The Last Great American Dynasty: Called to be a Holy Nuisance

Third in my Taylor Swift and Theology series.

And they said "There goes the last great American dynasty"
Who knows, if she never showed up, what could've been
There goes the most shameless woman this town has ever seen
She had a marvelous time ruining everything” -Taylor Swift, The Last Great American Dynasty.

Then the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching.  Jesus answered, “I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret.  Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said to them; they know what I said.”  When he had said this, one of the police standing nearby struck Jesus on the face, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?”  Jesus answered, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong. But if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?”  John 18: 19

Atheists and agnostics often ask those of us who are Queer and identify as Christian, why we would want to continue to be affiliated with a religion that has caused so much harm and violence to members of marginalized groups.

 I often respond, “well Christianity is actually much more diverse than one thinks. There are denominations and individual Christian churches that advocate for social justice and that welcome Queer people and other marginalized groups with open arms, no questions ask.”

I don’t fault those asking that question, in fact, I sympathize with them, since I often ask a variation of that question to those who belong to specific sects and denominations of Christianity that are less than welcoming to women and queer people.

For instance, I often ask my women and queer Catholic friends, “why would you ever want to stay within the Roman Catholic Church, since it continues to refuse to honor all of your gifts? Why not just go somewhere else, there are other Christian denominations that will allow you to nurture you callings to pastor and lead others?

Or, I ask some of my Queer United Methodist friends: “why stay? There are other Christian denominations that will proudly accept you and welcome you fully with open arms. Why not let the United Methodist Church face the consequences of its refusal to acknowledge your humanity?"

Often my Roman Catholic and United Methodist friends answer that those churches were where they initially found God and where they continue to experience God’s love. Or they talk about the rituals/traditions that keep them tied to said denomination. Or they mention a particularly progressive congregation doing good work.

  Yet those answers, at least for me, often fall short. I imagine in the same way; my answer seems less than satisfactory to some atheists/agnostics.  I mean why become so emotional invested in a religion/denomination/sect that repeatedly insists that who you are as a person is somehow not good enough to serve God?

So, what’s the alternative? Why do I stay within Christianity? Why would some queer Christians and women choose to stay within Christian denominations/sects that refuse to ordain women or that view Queerness as an afront to God?

Ok, this is going to sound weird, but sometimes personal theological breakthroughs occur for me while listening to Taylor Swift. Today while listening, “The Last Great American Dynasty,” which chronicles the story of Rebekah Harkness, the heiress and philanthropist served as Taylor Swift’s muse for this song, I thought, “why, that woman must have been a nuisance to her snooty, old money neighbors. I mean she must have drove them crazy with her antics and they probably couldn’t wait to get rid of her.”

And then it hit me, the Institutional Church has a bad habit of treating marginalized and outspoken members like a nuisance. They often act more like Harkness’ snooty, old money neighbors who resent any sort of disturbance in their highly ordered lives.

And yet, Christians of all denominations and theological stripes claim to follow Jesus, someone not exactly known for following rules and staying out of trouble. Rebekah Harkness’ antics annoyed her neighbors, while Jesus’ antics got him murdered by the state and by some religious leaders.

Christians have a tendency to do two things when exploring Jesus’ death: downplay the role of the state, and interpret Jesus’ feud with the Pharisees, in very anti-Semitic terms. We often forget that Jesus wasn’t a Christian. He was Jewish. He had no intention of renouncing Judaism or creating a new religion. He was Jewish through and through.  Jesus’ ministry and death should not be seen in anti-Semitic terms.

Jesus was calling out an oppressive Roman state while also engaging in debate within his own sacred tradition. And Judaism has a rich history of allowing dissent and debates (something Christians would do well to learn from). Jesus was being a holy nuisance, within his tradition. He wasn’t condemning all Pharisees and Sadducees and to suggest otherwise, plays into very negative and racist stereotypes Christians have about Judaism

In a similar way, I believe that some people feel called to stay within certain Christian denominations/sects in order to demand and insist better. I, for one, continue to call myself a Christian because I refuse to allow sexist, queerphobic, racists, decide what is and isn’t authentic Christianity.

 I have friends who feel called to stay within the Roman Catholic Church and advocate for women ordination and the full acceptance of members of the LGBTQ + community. I have friends who are staying within the United Methodist church because they believe it can and should be an institution that welcomes all-especially the marginalized.

And we need people like that who are willing to be a prophetic voice within institutions. Of course, we need outside pressure and accountability for institutions, but we also need people who are courageous enough to speak truth to power while within the institution. We need people who have the prophetic imagination needed to believe that Christianity and specific denominations within it, should and can do and be better.

Dear God,

Remind us that you have called your people to stand up against injustice, even if it means speaking out against institutions that we hold dear.  Remind us you have called all of us to demand a more just and equitable world, for all of your children and sometimes that means causing trouble. Give us the courage and strength to be holy nuisances.

Amen