Thousands of Southern Baptists overwhelmingly voted Wednesday to advance a formal ban on women pastors in the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, sending a clear message that men alone should preach to these conservative evangelical congregations.
I used to live in a city with a very progressive Episcopalian Church (lesbian pastor, Philadelphia pride flag, “protect our immigrants”, actively helped the homeless, the whole shebang) but they were struggling (in terms of congregation numbers and I think finances too) because even though their messaging aligned with the political attitudes of many in this left-leaning city, most of those folks had abandoned religion in disgust altogether. I saw the same with a progressive Catholic chapter in another deep-blue city: their congregation was shrinking because Christianity as a whole had become so tainted in the public eye that the people who would have been most aligned with their message was turned off entirely.
So sad, but true. I recall a comment I read many years ago in response to the Episcopal Church’s progressive stances that said something like “I’m so happy that you’re doing that, but I’m no longer a Christian so… good for you all, I guess.”
There are also those who look at what we’re doing as basically a kind of marketing. While there are probably a few clergy in the Episcopal Church who see us as “Christianity, but not like you remember” or whatever, for the most part we Episcopalians have arrived at our progressive place out of a difficult struggle with being faithful to the gospel. When I hear the criticism that “if what you’re doing is true, how come more churches aren’t doing what you do?” (which can come from multiple angles), I always go back to Jesus saying that “narrow is the road that leads to salvation.” That and “take up your cross and follow me.” Following Jesus isn’t meant to be a path to political power and influence. The only time Jesus was ever in the halls of political power, it was for a sham trial in order to nail Him to a cross.
Wouldn’t the whole Jesus vs money changers thing count as him entering a metaphical hall of political power as well. That involved Jesus attacking those aligned with the established authorities for their own profit in a frothing rage.
Maybe? The money changers were operating in the Second Temple, which was the focus of Jewish religious/cultural identity. The High Priests held significant cultural sway… I suppose this is a fair argument. The money changers were also extorting their own people’s religious convictions for a dime, which feels quite resonant with what we’re seeing today.