Unfundamentalist

Above All, Love

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A Mother’s Day Without Proverbs 31

by Janene Cates Putman in Christian Issues

In my fundamentalist life, by now I would have been dreading Mother’s Day — not because I didn’t want to honor my Sweet Little Mother (who is clearly a saint) or because my children didn’t honor me (ah, the days of the noodle necklaces and handprint art). I dreaded it because of the ubiquitous Mother’s Day Sermon. Y’all know the one I’m talking about: the text is Proverbs 31 and the subject is “Biblical Womanhood.” This prospect filled me with dread because I knew I couldn’t — and wouldn’t — be the model of a “Proverbs 31 woman.”

May I point out that Proverbs 31 was most likely written by a mother (the queen) who was advising her son (the prince) on choosing a wife? Now come on, boy moms, what would you include in that list? What kind of woman would be the dream wife for your son? May I propose that fundamentalist Christians might be reading and teaching this poem inaccurately? May I further propose a better way?

The “Proverbs 31 woman” was a wife, mother, businesswoman, and community activist. She was never meant to be held up to all women everywhere as the example of who we should be and how we should behave. And, by the way, “she” wasn’t a real woman. She was a literary device, one written to honor and value women’s many roles, not to assign a single, limiting way of being a “virtuous woman.”

Thanks to Rachel Held Evans, we all know that Proverbs 31 wasn’t written to be a guide for devout women. It was written to celebrate the “woman of valor” in all her varied roles.… [Read more…] about A Mother’s Day Without Proverbs 31

The Visit

by Brettany Renee Blatchley in LGBT

Shortly before Mother’s Day, my sister called and granted me a ten minute visit with Mom, who, I learned, had been hospitalized for a month with pneumonia.

After I gently “came-out” to her in a letter last autumn, Mom did not want to see me again nor speak with me. Earlier this year, she relented and called me for a quick chat, specifically prohibiting any talk about my transition and new life as a woman.

A few days ago I called, casually saying that I was passing by and would she be up to my giving her a Mother’s Day hug? I had driven two hours so that I could “pass by.” No answer; there were cars at her home with my sister. Mom never got my messages; I learned my sister’s husband prevented that.

Unexpectedly, my sister called my spouse Judi at the urging of my aunt, who is close to each of us. I was asked not to wear “dangle” earrings, which I took to mean that they did not want me to appear looking like a sex-worker. In the aforementioned letter, I had told Mom that I “blend-in” with other middle-aged women: imagine the leap.

Mother’s Day, at the appointed time, me, Judi and our son arrived moments before five more members of the family: my sister and her husband, and his son, daughter-in-law, and their 15 month old daughter. So my little sister is a grandmother: that’s news to me too.

I was dressed nicely in a cheerful new blouse with jeans, sandals, a slender silver necklace, almost no makeup, hair pulled-back and yes, I wore my pearl-stud earrings – really quite… [Read more…] about The Visit

I Am a Pre-Existing Condition

by Sheila Hunter in Current Events

To those Christians who support the repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA):

Perhaps you have never been denied health insurance for a pre-existing medical condition, and you think you don’t know anyone who has, which is why you support the repeal of the ACA, including coverage for pre-existing conditions.

Well, guess what? If you know me—as your daughter, sister, cousin, niece, or friend—then you know someone who was born with a pre-existing condition. I have a rare genetic disease called X-linked Hypophosphatemia (XLH). Around 15,000 people in the United States have this disease. Since it’s genetic, it is passed down by a parent or it can also occur spontaneously. I’m a spontaneous case. Either way, I suppose you can blame my parents because, after all, they created me.

I’ve been denied health insurance for my genetic disease. Even when doctors knew very little about XLH (called Vitamin-D Resistant Rickets back then), the insurance companies thought I’d be a liability. My first job after college, in 1982, was with a small company with less than ten employees and they offered health insurance to full-time employees. The Republican owner was determined to find a health insurance plan that would include me, since the first few insurance companies he tried refused to put me on the policy. When he found a company that would cover me except for any care pertaining to my pre-existing condition, I was thrilled, because I was at the mercy of the Insurance Industry, and willing to… [Read more…] about I Am a Pre-Existing Condition

What I Learned from Arguing with a Pig Farmer

by Christina Krost in Uncategorized

I was recently invited to preach at a church near me about the importance of creation care. I carefully crafted a sermon that I thought was equal parts faithful, educational, and challenging. Though I was terrified of my first preaching experience, I thought it went well. At the very least, I didn’t die of embarrassment or pass out from nerves. I received positive feedback on my appearance (that’s a blog post for another day), my speaking voice, and my message. I was thanked for my work and for teaching the congregation something new. Several people pledged to increase their efforts to reduce their carbon footprint. It was an encouraging day.

A few days went by and I received a phone call from one of the pastors. It seems one of the members of the congregation, who happened to be a pig farmer, was enraged by my message and the pastor thought he was in need of a follow-up–so I gave him a call.

What happened next was perhaps the most formative experience I’ve had to date about how to have a difficult or emotionally-charged conversation with someone you disagree with. Here’s what I learned:

Listening to understand and listening to formulate a response are not the same thing.
I like to debate, and I like to win. But when you’re trying to form or maintain relationships with people, you need to suspend this desire. The best thing I could do in this situation was to make sure the person felt heard. So I listened. This can be disarming to the person you’re… [Read more…] about What I Learned from Arguing with a Pig Farmer

What Has Made Me Who I Am Does Not Have to Be What I Become

by Ellen Perleberg in Christian Spirituality

I’m a high school senior from a small town in Central Washington. Since I was thirteen years old, I’ve known exactly what I want to do “when I grew up”: I want to become a professor of linguistics at a major research university. I want to research and write papers and teach. Because I have had this answer ready for so long, people started to ask me what I want to specialize in. I’d say that I wasn’t sure, but perhaps an indigenous language family in Central America, because I already spoke Spanish and had studied the culture and politics of the region. Then it struck me: what has made me who I am does not have to be what I become.

This was a shocking, liberating idea for me. It seemed so obvious, since I was going to college to learn new things and have new experiences, but it also seemed contrary to everything I had learned. Suddenly, this simple idea permeated every aspect of my life. It became a mantra, a lifeline: what has made me who I am does not have to be what I become.

My Spanish teacher, a woman I admire very much as a teacher, a Christian, and a friend, graduated from the high school where she now teaches, attended the local community college, and then transferred to the state university forty-five minutes away.

What has made me who I am does not have to be what I become.

My mother has spent her life fighting the bureaucracy of special education for my little sister. She stays home because my sister needs someone to be her… [Read more…] about What Has Made Me Who I Am Does Not Have to Be What I Become

Fundamentalism Is about Policing the Borders

by Darrell Lackey in Fundamentalism

Fundamentalism, as a description, is used in different ways depending upon the context and point a writer is trying to make. I am using the word in its general dictionary meaning, such as given in the Cambridge Dictionary: “the belief that the traditional principles of a religion or set of beliefs should be maintained.” I am also referring to its historical context, as found in a set of essays published from 1910 to 1915 by the Bible Institute of Los Angeles (BIOLA) called “The Fundamentals.” In that series of essays, the writers called the church and the culture back to the so-called “fundamentals” of Christianity.

For an in-depth study of fundamentalism, I recommend George Marsden’s acclaimed book, Fundamentalism and American Culture. But in this post, what we might gather from the general dictionary meaning and the reference to the early essays, is that fundamentalism is about policing the borders or boundaries. We might think about Christian theology or doctrine as castles (Truth) of great importance. There they stand in the distance, big and beautiful. We must protect them. So, we begin to build walls around these castles; we build them thick and high. Once built, we then proceed to police them. Like guards, we walk along the border, the boundaries of the wall, to make sure no one scales the wall and attacks the castle.

It is easy to think we are very noble for doing this. Look at us: here we are on the very boundary, the border, diligent, making sure… [Read more…] about Fundamentalism Is about Policing the Borders

You're in a Safe Place Here…

by Brettany Renee Blatchley in LGBT

I had changed, was snuggled under the threadbare hospital blanket on a gurney in a frigid staging room. The nurse had been sweet as she took my hand in greeting, then started a saline IV; I thanked her and she left me. Then the doctor came in, another gentle hand; he asked me questions he already knew the answers to, and at last I added: “you know that I am a transgender woman, with mixed anatomy? I don’t want anyone to be surprised.” He smiled reassuringly and replied, “yes, I knew from the notes. There’s no problem; we see all kinds of bodies here;” I thanked him and then he left…

…It was time, and the anesthesiologist came, introduced herself and wheeled me into the dim procedure room nearby. Once inside she introduced me to the other members of the team, and they all smiled and greeted me, touching my hand warmly. I thanked them and gently, pensively said “just so there are no unpleasant surprises, I am a transgender woman and my anatomy is mixed.” The anesthesiologist must have seen the concern on my face, and as if she was giving me a warm hug, she thanked me and said “you’re in a *safe* place here…”

…Amid friendly chatter about the place I most wanted to visit (Australia), I quickly felt myself … enter … oblivion … seemingly moments later we resumed our conversation, this time everyone was talking about their favorite local craft beers. Procedure done, I asked them if I had been a good patient while I had been “under,” and they reassured me that I had done… [Read more…] about You're in a Safe Place Here…

It's Okay to Love Your Religion without Forcing People to Convert

by Sheri Faye Rosendahl in Christian Issues

Why does the idea of simply trying to follow Jesus, loving others, and NOT trying to convert people upset so many Christians? I posed this question on social media and naturally it rubbed quite a few people the wrong way.

“What about the Great Commission? What about preaching the gospel?” they said.

Why has the goal of conversion overridden the Great Command of Jesus? You know, that love others thing that he said was on par with loving God. I mean, if I am going to go out and teach the things Jesus taught, wouldn’t it revolve around bold love?

The Christian agenda to “get” people is so weird to me. Having these strategizing meetings to best figure out how they can convert whomever and convince them of the “truth” they hold. I imagine Christians having a conversation with whomever non-Christian they want to convert, sitting there not listening but waiting for any chance to strategically insert their beliefs. It’s uncomfortable–that’s not how normal people have a conversation.

I’m not saying to never talk about your faith and beliefs. I really like Jesus and I talk about him all the time, but not with the agenda to convert anyone–that’s where it gets weird. Awkwardly inserting your religious ideals or straight up arguing why someone needs Jesus so they won’t go to hell is kind of creepy.

What if, instead of focusing so much on how we can convert, we focused all that energy on how we can love more boldly, like Jesus? Seriously, have meetings to figure out how to love our… [Read more…] about It's Okay to Love Your Religion without Forcing People to Convert

Do Our Pets Go to Heaven?

by Tony Cutty in Christian Issues

Do our pets go to Heaven? What about animals in general—will there be any animals in Heaven? The Bible is silent on this issue, but since so many people own pets and, rightly, grieve their passing, we often wonder whether animals will join us in Heaven, especially those who are our animals.

Let me first clarify that I’m not discussing whether Heaven happens now or later,  or whether it’s on Earth or “somewhere else.” What I’m referring to is simply the “afterlife.” And if there is an “afterlife” where we go to be with Jesus, do our pets join us there?

Other than a brief mention of “the lion shall lie down with the lamb,” the Bible is quiet on the “eternal fate” of animals. But it does hint that, just as humans are redeemed, so too Creation as a whole is redeemed on the back of our redemption. It’s all a bit mysterious, but the concept can be seen in passages such as Romans 8:19: “For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.” It’s as if, once the saints come into their inheritance, Creation follows suit. If Creation is truly redeemed, I think Heaven is going to be full of animals!

I’ve read many websites that downplay the idea of animals in Heaven. They talk about animals not being able to “accept Christ” and not being able to “understand salvation.” Clearly, many of these writers have never known the love and affection of a devoted family pet or the close relationship of a working animal with its master. When… [Read more…] about Do Our Pets Go to Heaven?

We Agree: We Can't Agree to Disagree on Anti-Gay Bigotry

by Don M. Burrows in Christian Issues

Over on the Patheos Evangelical Channel, some authors are still fighting the losing battle against the social acceptance of gay and lesbian people. I know, so 2004, right?

Well, every once in a while it’s probably good for us to engage their tired thinking and to once again point out why anti-gay theology is so fraught with problems. So when the Patheos Facebook Page recently shared a problematic piece by Grayson Gilbert titled “We Can’t Agree to Disagree on Homosexuality,” I went ahead and read it against my better judgment.

Before I take a closer look at Gilbert’s exegesis, let me concur with his title: it’s true, we can’t agree to disagree on what amounts to bigotry. I wouldn’t “agree to disagree” with a racist, and I’m not going to agree to disagree with someone who, like racists, clings to a traditional set of prejudiced notions despite the mountains of evidence against them, using instead a host of illogical and “biblical” rationalizations — just like the racists of yore did.

But when bigotry uses the tools of my trade — in this case Greek philology — I feel duty-bound to, yet again, set the record straight.

Gilbert, a self-described aspiring master’s student at the fundamentalist Moody Bible Institute, lectures us all about the meaning of the Greek in the famous clobber passage of 1 Cor. 6:9. In so doing, he parrots Al Mohler and a host of other conservative pseudo-intellectuals whose knowledge of Greek is clearly limited to the New Testament, making the routine… [Read more…] about We Agree: We Can't Agree to Disagree on Anti-Gay Bigotry