(Note: The following post is very Methodist-centric. If that's not your particular flavor of faith, feel free to pass this one by.)
In spite of everything, I will continue to baptize girl
babies with the same fierce and persistent hope with which I baptize boy
babies. It has always been an awe-inspiring thing to use a splash of water to
say to the world, “God loves and claims this child even before this child can
speak a word.” The crazy-abundant-amazingness of God’s love is seen nowhere
more vividly than in the act of infant baptism.
And, in spite of everything, I will continue to baptize girl
babies with fierce and persistent hope.
The “everything” of which I speak is, of course, this week’s
news that one in three United Methodists at Annual Conferences around the world
were unable to bring themselves to agree with the statement, “men and women are
of equal value in the eyes of God,” and that the church should “seek to
eliminate discrimination against women and girls, whether in organizations or
in individuals, in every facet of its life and in society at large.” And
likewise, one in three couldn’t agree with the radical notion that, in addition
to our current prohibitions against discrimination based on race, color,
national origin and economic condition, we would not discriminate based on gender,
ability, age or marital status. These
are church people we are talking about, my church people, and one in three just
couldn’t bring themselves to agree with these notions. Therefore these two
amendments to the Constitution of the United Methodist Church, my church,
failed.
In spite of everything, I refuse to give up my fierce and
persistent hope.
I have experienced hope through strong voices of affirmation
seeking to speak into the despair that this vote engendered. Our women bishops
banded together to write a statement, which was immediately affirmed by the
entire College of Bishops. My bishop and my district superintendent, both males,
have offered statements in support of women. The United Methodist Women, those
faithful foot soldiers of every United Methodist Church ever, have voiced their
own disappointment and hope. The outspoken support of these allies offers precious
hope in these days.
Some have wondered “how can this be?” Others have thought
aloud that this problem of misogyny (for is there really any other word for
it?) is distant, part of the worldwide church connection, and not consistent
with how we operate on a local church level.
I hold onto my fierce and persistent hope, even as I, along
with other clergywomen, know exactly how this can be, and even though we have
lived with its effects in our local churches.
I hold onto a fierce and persistent hope that, if a girl
baby that I baptize should choose to go into ministry, the day will come when she
might not hear the longing spoken aloud for “a male presence in the pulpit.” She
might not have to figure out how to discreetly (or blatantly) remove parishoners’
hands from her breasts or butt. She might not receive death threats because she
is female and clergy. No, my hope is that she will be free to live fully into
her blessed calling.
After all, if I didn’t believe those things about her, then
how could I baptize her? How could I tell her that she’s now part of Jesus’
family, the same Jesus who was known to spend time with women throughout his ministry,
the same Jesus who appeared first to the women after his death and
resurrection? How could I welcome her into the church envisioned by Paul, who
told us that there was neither male nor female, because we are all one in
Christ Jesus our Lord?
My hope, in all its ferocity and persistence, began in my
own baptismal moment, when I died and was raised again with Christ. And it was
made for moments exactly like these. Perhaps one in three Annual Conference
members of United Methodism around the world can take away my right to full
inclusion in our Constitution. But they cannot take away my hope. It is too
fierce, too persistent, and too hard-fought to let go of now. Especially not
now.
And so I’ll hold these words from Romans 15:13 closer than
ever: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so
that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
