Archive: United Methodist Women Get Taste of Sophia Worship

by Dottie Chase

A standing ovation for lesbians. A service of milk and honey to the goddess Sophia. A presentation denying the atonement of Jesus Christ. What is going on here? And why are there so many United Methodist women attending this conference?

Billed as “A Global Theological Conference By Women; for Women and Men,” this meeting was promoted by Christian churches. Orthodox Christians, however, would find little historic Christian theology. Convening in Minneapolis, this was ” Re-Imagining,” an ecumenical gathering associated with the World Council of Churches (WCC) for those of the feminist, “womanist,” or lesbian perspective. Many of the speakers voiced similar themes: condemnation of patriarchy and the exclusion of lesbians and homosexual men in the church.

Of the 2200 registrants, 391 were United Methodist. The Women’s Division of the General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM) staff and directors were urged to attend this conference as this quadrennium’s theological workshop (Women’s Division staff and directors expenses were paid for by the division).

“They are exploring the sensual and sexual side of the divine, rooting around in the contemplative and introspective interplay with God,” observed reporter Martha Sawyer Allen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, “and talking about women’s daily experiences of the divine in every culture as central to theology today.”

Participants gathered around “talking” tables and were asked to scribble out spiritual thoughts with crayons, re-imagine God through emotional images, and sing a song of blessing to Sophia, the goddess of Wisdom.

When asked what she thought of the Sophia-oriented liturgy, one United Methodist Women (UMW) director said that she had never heard of Sophia before, but was sure she would learn more about her. This same UMW director decided not to participate in one of the table activities, but was encouraged to join in by her table facilitator even though participants were told from the podium that they were either free to participate in activities or to abstain.

At one point in the conference, Melanie Morrison, co-founder of Christian Lesbians Out Together (CLOUT), requested time to celebrate “the miracle of being lesbian, out, and Christian.” Then she invited all other lesbian, bisexual, and transexual women to join hands and encircle the stage.

Religious News Service (RNS) estimates that “roughly 100 women converged upon the dais, many smiling. One held high the rainbow flag, which has become a symbol for the diversity among lesbians and gay men. Many of the women remaining in the audience rose to their feet and began to applaud.”

The Rev. Kittredge Cherry, a minister in the predominately homosexual Metropolitan Community Church, was one of the women holding the rainbow flag. She told RNS that the goal of the demonstration was to help people “re-imagine” the church as the embodiment of justice for everyone, including lesbians and homosexual men.

The lesbian theme was heard repeatedly from major speakers. In a workshop called “Prophetic Voices of Lesbians in the Church,” Nadean Bishop, the first “out” lesbian minister called to an American Baptist church, claimed that Mary and Martha in the Bible were lesbian “fore-sisters.” She said that they were not actual sisters, but lesbian lovers.

Janie Spahr, a self-avowed lesbian clergywoman in the Presbyterian Church USA who was prevented by that denomination from serving a local church, said at the conclusion of her presentation that her theology is first of all informed by “making love with Coni,” her lesbian partner. She then gave this challenge: “Sexuality and spirituality have to come together—and Church, we’re going to teach you!”

Judy Westerdorf, a United Methodist clergywoman from Minnesota, told the workshop that the Church says God gives sexuality as a good gift, but that 1 out of 10 is a bad gift and you’re not supposed to open it. (She was referring to claims that 10 percent of the population is homosexual, statistics that have been proven to be inaccurate.) Westerdorf added, “The Church has always been blessed by gays and lesbians, … witches, … shamans.” She joked about the term “practicing homosexual,” noting that her partner says she’s not practicing, she’s pretty good.

Theological Smorgasbord

The “Re-Imagining” event presented a smorgasbord of cultural ideas and religions, allowing attendees to pick and choose to their liking. “Be speculative,” participants were told by conference organizers, “there is no ‘answer.’ We can’t imagine what God is like. Being together in our own images is the ultimate.”

There were other workshops that dealt with feminist theology, politics, music, and belly dancing.

One of the conference speakers lashed out against alleged oppression by Christian missionary teachings in India. Aruna Gnanadason, a native Indian feminist, explained that the red dot on her forehead was a form of protest against those who said her forehead was only a place for the sign of the cross. She invited participants to join her in protest by crayoning a red dot on their foreheads as well. Gnanadason said that the red dot represented the “divine in each other.” In this instance, the mark of those not wearing the red dot was a very visible sign of those not fully participating with the conference activities.

Chung Hyun Kyung, one of the speakers, identified herself as a “recovering colonized Christian and a recovering feminist fundamentalist.” The ideal is the “reincarnation of good,” she said. Kyung explained that Asian theology totally rejects the idea of sinful man, propagating the understanding that humans are good and become better from the god within.

One major seminar was titled “Jesus,” although no orthodox Christian understanding of Jesus was discussed. This seminar, attended by about 500 individuals, began with singing to Sophia, and “bringing attention to our own bodies” and swaying to and fro. Participants were told that the ideal is to re-image Jesus within the feminist understanding from our cultural roots.

Presenter Delores S. Williams, a “womanist” theology professor at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, said, “I don’t think we need a theory of atonement at all.” Her remark was greeted by applause. “Atonement has to do so much with death,” she said. “I don’t think we need folks hanging on crosses and blood dripping and weird stuff.” Continuing, she said, “We do not need atonement, we just need to listen to the god within. … If Jesus conquered sin, it was in the wilderness and life, not his death (resurrection). The first incarnation of God was not ‘some dove on the shoulder,’ but in Mary and her body.” At this point, all the participants were encouraged to call out “through a woman’s body.”

Another feminist theologian who led the “Jesus” seminar was Kwok Pui-Lan. She said the Asian experience can’t imagine any Jesus. She stated, “We cannot allow others to define our sin. What is our sin? Who is this funny God that would sacrifice a lamb. We don’t even see a lamb in the Asian experience. The Chinese do not have a word to compare to the Hebrew/Greek word for God.” Dr. Pui-Lan indicated that the Chinese do not believe God stands outside creation but that the humanist Confucian tradition emphasizes the propensity for good in humankind, and that they develop moral perfection and sainthood by maturing and emphasizing enlightenment.

Another seminar focused on the history and future of The Ecumenical Decade/Churches in Solidarity with Women. Begun by the United Nations, this program was limping along until the World Council of Churches gave it priority. It was noted that it is “truly amazing” that women have even stayed within the patriarchal churches. Participants were encouraged to ignore any charges of divisiveness; and not to worry about the collapse of unity within the churches.

Named as United Methodist sponsors for this event were: Bishop Forrest C. Stith, UM Co-Chairman of the U.S. Committee of the Ecumenical Decade/Churches in Solidarity with Women; Jeanne Audrey Powers of the General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns and a member of the Re-imagining Steering Committee; and Bishop Sharon Brown Christopher (Minnesota). UM funding sources were the Minnesota Conference Commission on the Status and Role of Women; Minnesota Conference UMW; Women’s Division of the GBGM; and Wesley United Methodist Church as a neighboring host.

“The seminaries and the Vatican can keep on defining orthodoxy largely for the passing-on of the traditions through the ordained clergy,” conference speaker and feminist theologian Elizabeth Bettenhausen told the Star-Tribune. “But we laity have always crossed our fingers behind our backs when they lay out what orthodoxy is. We know in our daily lives theology has to be much fresher and more flexible than the definitions of orthodoxy can ever be.”

For a conference which drew upon the mainline Christian denominations for its supporters, funding, and participants, this event utterly failed to represent the historic Christian faith of these denominations. To the contrary, the “Re-imagining” conference, the Women’s Division’s choice as the quadrennium’s theological workshop, truly abandoned any form of orthodox Christian theology. As evidence, read the following liturgy of the service of milk and honey dedicated to Sophia:

“Our maker Sophia, we are women in your image: With the hot blood of our wombs we give form to new life. With the courage of our convictions we pour out lifeblood for justice . …

“Sophia, creator God, Let your milk and honey flow. Sophia, Creator God, Shower us with your love. …

“Our sweet Sophia, we are women in your image; With nectar between our thighs we invite a lover, we birth a child; With our warm body fluids we remind the world of its pleasures and sensations. …

“Our guide, Sophia, we are women in your image. With our moist mouths we kiss away a tear, we smile encouragement. With the honey of wisdom in our mouths, we prophesy a full humanity to all the peoples. …

“We celebrate the sensual life you give us. We celebrate the sweat that pours from us during our labors. We celebrate the fingertips vibrating upon the skin of love. We celebrate the tongue which licks a wound or wets our lips. We celebrate our bodiliness, our physicality, the sensations of pleasure, our oneness with earth and water.”

Dottie Chase is a United Methodist laywoman from Willard, Ohio. She has been a delegate to General Conference and has served on various national program boards for the UM Church. Susan Cyre of the Presbyterian Layman contributed research to this article.