept one another and love one another. A truly inspiring read, I couldn’t help but think what an engaging movie this book would make. Serious but uplifting, politically and socially aware, it didn’t fall into the typical traps of gender and racial stereotypes that you find all over the place. Well-researched accounts of the Navy and the Philippines grip the reader and take your emotions on a roller-coaster. It is a very real story about people who deal with very real issues. Couldn’t recommend it enough!”~Amazon Reviewer
About the Author
The Rev. Dr. James Asparro is a retired U.S. Navy chaplain who deployed in the Western Pacific several times during the cold war, and served as a navy chaplain with the fleet Marines. He was stationed stateside, in Iceland, and on sea duty in the Mediterranean. He has worked as a chaplain at Oregon State Hospital, Linfield College, and in the VA Health Care System. He was the pastor of an American Baptist church for four years before going on active duty with the navy. He holds degrees from University of Portland, Yale Divinity School, and Claremont School of Theology. He lives in a suburb of Portland with his family.
Visit the website here: www.jamesasparro.com
Click HERE to purchase this book in all formats.
purchase for $28.99
READ ON ...
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Mary and Elizabeth: Visitation or Escape?
“Salt of the earth is a thought-provoking narrative, which brings to light numerous issues plaguing our society and today’s mainline Christian communities. Set primarily in the Pacific Northwest, with frequent mention of Portland’s cultural landmarks, the vibrant character’s personalities seize the reader. The novel evoked my emotional responses including: compassion for hardworking nurse Megan, married to workaholic and sex addicted navy officer Brandon; loathing for the arrogant Palmer who thinks expensive diamonds can buy love; and disgust for closeminded Ray Fish with his prejudice judgments. I cheered for Pastor Ben Dawson as he fell in love with Alex, applauded executive assistant Teresa for her astute business sense and honored Navy Chaplain Bill Wilson for his caring insights. . . and I loved Lizzie the dog! This is a well-researched, fast paced story, which will leave you asking for a sequel.” ~Amazon Reviewer, Noakark2
“I am so glad I read this book! It had the perfect combination of thoughtful, serious themes and laugh-out-loud moments that came just when you needed them. There were characters I loved, characters I loved to hate and also characters that were mixed and complex. Redemption and forgiveness are central themes of this book, which gave it a hopeful quality that was truly inspiring. I teared up at the story of the lonely, elderly veteran who bonded with a sweet dog; I laughed at loud at the rom-com-style misunderstandings; I sat on the edge of my seat at the suspense and military action; and I choked up at the story of a very real family torn apart by absence and addiction. I’ve never been particularly religious, but this book showed a side of religion that was more than repeating prayers and believing in the impossible. It showed a diverse group of people who all came together to accept one another and love one another. A truly inspiring read, I couldn’t help but think what an engaging movie this book would make. Serious but uplifting, politically and socially aware, it didn’t fall into the typical traps of gender and racial stereotypes that you find all over the place. Well-researched accounts of the Navy and the Philippines grip the reader and take your emotions on a roller-coaster. It is a very real story about people who deal with very real issues. Couldn’t recommend it enough!”~Amazon Reviewer
About the Author
The Rev. Dr. James Asparro is a retired U.S. Navy chaplain who deployed in the Western Pacific several times during the cold war, and served as a navy chaplain with the fleet Marines. He was stationed stateside, in Iceland, and on sea duty in the Mediterranean. He has worked as a chaplain at Oregon State Hospital, Linfield College, and in the VA Health Care System. He was the pastor of an American Baptist church for four years before going on active duty with the navy. He holds degrees from University of Portland, Yale Divinity School, and Claremont School of Theology. He lives in a suburb of Portland with his family.
Visit the website here: www.jamesasparro.com
Click HERE to purchase this book in all formats.
purchase for $28.99
READ ON ...
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Mary and Elizabeth: Visitation or Escape?
Rev. Dawn Hutchings There is ample evidence in the New Testament accounts of Mary’s story that suggest that she may indeed have been raped.May 31st is the day the Church commemorates “The Visitation” the story of Mary’s visit to Elizabeth as it is recorded in the Gospel According to Luke 1:39-56. Since reading Jane Schalberg’s “The Illegitimacy of Jesus”, I can’t help but wonder if Mary’s visited her cousin Elizabeth or escaped to her cousin Elizabeth seeking protection for the crime of being raped in a culture that all too often blamed the victim. Historians estimate that Mary may have been all of twelve years old when she became pregnant. There is ample evidence in the New Testament accounts of Mary’s story that suggest that she may indeed have been raped. So rather than sweep the possibility under the rug, on this the Feast of the Visitation, I’m reposting a sermon I preached a few years ago during Advent. I do so because women young and old continue to be raped and to this day, are forced to flee from the accusations and persecutions of cultures that continue to blame the victim. What follows is a written approximation of the sermon which in addition to Jane Schalberg is also indebted to John Shelby Spong’s “Born of a Woman” and “Jesus for the Non Religious” along with John Dominic Crossan and Marcus Borg’s “The First Christmas”.
Sadly, one doesn’t have to travel too far into the past to arrive at the time when women’s voices were not heard. Indeed, in the Lutheran church, it was only a few short decades ago. For most of us that time is within our own lifetime. For generations, men have told our sacred stories. Men have decided which stories made it into the canon of Sacred Scriptures. Men have interpreted the stories that were allowed to be told. Men have translated, taught, and commented upon those stories from pulpits, in universities, in seminaries, in commentaries and in the public square.
Today, as more and more women take on the tasks of translating, interpreting, writing, teaching, preaching and imagining the texture of our sacred stories are changing in ways that our mothers and grandmothers may not have been able to imagine. This morning, I’d like to ask you to imagine with me a radical re-telling of the birth narratives; a re-telling based on the New Testament and the hidden gospels of the apocrypha; a retelling based on good sound historical scholarship; a retelling grounded in the ways of the world; a retelling by women; religious women, scholarly women, women trained in Hebrew, Greek, Latin, theology, doctrine, and the ways of the world.
Our story begins thousands of years ago in the occupied territories of Palestine were being a woman was a very dangerous and even death defying occupation. It is the story of a young girl; who couldn’t have been more than about 12 or 13, who fell pregnant. Notice the verb, it is chosen deliberately. The heroine of our sacred story is a young girl, a child, who fell pregnant. A dangerous and fall one for which the penalty was clear, for there was no ambiguity in the law, such fallen women were subject to stoning; stoning unto death.
But before I tell you this story, let me tell you another story. It’s the story of a woman who made it into the sacred halls of academia. She was a daughter of the Roman Catholic Church who against all odds managed to earn a PHD and teaches at a Roman Catholic University in Detroit. In 1987, when she dared to publish her scholarly account of our fallen heroine, she faced the wrath of the men in academia, who poo pooed her work and discounted her evidence without so much as a by your leave. This much she had expected, what she didn’t expect was the violence or the strange characters who showed up at her lectures hurling more than verbal insults; and she certainly didn’t expect to wake up in the middle of the night to find her car burning out in her driveway. The police told her to keep a low profile. She did for a while, but then people outside the academy picked up her book and the odd reporter quoted her theories and that’s when the death treats got really serious. You may not have heard of this obscure New Testament Scholar, but Jane Schaberg is a hero to many female biblical scholars, for daring to speculate on exactly how a young girl may have fallen pregnant 2000 years ago.
You see then like now, rape was not just a random crime committed by isolated individual men. Then like now, rape was a military tactic designed to terrorize an occupied population. Jane Schaberg uncovered, what many believe to be a deep dark family secret about a young woman, a child who fell pregnant a long time ago and fled for her life. She wasn’t the first to talk about it. There were men in the past that had dared to speculate about it and felt the wrath of the institution.
Some say the evidence is clear, if you’re willing to see it. After all there was a large cohort of Roman soldiers encamped near Nazareth. The people of Nazareth had participated in an uprising against their oppressors and the Roman’s had raided Nazareth in retaliation. There are numerous Jewish accounts of Roman raids that include details of strategic rapes. Could our young heroine be the victim of such a rape?
There are New Testament scholars who ask you to simply consider the New Testament story of Jesus’ audacious first sermon in Nazareth. What could have made the good people of Nazareth so angry that they wanted to kill Jesus? Nazarenes were accustomed to listening to itinerate preachers make all sorts of outlandish claims. But this Jesus was a mamzer Jewish texts written within 500 years of his birth attest to it. Historians do not even dare to translate mamzer for fear of reprisals. I won’t translate it for you now, not out of fear but rather because there are children present. I’ll let you guess the English term we used to use to describe a child born without benefit of wedlock a term that is now used to describe many a man. Could Jesus’ neighbours have been offended that this mamzer had dared to occupy their pulpit?
Deuteronomy 23 is clear, “A mamzerim shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the Lord.” The writer of the Gospel of Matthew alluded to Jesus status as a mamzer in his very first chapter. The writer traced Jesus lineage back through four women who could be described as fallen women. These four women by the standard of the day in which this story was told, these four women were sexually tainted women, “shady ladies” a couple seductress a couple of prostitutes and an adulterer. These women: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba, were all under the shadow of scandalous sexual activity and the inclusion of these women in Jesus genealogy should alert us that we should expect another women who becomes a social misfit by being wronged.
But if imagining Jesus as a mamzer is offensive to you, set it that aside for a moment and let’s look at the Gospel according to Luke and try to see past our rose coloured glasses. The Gospel of Luke tells the story from the perspective of Mary. Over the years generations of listeners and readers have taken the author’s depiction of Mary and created an image of Mary that is larger than life.
The popular image of Mary paints her as the ideal woman, the ideal woman that none of us could ever live up to. The image of Mary is that of both virgin and mother, meek and mild, obedient and perfect. She is impossible as a role model of course and totally unreal.
In order to see Jesus we have to move beyond the popular image and look at what the author of Luke actually wrote about Mary. It’s in the words of the Magnificat that the author reveals the revolutionary Mary. The Magnificat is the song Mary sings when she meets Elizabeth. When read in its original Greek it is clear that Mary bursts into song. The text of the song is a revolutionary text full of historical meaning that would have been clear to it’s first century listeners, but the radical nature of this song has been lost as successive generations have set it to music and prettied it up as best they can. But in the first century Mary was a revolutionary figure. The author of the gospel of Luke, does not intend her to be “mother Mary meek and mild.” The references, with which the author and his audience would be familiar, are to heroines of Israel, to revolution and to war.
The song of the Magnificat is written in the style of two other songs from the Scriptures that would have been so familiar to the gospel writer’s audiences. Elizabeth addresses Mary as “Blessed…among women.” This was not a normal greeting. There are only two other texts in the Scriptures where this phrase is used. In the Book of Judges, Deborah, who was herself a prophetess and a judge of Israel sings, “Blessed among women be Jael”. And Deborah’s song goes on to tell us who Jael was and what she did. “Most blessed of women be Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, of tent-dwelling women most blessed. He asked for water and she gave him milk she brought him curds in a lordly bowl. She put her hand to the tent peg and her right hand to the workman’s’ mallet; she struck Sisera a blow, she crushed his head, she shattered and pierced his temple. He sank, he fell, he lay still at her feet; at her feet he sank, he fell; where he sank, there he fell dead.” Sisera was the commander of the Canaanite army. Deborah the ruler of Israel promised her general Barak, that Sisera would be delivered into his hands. So, Barak summoned up his troops and went into battle. As the Israelites seemed to be winning Sisera fled to the camp of his ally Heber the Kenite—who was married to Jael. Jael invites Sesera into her tent, offers him hospitality, and after a meal of milk and curds he falls asleep. While Sesera the enemy of the Israelites lies sleeping, Jael bashes a tent peg through his skull. And for this Jael is heralded as a great heroine of the people as Deborah sings her praises calling her blessed among women.
The second woman in the Scriptures who is hailed as blessed is Judith. Judith is also a heroine of Israel. Her story takes place as the Assyrians are laying siege to the town of Bethulia, where the Israelites have almost run out of water. Judith leaves the city, allows herself to be captured by they Assyrians and taken to their leader Holofernes. Judith pretends to be fleeing from the Hebrews and offers to betray them to Holofernes. Holofernes welcomes Judith and offers her hospitality.
Judith then seduces Holofernes. After taking him to bed, while he is sleeping, Judith chops off his head with his own sword. She tucks his severed head in her food bag, escapes and returns to the Israelites. When she returns Uzziah, one of the elders greets her with the words, “O daughter, your are blessed by the Most High God above all other women on earth.” Later at a party giving to celebrate her victory, Judith sings a song to God in which God’s support for the oppressed is proclaimed, just as Mary proclaims that the rich and mighty will be brought down.
The author of Luke makes other references in his narrative, which would have been equally clear to his first century audiences. Starting with that angel who appears to Mary. Read Judges 13 for a similar story of an angel appearing to a woman and declaring that she will conceive and bear a son. There you will find the story of Manoah ‘s wife and the miraculous conception that led to Samson’s birth.
Today the angel Gabriel is usually portrayed as a white effeminate male in a flowing white gown. But this depiction is not one that would have been recognized as Gabriel in the first century. Back then Gabriel was understood to be the angel of war and he was associated with metal and metal workers. The mere mention of Gabriel would have conjured up images of a fierce warrior clothed in amour, ready to do battle on the side of the Israelites.
The name that the warrior angel insists on for Mary’s child is Jesus. Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew, Joshua. Joshua succeeded Moses, conquered Canaan and established the twelve tribes of Israel in the Promised Land. Joshua was a hero and a warrior. The author of the gospel of Luke makes a deliberate link suggesting to his readers that Jesus will follow in the same mould.
First century audiences would have been very familiar with the parallels being drawn. Mary is being clearly established as a revolutionary heroine, in a nationalistic and violent tradition. And the Magnificat is a song of revolution which proclaims the downfall of the prevailing order. The Magnificat is a rallying cry to overturn the established order of wealth; a tune intended to rouse the troops.
The author of the Gospel of Luke knew exactly the kind of Messiah the people are waiting for. Two thousand years ago in the dusty streets of Jerusalem, revolutionary ideas passed from house to house. The bitterness of Roman bondage had robbed the Jewish people of their ideals but not their Messianic hope. Jewish eyes continued to peer through the darkness imploring hands were still lifted towards heaven and the plaintive cry of Israelites begged the question: “When will the dark night be over?” In their despair, the idea of revolution was born. It was linked to the coming Messiah; the promised Saviour whom they were counting on to free them from oppression; the longed for a Saviour to lead Israel to freedom. That was the kind of Messiah the Jews living in the first century wanted.
The author of the gospel of Luke knows his audience well and he plays to their expectation of a Messiah who will lead them in battle; a military hero. The author presents Mary as a woman, who has a vision of what God will do. Mary’s song is the song of a heroine of Israel, for blessed is she among women. Mary’s song echoes the words of the Hebrew Scriptures: “My soul magnifies the Most High, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, who has looked with favour on the lowliness of God’s servant: Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is God’s name. God’s mercy is for those who revere God from generation to generation. God has shown strength with God’s arm, and has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. God has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; God has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. God has helped God’s servant Israel, in remembrance of God’s mercy, according to the promise God made to our ancestors, to Abraham and Sarah and to their descendants forever.”
Mary’s song takes on new meaning when heard within the context of violence and rape. Mary’s song takes on new meaning in our world where rape continues to be a military tactic. Let me give you the figures according to a report by the United Nations dated this past June. In Rwanda more than 500,000 women were raped during the genocide that ravaged that country. In Sierra Leon 64,000 women were raped as part of an attempt to impregnate women in order to shift the racial makeup of that war torn nation. 40,000 military rapes were reported in Bosnia Herzegovina. In the first six months of this year 4500 rapes were documented in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The UN estimates that every day 100 women are raped in Darfor. This past summer the government of South Africa released statistics that reported that 28% of South African men polled admitted to having committed rape in the past year, many of these men admitted to having raped more than one woman.
I need not tell you that the fate of women who are raped is one of shame and isolation, more often than not disease. Indeed in some places in Africa rape ends in death. The children of rape are stigmatized, abandoned and in some cases left to die. The world remains a cruel place for the mamzerim.
The church has told the story of Mary in it’s own particular way for centuries, holding up the image of unattainable femininity to women and men; an image that offers as an example of the perfect woman as both virgin and mother. That image may have suited the purposes of an institution that had a vested interest in having women behave in a certain way, but the time has come to tell Mary’s story differently. For in a world were over half the population is oppressed by attitudes that kill, maim, terrorize, oppress and enslave in poverty, isn’t it time we heard the story of a God who can do great things against all the odds. Isn’t it time to hear the story of God told in ways that liberate, empower those who have been most afflicted. Isn’t it time to hear Mary’s story told in ways that proclaim God’s plan for justice in a world obsessed with violence?
We can re-inscribe the image of Mary as the passive handmaiden of the Lord or we can tell the story of Mary a victim of abuse who with steely grit, courage and support struggles to raise her son not as a mamzer but as a child of God. The choice of how we read and tell Mary’s story will affect how we read the whole Christian story, and how we understand sin, sex, holiness, and redemption. But, perhaps more importantly, the way we tell this story will impact the reception women receive who continue to flee from their abusers.
Visit Rev. Dawn Hutchings website here
READ ON ...
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Liturgy Selection
Sadly, one doesn’t have to travel too far into the past to arrive at the time when women’s voices were not heard. Indeed, in the Lutheran church, it was only a few short decades ago. For most of us that time is within our own lifetime. For generations, men have told our sacred stories. Men have decided which stories made it into the canon of Sacred Scriptures. Men have interpreted the stories that were allowed to be told. Men have translated, taught, and commented upon those stories from pulpits, in universities, in seminaries, in commentaries and in the public square.
Today, as more and more women take on the tasks of translating, interpreting, writing, teaching, preaching and imagining the texture of our sacred stories are changing in ways that our mothers and grandmothers may not have been able to imagine. This morning, I’d like to ask you to imagine with me a radical re-telling of the birth narratives; a re-telling based on the New Testament and the hidden gospels of the apocrypha; a retelling based on good sound historical scholarship; a retelling grounded in the ways of the world; a retelling by women; religious women, scholarly women, women trained in Hebrew, Greek, Latin, theology, doctrine, and the ways of the world.
Our story begins thousands of years ago in the occupied territories of Palestine were being a woman was a very dangerous and even death defying occupation. It is the story of a young girl; who couldn’t have been more than about 12 or 13, who fell pregnant. Notice the verb, it is chosen deliberately. The heroine of our sacred story is a young girl, a child, who fell pregnant. A dangerous and fall one for which the penalty was clear, for there was no ambiguity in the law, such fallen women were subject to stoning; stoning unto death.
But before I tell you this story, let me tell you another story. It’s the story of a woman who made it into the sacred halls of academia. She was a daughter of the Roman Catholic Church who against all odds managed to earn a PHD and teaches at a Roman Catholic University in Detroit. In 1987, when she dared to publish her scholarly account of our fallen heroine, she faced the wrath of the men in academia, who poo pooed her work and discounted her evidence without so much as a by your leave. This much she had expected, what she didn’t expect was the violence or the strange characters who showed up at her lectures hurling more than verbal insults; and she certainly didn’t expect to wake up in the middle of the night to find her car burning out in her driveway. The police told her to keep a low profile. She did for a while, but then people outside the academy picked up her book and the odd reporter quoted her theories and that’s when the death treats got really serious. You may not have heard of this obscure New Testament Scholar, but Jane Schaberg is a hero to many female biblical scholars, for daring to speculate on exactly how a young girl may have fallen pregnant 2000 years ago.
You see then like now, rape was not just a random crime committed by isolated individual men. Then like now, rape was a military tactic designed to terrorize an occupied population. Jane Schaberg uncovered, what many believe to be a deep dark family secret about a young woman, a child who fell pregnant a long time ago and fled for her life. She wasn’t the first to talk about it. There were men in the past that had dared to speculate about it and felt the wrath of the institution.
Some say the evidence is clear, if you’re willing to see it. After all there was a large cohort of Roman soldiers encamped near Nazareth. The people of Nazareth had participated in an uprising against their oppressors and the Roman’s had raided Nazareth in retaliation. There are numerous Jewish accounts of Roman raids that include details of strategic rapes. Could our young heroine be the victim of such a rape?
There are New Testament scholars who ask you to simply consider the New Testament story of Jesus’ audacious first sermon in Nazareth. What could have made the good people of Nazareth so angry that they wanted to kill Jesus? Nazarenes were accustomed to listening to itinerate preachers make all sorts of outlandish claims. But this Jesus was a mamzer Jewish texts written within 500 years of his birth attest to it. Historians do not even dare to translate mamzer for fear of reprisals. I won’t translate it for you now, not out of fear but rather because there are children present. I’ll let you guess the English term we used to use to describe a child born without benefit of wedlock a term that is now used to describe many a man. Could Jesus’ neighbours have been offended that this mamzer had dared to occupy their pulpit?
Deuteronomy 23 is clear, “A mamzerim shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the Lord.” The writer of the Gospel of Matthew alluded to Jesus status as a mamzer in his very first chapter. The writer traced Jesus lineage back through four women who could be described as fallen women. These four women by the standard of the day in which this story was told, these four women were sexually tainted women, “shady ladies” a couple seductress a couple of prostitutes and an adulterer. These women: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba, were all under the shadow of scandalous sexual activity and the inclusion of these women in Jesus genealogy should alert us that we should expect another women who becomes a social misfit by being wronged.
But if imagining Jesus as a mamzer is offensive to you, set it that aside for a moment and let’s look at the Gospel according to Luke and try to see past our rose coloured glasses. The Gospel of Luke tells the story from the perspective of Mary. Over the years generations of listeners and readers have taken the author’s depiction of Mary and created an image of Mary that is larger than life.
The popular image of Mary paints her as the ideal woman, the ideal woman that none of us could ever live up to. The image of Mary is that of both virgin and mother, meek and mild, obedient and perfect. She is impossible as a role model of course and totally unreal.
In order to see Jesus we have to move beyond the popular image and look at what the author of Luke actually wrote about Mary. It’s in the words of the Magnificat that the author reveals the revolutionary Mary. The Magnificat is the song Mary sings when she meets Elizabeth. When read in its original Greek it is clear that Mary bursts into song. The text of the song is a revolutionary text full of historical meaning that would have been clear to it’s first century listeners, but the radical nature of this song has been lost as successive generations have set it to music and prettied it up as best they can. But in the first century Mary was a revolutionary figure. The author of the gospel of Luke, does not intend her to be “mother Mary meek and mild.” The references, with which the author and his audience would be familiar, are to heroines of Israel, to revolution and to war.
The song of the Magnificat is written in the style of two other songs from the Scriptures that would have been so familiar to the gospel writer’s audiences. Elizabeth addresses Mary as “Blessed…among women.” This was not a normal greeting. There are only two other texts in the Scriptures where this phrase is used. In the Book of Judges, Deborah, who was herself a prophetess and a judge of Israel sings, “Blessed among women be Jael”. And Deborah’s song goes on to tell us who Jael was and what she did. “Most blessed of women be Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, of tent-dwelling women most blessed. He asked for water and she gave him milk she brought him curds in a lordly bowl. She put her hand to the tent peg and her right hand to the workman’s’ mallet; she struck Sisera a blow, she crushed his head, she shattered and pierced his temple. He sank, he fell, he lay still at her feet; at her feet he sank, he fell; where he sank, there he fell dead.” Sisera was the commander of the Canaanite army. Deborah the ruler of Israel promised her general Barak, that Sisera would be delivered into his hands. So, Barak summoned up his troops and went into battle. As the Israelites seemed to be winning Sisera fled to the camp of his ally Heber the Kenite—who was married to Jael. Jael invites Sesera into her tent, offers him hospitality, and after a meal of milk and curds he falls asleep. While Sesera the enemy of the Israelites lies sleeping, Jael bashes a tent peg through his skull. And for this Jael is heralded as a great heroine of the people as Deborah sings her praises calling her blessed among women.
The second woman in the Scriptures who is hailed as blessed is Judith. Judith is also a heroine of Israel. Her story takes place as the Assyrians are laying siege to the town of Bethulia, where the Israelites have almost run out of water. Judith leaves the city, allows herself to be captured by they Assyrians and taken to their leader Holofernes. Judith pretends to be fleeing from the Hebrews and offers to betray them to Holofernes. Holofernes welcomes Judith and offers her hospitality.
Judith then seduces Holofernes. After taking him to bed, while he is sleeping, Judith chops off his head with his own sword. She tucks his severed head in her food bag, escapes and returns to the Israelites. When she returns Uzziah, one of the elders greets her with the words, “O daughter, your are blessed by the Most High God above all other women on earth.” Later at a party giving to celebrate her victory, Judith sings a song to God in which God’s support for the oppressed is proclaimed, just as Mary proclaims that the rich and mighty will be brought down.
The author of Luke makes other references in his narrative, which would have been equally clear to his first century audiences. Starting with that angel who appears to Mary. Read Judges 13 for a similar story of an angel appearing to a woman and declaring that she will conceive and bear a son. There you will find the story of Manoah ‘s wife and the miraculous conception that led to Samson’s birth.
Today the angel Gabriel is usually portrayed as a white effeminate male in a flowing white gown. But this depiction is not one that would have been recognized as Gabriel in the first century. Back then Gabriel was understood to be the angel of war and he was associated with metal and metal workers. The mere mention of Gabriel would have conjured up images of a fierce warrior clothed in amour, ready to do battle on the side of the Israelites.
The name that the warrior angel insists on for Mary’s child is Jesus. Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew, Joshua. Joshua succeeded Moses, conquered Canaan and established the twelve tribes of Israel in the Promised Land. Joshua was a hero and a warrior. The author of the gospel of Luke makes a deliberate link suggesting to his readers that Jesus will follow in the same mould.
First century audiences would have been very familiar with the parallels being drawn. Mary is being clearly established as a revolutionary heroine, in a nationalistic and violent tradition. And the Magnificat is a song of revolution which proclaims the downfall of the prevailing order. The Magnificat is a rallying cry to overturn the established order of wealth; a tune intended to rouse the troops.
The author of the Gospel of Luke knew exactly the kind of Messiah the people are waiting for. Two thousand years ago in the dusty streets of Jerusalem, revolutionary ideas passed from house to house. The bitterness of Roman bondage had robbed the Jewish people of their ideals but not their Messianic hope. Jewish eyes continued to peer through the darkness imploring hands were still lifted towards heaven and the plaintive cry of Israelites begged the question: “When will the dark night be over?” In their despair, the idea of revolution was born. It was linked to the coming Messiah; the promised Saviour whom they were counting on to free them from oppression; the longed for a Saviour to lead Israel to freedom. That was the kind of Messiah the Jews living in the first century wanted.
The author of the gospel of Luke knows his audience well and he plays to their expectation of a Messiah who will lead them in battle; a military hero. The author presents Mary as a woman, who has a vision of what God will do. Mary’s song is the song of a heroine of Israel, for blessed is she among women. Mary’s song echoes the words of the Hebrew Scriptures: “My soul magnifies the Most High, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, who has looked with favour on the lowliness of God’s servant: Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is God’s name. God’s mercy is for those who revere God from generation to generation. God has shown strength with God’s arm, and has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. God has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; God has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. God has helped God’s servant Israel, in remembrance of God’s mercy, according to the promise God made to our ancestors, to Abraham and Sarah and to their descendants forever.”
Mary’s song takes on new meaning when heard within the context of violence and rape. Mary’s song takes on new meaning in our world where rape continues to be a military tactic. Let me give you the figures according to a report by the United Nations dated this past June. In Rwanda more than 500,000 women were raped during the genocide that ravaged that country. In Sierra Leon 64,000 women were raped as part of an attempt to impregnate women in order to shift the racial makeup of that war torn nation. 40,000 military rapes were reported in Bosnia Herzegovina. In the first six months of this year 4500 rapes were documented in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The UN estimates that every day 100 women are raped in Darfor. This past summer the government of South Africa released statistics that reported that 28% of South African men polled admitted to having committed rape in the past year, many of these men admitted to having raped more than one woman.
I need not tell you that the fate of women who are raped is one of shame and isolation, more often than not disease. Indeed in some places in Africa rape ends in death. The children of rape are stigmatized, abandoned and in some cases left to die. The world remains a cruel place for the mamzerim.
The church has told the story of Mary in it’s own particular way for centuries, holding up the image of unattainable femininity to women and men; an image that offers as an example of the perfect woman as both virgin and mother. That image may have suited the purposes of an institution that had a vested interest in having women behave in a certain way, but the time has come to tell Mary’s story differently. For in a world were over half the population is oppressed by attitudes that kill, maim, terrorize, oppress and enslave in poverty, isn’t it time we heard the story of a God who can do great things against all the odds. Isn’t it time to hear the story of God told in ways that liberate, empower those who have been most afflicted. Isn’t it time to hear Mary’s story told in ways that proclaim God’s plan for justice in a world obsessed with violence?
We can re-inscribe the image of Mary as the passive handmaiden of the Lord or we can tell the story of Mary a victim of abuse who with steely grit, courage and support struggles to raise her son not as a mamzer but as a child of God. The choice of how we read and tell Mary’s story will affect how we read the whole Christian story, and how we understand sin, sex, holiness, and redemption. But, perhaps more importantly, the way we tell this story will impact the reception women receive who continue to flee from their abusers.
Visit Rev. Dawn Hutchings website here
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Father's Day
We take time each year to honor and appreciate the fathers in our lives. Just as we have expanded our metaphors for God beyond the traditional “God the Father” so we have broadened our understanding of who the people are who “father” us.
We take time each year to honor and appreciate the fathers in our lives. Just as we have expanded our metaphors for God beyond the traditional “God the Father” so we have broadened our understanding of who the people are who “father” us. They may or may not be our actual biological parent. What makes a father is the relationship — the sustained care and guidance and love. So we honor all fathers, no matter how they came to the role.
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Deuteronomy 29:5 on Aging by Rabbi Allen S. Maller
I am not afraid of dying
But I am afraid of declining.
Forgetting a name or a word,
Waking up stiff with aches and pains,
Having to walk because I cannot run.
Not being able to do what I always could do,
Feeling betrayed by my body’s decline.
Then one Shabbat morning
As the Torah was being read
I heard these words from Deuteronomy 29
For 40 years in the wilderness
your clothes did not wear out,
nor did your shoes wear out and fall off your feet (29:5)
How could that be?
Everything decays and wears out.
Everyone declines, deteriorates and becomes decrepit.
Then suddenly I understood the Torah’s teaching.
Old age isn’t a one way street.
You can change from hiking briskly in the mountains
To walking slowly in the valley,
Looking at birds, flowers and trees.
You can still appreciate seeing and hearing
Even if not so sharply anymore.
You can still do a lot
If you do it unhurriedly.
If you understand the Torah’s teaching
You can spend even 40 years
In the wilderness of decline
Without wearing yourself out,
And falling off your feet.
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We take time each year to honor and appreciate the fathers in our lives. Just as we have expanded our metaphors for God beyond the traditional “God the Father” so we have broadened our understanding of who the people are who “father” us.
We take time each year to honor and appreciate the fathers in our lives. Just as we have expanded our metaphors for God beyond the traditional “God the Father” so we have broadened our understanding of who the people are who “father” us. They may or may not be our actual biological parent. What makes a father is the relationship — the sustained care and guidance and love. So we honor all fathers, no matter how they came to the role.
-------
Deuteronomy 29:5 on Aging by Rabbi Allen S. Maller
I am not afraid of dying
But I am afraid of declining.
Forgetting a name or a word,
Waking up stiff with aches and pains,
Having to walk because I cannot run.
Not being able to do what I always could do,
Feeling betrayed by my body’s decline.
Then one Shabbat morning
As the Torah was being read
I heard these words from Deuteronomy 29
For 40 years in the wilderness
your clothes did not wear out,
nor did your shoes wear out and fall off your feet (29:5)
How could that be?
Everything decays and wears out.
Everyone declines, deteriorates and becomes decrepit.
Then suddenly I understood the Torah’s teaching.
Old age isn’t a one way street.
You can change from hiking briskly in the mountains
To walking slowly in the valley,
Looking at birds, flowers and trees.
You can still appreciate seeing and hearing
Even if not so sharply anymore.
You can still do a lot
If you do it unhurriedly.
If you understand the Torah’s teaching
You can spend even 40 years
In the wilderness of decline
Without wearing yourself out,
And falling off your feet.
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Blessing of a Child
The Blessing of Marie by Jim BurkloWe are here to stand in awe of the life of Marie, our young friend, who in such a short time has brought us so much joy. Through Marie we have experienced birth again in a new and more conscious way; in her, we have witnessed the process of the unfolding of the universe once again, opening us to wonder and possibility that we had forgotten. As the meaning of her name in the Greek language is “wisdom”, so she has opened our minds to deeper dimensions, as we have marveled at her birth and growth.
We live not for ourselves alone, but for each other and for the whole human family. Our lives are bound in a covenant of love with Marie. We bless Marie with our desire to show her a way of life that naturally displays love, respect, and justice. We bless her with our desire to be spiritually awakened as we are in her presence. We bless Marie with our desire to see her grow in spiritual maturity, in wisdom, and in soulful service to others.
Each of us here has a unique role in raising this beautiful child.
Do you, Kathy and Bill, commit yourselves to raising her in a manner that inspires faithfulness, compassion, and spiritual growth? If so, say, “We do.”
Do you, the family and friends of Marie, commit yourselves to being a faithful community that will guide and support her, body and soul, throughout her life? If so, say, “We do.”
Let us each touch the water, and as we do, let us infuse it with our spoken and silent commitments to share with Marie the unique spiritual and practical gifts that we have been given, gifts she’ll need from us as she goes along life’s way.
(Godparent holds chalice and goes around circle, each person touching the water and adding a spoken or silent blessing, as they wish.)
Let us repeat her name together: Marie. (Jim scoops a small handful of water over her forehead.) Marie, with this water we bless you through the divine Spirit made known to us in many ways, many names, and many faces, and especially in your face right now!
Jim holds the child: “I present to you Marie, priceless gift to her parents, to her family, and to all of us! Amen!”
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Mother us gently, Father us lightly by Andrew PrattMother us gently, Father us lightly,
God of our being, ground of our care;
comfort our grieving, help our believing,
graceful and loving, teach us to share.
Hold and enfold us, parent with purpose,
taking us forward, showing your way;
guiding our footsteps, giving direction,
leading us onward, every new day.
As we are growing nurture, protect us,
lift us when fallen, then set us free;
we are your children longing to serve you,
ready for action, willing to be.
God of our being, Father and Mother,
parent to children, source of all grace;
stand with your people, focus our loving,
spirit of challenge, shine through each face.
© Andrew Pratt 8/3/2011
Editor’s suggested tune: Tenderness 5.5.5.4 (Colin Gibson, 1992)
Appears in New Century Hymnal with “Touch the Earth Lightly”
by Shirley Erena Murray
Mother us gently, Father us lightly by Andrew PrattMother us gently, Father us lightly,
God of our being, ground of our care;
comfort our grieving, help our believing,
graceful and loving, teach us to share.
Hold and enfold us, parent with purpose,
taking us forward, showing your way;
guiding our footsteps, giving direction,
leading us onward, every new day.
As we are growing nurture, protect us,
lift us when fallen, then set us free;
we are your children longing to serve you,
ready for action, willing to be.
God of our being, Father and Mother,
parent to children, source of all grace;
stand with your people, focus our loving,
spirit of challenge, shine through each face.
© Andrew Pratt 8/3/2011
Editor’s suggested tune: Tenderness 5.5.5.4 (Colin Gibson, 1992)
Appears in New Century Hymnal with “Touch the Earth Lightly”
by Shirley Erena Murray
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Events and Updates
The Rev. Dr. Robin Meyers
June 17 - 19th, First Congregational UCC's Ashley Lecture Weekend in Henderson N C - this will be a great introduction to the vibrant conversation of progressive Christianity that our series has cultivated these past nine years.
The Rev. Dr. Robin Meyers
If you have attended an Ashley Lecture weekend and appreciated the experience, we trust that you will want to be a part of this weekend with Robin Meyers. For those who have never participated, this will be a great introduction to the vibrant conversation of progressive Christianity that our series has cultivated these past nine years.
Robin Meyers is the pastor of Mayflower United Church of Christ, an “unapologetically Christian, unapologetically liberal” church in Oklahoma City. He is a professor in the philosophy department at Oklahoma City University, a syndicated columnist, an award winning commentator for National Public Radio, has appeared on Dateline NBC, the PBS NewsHour with Jim Lehrer and he writes regularly for The Christian Century.
A prolific writer, Meyers has most recently authored Saving Jesus From The Churchand The Underground Church. His presentations throughout the weekend will address his work on the underground church.
Images
Start:
June 17, 2016 07:00 PM
End:
June 19, 2016 12:00 PM
Location:
First Congregational United Church of Christ
1735 5th Avenue W
Hendersonville United States North Carolina
Registration:
$75 for three lectures plus lunch
Contact:
Linda Welch
Organization:
FCUCC
Website:
http://www.fcchendersonville.org/ashley-lecture-series.html
Email:
linda@fcucchendersonville.org
Telephone:
828-692-8630
READ ON ...
View all upcoming events here!
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Click on Amazon Smile and choose ProgressiveChristianity.org as your charity - when you shop Amazon donates .05%.
Events and Updates
The Rev. Dr. Robin Meyers
June 17 - 19th, First Congregational UCC's Ashley Lecture Weekend in Henderson N C - this will be a great introduction to the vibrant conversation of progressive Christianity that our series has cultivated these past nine years.
The Rev. Dr. Robin Meyers
If you have attended an Ashley Lecture weekend and appreciated the experience, we trust that you will want to be a part of this weekend with Robin Meyers. For those who have never participated, this will be a great introduction to the vibrant conversation of progressive Christianity that our series has cultivated these past nine years.
Robin Meyers is the pastor of Mayflower United Church of Christ, an “unapologetically Christian, unapologetically liberal” church in Oklahoma City. He is a professor in the philosophy department at Oklahoma City University, a syndicated columnist, an award winning commentator for National Public Radio, has appeared on Dateline NBC, the PBS NewsHour with Jim Lehrer and he writes regularly for The Christian Century.
A prolific writer, Meyers has most recently authored Saving Jesus From The Churchand The Underground Church. His presentations throughout the weekend will address his work on the underground church.
Start:
June 17, 2016 07:00 PM
End:
June 19, 2016 12:00 PM
Location:
First Congregational United Church of Christ
1735 5th Avenue W
Hendersonville United States North Carolina
Registration:
$75 for three lectures plus lunch
Contact:
Linda Welch
Organization:
FCUCC
Website:
http://www.fcchendersonville.org/ashley-lecture-series.html
Email:
linda@fcucchendersonville.org
Telephone:
828-692-8630
View all upcoming events here!
News
Job Listings
FacebookTwitterWebsiteEmailYouTubeOur mailing address is: ProgressiveChristianity.org
4810 Point Fosdick Drive North West#80
Gig Harbor, Washington 98335, United States
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