Religion 101.
That’s where we became friends.
We didn’t abandon our individual friend groups
To become best friends
Yet she is one of the best friends I’ve got
In regards to my faith journey and
The deeper things of life.
For years,
When we lived closer,
We had dinner once a month.
We may not have talked much in between those dinners
But every time we were together,
It was like no time had passed.
We could just pick up the conversation with where we were in
life
And go forward from there.
Now that we live farther apart,
We send the occasional text and keep up via Facebook.
Our in person visits are few and far between
Yet we still have the ability to pick up the conversation
with where we are in life
And go forward from there.
No pretense.
No surface conversation.
Just deep, honest conversation about
Family, life, and faith.
We had the privilege of meeting for coffee last week.
She was in town for a couple of days
So we actually got to see each other and squeeze each
other’s necks.
I won’t go into all that we talked about because that is
private,
But I will share this.
She said,
“I’ve had a break up with scripture…
But what’s getting me back into that relationship is
Womanist theology.”
Womanist theology critically examines religious texts and
traditions through the lens of race, gender, and class, and reinterprets them
to reflect the unique realities of Black women's lives.
So much of the way we have traditionally read and
interpreted scripture
Has been through the lens of
White men in power.
Unfortunately, this reading has come to be
Hurtful and traumatizing for so many people—
Including women, children, people of color, and members of
the LGBTQ community.
If it weren’t so, then we wouldn’t have to pray these
words
That were prayed in many Lutheran churches yesterday:
Protect those who face hostility or oppression for their
faith.
Humble those who would use faith to dominate others and
reinforce their own power.
If the gospel is for everyone,
Then we must make it accessible to everyone,
Not through changing it
But through seeing it through different lenses.
Now, before you get mad and say that
Scripture is scripture and
Should be read and taken literally,
Let me gently remind you that
Scripture is the living, breathing word of God
And should be read under the guidance of the Holy Spirit
for
Today’s time, culture, and context.
Whether we admit it or not,
We all interpret scripture and pick and choose what
resonates with us.
We justify what we want justified
And we double down on what we see as absolute.
But nothing, really, is absolute
Except for the love of God
And the humanity of humankind.
But even that humanity is in question
Because some believe in the total depravity and sin of
man
While others believe in the belovedness and goodness of
God’s creation.
I say if womanist theology is helping my friend reengage
scripture and
Dialogue with God again,
Then hooray!
I must admit that I have been listening to a womanist
podcast in my car
Ever since our conversation,
And it is very enlightening and engaging.
God is God, friends.
God is so much bigger than we can comprehend
And so much more love than we give credit.
I am thankful for friends who help bring this truth to
light.
From Religion 101 to afternoon coffee and beyond.
Amen.
