Thoughts and Prayers: The Religion Thread

That picture could encapsulate my relationship with my wife. I, as a lapsed Catholic and occasional Methodist, possess a small amount of Bible knowledge. My wife is a year away from her M.Div.

Of course, I'd never try to mansplain the Bible to her.

 

My wife: The SBC is about to meet and codify that women can’t be preachers.
Me: Well, you don’t want to be a preacher, and WE AREN’T FUCKING BAPTISTS.

 

What I’ve come to learn the hard way is that it is never just about who is in the pulpit. It is about maintaining an entire system of subjugation, because if women have no real power they can’t call bullshit on all the shady stuff and expect any real change. And in our corner of the country, what happens in the SBC shapes society at large.

 

Man, if this doesn't sum up why churches are in decline, I don't know what does. You gatekeep and make your tent smaller, you are failing as a denomination.

“No one is asking any Southern Baptist to change their theology,” Mr. Warren said. “I am not asking you to agree with our church. I am asking you to act like Southern Baptists who have historically ‘agreed to disagree’ on dozens of doctrines in order to share a common mission.”

He noted that the denomination’s theological statement is 4,032 words long. “Saddleback disagrees with one word,” he said. “That’s 99.99999999 percent in agreement! Isn’t that close enough?”

The crowd shouted back at him, “No!”

Southern Baptists Vote to Keep Out Churches With Female Pastors

 

Yeah, this is me as well. I'm a cradle Episcopalian, and my wife was raised Southern Baptist. Once she was exposed to theology that taught that any person who truly sought redemption could be forgiven their sins, as opposed to "Nothing you sinners can do, you're gonna burn unless you toe our line" she wasn't going back. She was already more theologically inclined than I am, by far. She considered becoming an Episcopal deacon, which is often a first step toward the priesthood, but decided not to pursue that for numerous reasons. Instead she took the church's Education for Ministry course (four years worth) which is essentially a prep course for people interested in priesthood, then became an instructor teaching that EFM course.

Her Bible and theology knowledge far surpasses mine. No way in hell I step into that arena with her, nope.

We've had a female priest, female deacons, in our church. We went to the ordination to the Deaconate of a woman who attended our church. She's a truly remarkable person. She started in nursing (BSN, MSN, PhD) and worked for some years in medicine, got restless, got an education degree and became a college professor teaching nursing. She rose through the ranks at a couple of universities until she became President of Troy University in Montgomery. Got the call to the priesthood, earned a divinity degree at Sewannee. She became a deacon, then rector of two churches, then was elected Bishop.

I know some truly formidable church women who would tie some of those SBC jokers in knots arguing theology.

 

"You can't subsidize anti-social behavior. You have to stigmatize it." - Jesse Watters on...being homeless:



This is indicative of what I've come to view as a uniquely American delusion. We are an inventive, imaginative people, and often wind up wrapped up in our delusions, which allow us to live with diametrically opposed ideas in our heads - in this case stigmatizing the poor while claiming to be the people of Jesus, who admonished us to help them. It's a result of the cult evangelicals have created that celebrates the hatred of others.

This is a broad brush for sure, and I wouldn't care that much, but so many of them seem bound and determined to legislate by their own particular dogmas.

 

One episode in to Shiny Happy People and I’m already reeling. I recognize bits and pieces of that Gothard mind set in so many people I know - and a handful that went all the way over the cliff and ain’t coming back.

 

This is the contemptuous attitude that Lou Reed attacked so brilliantly in "Dirty Blvd." on the New York album.
I'm not familiar with the portion of the Scripture in which Jesus says, "And when you see a man needing shelter, spit on him and curse him while you're at it."
But in order to be a member of the Trumpist klan these days, this is the required belief system.

 

Guess I’ll go selling plastic roses for a buck.

 

Need a theological ruling on whether it’s cool to pray for Bill Gothard to meet some Starman justice. My God this documentary.

 

It is a broad brush, for sure, all right. The real problem with it, though, is that the "unhoused" part of people's difficulties usually is the last, end result of a lot of other possible previous issues, not a root cause that actually needs to be addressed. Which is what Watters, presumably, is trying to do with his "suggestion."

The root-cause designation probably goes to drugs/addiction. Other issues are the breakdown of the family/lack of family/circle of support, lack of a job/skills, and a general lack of personal resources/money or strength/ability to keep things from going from bad to worse.