Call on Baptismal Power to Confront Evil

Crisis Watch Sept. 28, 2022

by

A United Methodist Insight Column

In The United Methodist Church, we vow at our baptisms to accept the power God gives to resist evil, injustice and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves. A Sept. 27 Washington Post story by Casey Parks describes exactly the kind of evil we vow to overcome: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's policy that parents of transgender children must be investigated by the state Department of Family and Protective Services for child abuse if they seek medical treatment for their children's gender dysphoria.

Parks tells the story of Morgan Davis, a DFPS investigator who drew one of the first cases to be investigated under Abbott's policy. The irony: Davis, 52, is a transgender man who only came out the summer before Abbott issued his dictum. Although understandably uncomfortable, Davis told the Post he thought he could do some good by giving families of transgender children the kind of understanding and support he didn't have as a transgender child and adult. Later, however, after the state pursued action against the family he investigated even though he reported no evident abuse, Davis joined several other investigators in resigning their jobs in protest of Abbott's policy.

The anti-transgender policy is evil, Davis now says. And the evidence confirms his assessment. Here's an excerpt from the article:

"Davis read the civil court filing on his phone at the office the next morning. The family had a 16-year-old transgender daughter, Davis read, and the mother worked for CPS. After Abbott released the order, the mother, identified only as Jane Doe, asked her supervisor how it would affect her family. A few hours later, the agency placed Jane Doe on administrative leave. An investigator called the next day.

"Davis winced as he read the family’s affidavit. They wrote that they now live in 'constant fear.' Jane Doe is unable to sleep, and her daughter 'has been traumatized by the prospect that she could be separated from her parents and could lose access to the medical treatment that has enabled her to thrive.'

"He imagined other families with trans kids must feel the same way.

“'I did this,' Davis thought. 'I hurt a child. I hurt a family, a family I would have wanted.'”

I'm proud of our North Texas Conference clergy who have publicly castigated Gov. Abbott over the policy. A majority of North Texas clergy say they won't report families of transgender children for abuse because it's a violation of our religious beliefs. I know that many North Texas laity who work in mandatory-reporting professions have made similar pledges. I hope there are others who likewise will pledge to protect trans families facing similar situations.

No one deserves to live under the kind of terror that Greg Abbott has decreed for Texas because of big-money influencers who pushed for an anti-trans policy, as a comment says on Parks’ story. If we are to be true to our United Methodist rule to "do no harm," then we must advocate everywhere for the protection of families with trans children. God loves them as much – maybe even more, given their circumstances – as God loves cis-gendered children. We who claim to follow Jesus can do no less.

If Jesus ain't 'woke,' we're all in trouble

Along similar lines, there's a church in Oklahoma that really has me worried, especially in light of a recent  Politico/University of Maryland poll that found more than 60 percent of Republicans want the U.S. to be declared a Christian nation. Here's a photo of a billboard the church has erected, courtesy of my friend Stan Duncan:

Being a nosy journalist, I checked out the church named on the billboard, and found that it's no hoax. NoLimits Church in Owasso, Okla., appears to be a nondenominational, inerrant-Bible kind of church that says it's intent on making disciples. What concerns me about this church is its intention to create "disciples" of Jesus who go out into the world and influence business, education, and other social segments in "culture teams."

This strikes me as a prime example of what Dr. Steve Harper called "toxic religion" in a recent column. NoLimits Church uses a term that originated in the Black community – "woke" – as a pejorative slur to describe their vision of what Jesus isn't. What's even more concerning is what they think Jesus wants of them as disciples, which hews awfully close to the definition of Christian nationalism.

I have to wonder how NoLimits Church and others like it interpret Jesus's words and actions in Luke 4.13-21:

When [Jesus] came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 

7and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

18 ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,   because he has anointed me     to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives   and recovery of sight to the blind,     to let the oppressed go free

19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’

20 And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.

21 Then he began to say to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’ (NRSV*)

"Good news to the poor"? Doesn't that imply economic justice? "Release to the captives" seems to suggest restorative, not retributive justice. And letting the oppressed go free signals a mission doesn't jibe with banning books in libraries and forbidding teachers to tell students the full truth about America's history of slavery, prejudice, and violence.

We are living in times of great fear, friends, when groups of people believe that white supremacy is more important than showing the world God's true nature of love and forgiveness (see this article by Jeff Brumley of Baptist News Global). The baptismal vows we took are more important now than ever. We said we would accept the power God gives us to resist evil. Now's the time to call on that power to witness to the authentic gospel before more people are hurt by the lies and hatred being spread across our world.

For biblical understand about resisting racial prejudice and freeing the oppressed, get the new resource from the General Commission on Religion and Race, "Being the Church with the Oppressed: Four African Perspectives Bible Study".

Be kind as much as possible

Just so we can end this extended rant on an upbeat note, here's an excerpt from Axios' "Finish Line" newsletter:

"It’s often easy and quick to do something small to help someone, but we rarely do it.

"Why it matters: We underestimate the value of small and random acts of kindness until we’re on the receiving end of one.

Let's hear from Finish Line readers who paid it forward recently...

"'I was next up in a long, slow line at a service desk with a single clerk. The person being waited on was harrumphing his displeasure at the speed of resolving his complicated transaction. After a few minutes it was my turn, and I said, 'I have all the time in the world, would you like to take a moment to breathe?'" – Key H., Jackson, Mississippi

"'I was out on a morning run around Queen Elizabeth Park in Vancouver, when I was stopped by an elderly woman asking for directions. She struggled to speak English, but was acting as the lead and translator for her group of friends. ... I paused my run and volunteered to walk them. The experience highlighted how easy it is to make positive connections with others, despite age, language, and cultural barriers.' – Georgia M., Vancouver, British Columbia

"'I stopped at Sierra College in Rocklin, one of the evacuation centers for the Mosquito Fire. Some said they really needed food for their pets, so I went to Costco and bought a couple hundred pounds of dog food and brought it back for distribution. My dogs eat well and theirs should too.' – Beth Ann G., Rocklin, California

"This is the culmination of a three-part Finish Line series on kindness:

"Check out Part 1 on the scientific case for random acts of kindness, and Part 2, where readers shared the small favors and gestures that have brightened their days over the years.

"The bottom line: Let's all keep spreading the good — and that kindness will reverberate back to us."

There's no way to tell whether any of these kind readers are United Methodists, Christians, or atheists, but the kindness they showed is the kind of "love your neighbor" principle that Jesus taught. Let's all be more kind, no matter whether we let people know we do it because Jesus said so.

Media Mentions as of Sept. 27, 2022

The United Methodist Church split is personal for me - Charlotte Observer

Volunteer Sheila Johnstone brings artful approach to teaching sign language – Houston Chronicle*

Golf tourney raises $21K for local ministry | News | thecorryjournal.com

Multicultural food services based at Holy Trinity Church of Elgin - Daily Herald

29 Nonprofits Participated In The Bethlehem Center's Community Connections Summer ... Chattanoogan.com

Real people against hate – World Association of Christian Communication

I don’t want your god in charge of my health care – Washington Post*

More psychotherapists are incorporating religion into their practices - The Washington Post*

Religion, race and politics are key factors in attitudes on welcoming refugees – Baptist News Global

Study: More than 3/4 of Republican evangelicals want US declared a Christian nation – Religion News Service

First United Methodist Church of Long Beach starts program for adults with cognitive issues – WXXV

Methodist-linked university's Christian conduct code under fire from LGBT advocates – Catholic News Agency

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Cynthia B. Astle serves as Editor of United Methodist Insight, which she founded in 2011. This content may be reproduced elsewhere with credit to Insight.

*NRSV New Revised Standard Version of the Holy Bible, copyright 1989 and 1996 by the Christian Education Committee of the National Council of Churches of Christ USA. All rights reserved. Used by permission.