Crusades are coming
Years ago, around 2016, I said out loud that the turn against the Wrong Kind of Christians was going to happen, that it would become illegal to say certain things in public and we’d become enemies of the state.
What I was told growing up is that it would always be difficult to follow Christ. That when we tell people they are sinners (in the hands of an angry God especially) that they won’t like it. They will refuse to hear it and they’ll hate you and make your life miserable. We were told as kids that we should be willing to suffer for Christ and to always choose to follow Jesus. No turning back. No turning back.
What I did not expect? Literally the Spanish Inquisition.
All jokes aside, what happened in 2016 and then again in 2020, was a 180 turnabout to grill people like me for where our loyalties lie, not to mention my husband, who has been a mostly conservative, pro-life, white, cishet, middle-class, graduate degreed (MDiv), evangelical ministry leader, and pastor his whole adult life. I get me. I’m a nonwhite, “too” opinionated, cisbi, mostly communist, sometimes ministry leader when they let me, and never pastor because of my girl parts but had a well read blog that pushed back on a denomination I thought loved me.
My husband was in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) his whole adult life and career of 30 years and I since 2007 as church staff, active community leader, and then pastor/church planter wife.
We never thought that we would face the PCA Inquisition. And actually be burned in effigy on our way out. It was the cost of war. We lost. We knew it would cost a lot because we take the words of Jesus seriously.
Since 2020, we’ve heard several more stories of other ministry leaders in our denomination as well as countless more across all other denominations, tales of inquisitions with all the betrayals and fearmongering and warmongering that goes with them. We knew the Church itself was at war and it was solidly a war against itself. And we know how a house divided goes.
The Crusades of Christ’s followers are not the Purposes of Christ himself.
And when I say Crusade, I mean it, not just that some would be threatened and physically unalived, but that careers and opportunities to make a living and provide for our families will become increasingly limited. We won’t say what they want us to say. We won’t play their games of performative peace and unity with fear mongers and spiritual oppressors. And we won’t be silent any more.
I’ve had interviews for ministry work. It feels like walking a tightrope. Can I align myself with them and will they have my back if I need them?
Now to be clear, if I step out from agreed upon terms that’s one thing. If I sign an offer and read an employee handbook, agreeing to do or not do things and do them anyway or pretend I believe a certain way only to get a paycheck and then actually undermine their beliefs, well that’s just sinful. I’ve watched that happen. I’ve watched people contort themselves to fit in knowing they will bolt the moment a better offer comes or they are just bidding their time until they can make something of their own. Is that ok?
Is it ok to go along to get along? Is it ok to put food on your table and trick everyone around you? If I was in a bad mood, I’d call it being a Church Whore. But I’m in an ok mood so I’ll say it’s just performative peace and unity and it’s a violation of the ninth. But what do I know?
What I know is we’ve seen a whole lot of performances of a wide range of talent in our churches since 2016, haven’t we? I’ve personally watched some pastors and leaders dance this dance and perform the Hell out of their duties to take the High Road. The High Road is paved on Both Sides and at any given moment leads to doom.
Do you know where your loyalties lie?
The crusades are here.
They’ve been here.
The consequences of speaking truth to power are here.
Don’t go to war if you haven’t
counted the cost.
-Jesus