Human Beings Wrote the Bible

Human beings wrote the Bible,

and each human being who helped to write

each part of the Bible over so many centuries

each carried in their own human foibles and fallibilities,

their own human prejudices, and

their own human understanding of who God is

and how God is at work in the world.

Each interpreter of Biblical languages, literature, and cultures,

In so many centuries since,

has also been a human being,

and has also carried in

their own human foibles and fallibilities,

their own human prejudices, and

their own human understanding of who God is

and how God is at work in the world.

Our current and future understanding of the Bible,

its original languages, literature, and cultures,

our own human understanding of who God is

and how God is at work in the world,

will continue to be shaped

by our own human foibles and fallibilities,

our own human prejudices, and

our ever-evolving understanding of

science, archaeology, arts, history, and other

fields of study.

Let us never believe that we have uncovered

Everything there is to know

about the Bible, or about God.

July 2025, Rev. Le Anne Clausen de Montes is working on the Confession of 2025, an Ecumenical Refutation of Christian Nationalism and a Call to Christian Inclusionism.

#Confessionof2025

Every Abrahamic Religion...

Every Abrahamic religion

(and likely every world religion)

has feminists, progressives, secularists,

moderates, fundamentalists, nationalists,

and even violent extremists.

There are Muslim feminists,

just like there are Jewish feminists

and Christian feminists.

There are secular Jews,

just like there are secular Christians

and secular Muslims.

There are progressive Christians,

just like there are progressive Muslims

and progressive Jews.

There are moderate Muslims,

just like there are moderate Jews

and moderate Christians.

There are nationalist Jews,

just as there are nationalist Christians

and nationalist Muslims.

There are fundamentalist Christians,

just like there are fundamentalist Muslims

and fundamentalist Jews.

There are violent extremist Muslims,

just like there are violent extremist Jews

and violent extremist Christians.

Most people within each of these religions

are perfectly decent people,

who mean no harm to anyone,

and who are kind and care about

their neighbors and communities.

Let's not defame each others' religious traditions

as if we were really so different from anyone else.

And if you've never heard of a Muslim feminist,

or a progressive Jew,

or a Christian nationalist,

try Google.

What Is It about Christianity and White Nationalism?

To paraphrase Brian Zahnd, Christian Nationalism is just Nationalism, using Jesus as a mascot.

It is the same White Nationalism that we see at work in the Klan.

It is the same White Nationalism that we saw at work in the Nazis and see at work in the neo-Nazi movements.

And yet, it does seem that Christianity, and especially White Christianity, is particularly susceptible to embracing White Nationalism. It is somehow still too easy for us as White Christians--

not just in the fundamentalist, Evangelical, and nondenominational branches, but also in the mainline Protestant and Catholic branches--

to believe that Black and Brown and Asian and Indigenous people, or foreigners; people who are Muslims and Jews and Buddhists, Sikhs, and Hindus and people of other religious traditions; people with disabilities; people who are poor, hungry, and/ or homeless; people who are left-leaning or liberal university students or teachers, writers, artists, musicians, or community organizers or activists, or people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, or any variety of queer--

that these people are somehow less equal and less worthy of existence on our earth; and less worthy of being treated with dignity and respect and love as our neighbors.

This susceptibility to White Nationalism persists even though it flies in the face of the Gospel of Jesus and everything Jesus taught about love of neighbors that were from widely different parts of society even in Biblical times.

Jesus Never Said Mary Magdalene Was "'Smokin' Hot"

Jesus never said Mary Magdalene

was "smokin' hot"

Jesus never told Mary to get back

in the kitchen with Martha

where she belonged, and

make Him a sandwich

because the men were busy

discussing Important Stuff

Jesus wanted Mary and Martha

in the same room, at the same table

and fully part of the same discussions.

Jesus never told the woman at the well

that He couldn't meet with her

unless a chaperone was present

in case He couldn't control Himself

or she made 'false accusations' later

Jesus never told women

that if they just gave their husbands

more sex, even if they were exhausted

then their husbands wouldn't divorce them.

Instead Jesus called the men out

for their divorce racket

which was really just a way for them

to get away with having an affair

Jesus never told women and girls

to cover up more

because they were so distracting

to boys and men.

In fact, Jesus told the men:

If your eyes are the reason you harass women and girls

it would be better for you to gouge them out

If your hands are the reason you grope women and girls

it would be better for you to cut your hand off

and He left the heavy implication

that if any other body parts

were causing men to 'sin,'

they could cut *those* off too

and stop blaming women and girls

So maybe we should ask more often

why are we hearing the opposite

of what Jesus said and did

in so many male-dominated churches

and "Christian" organizations today?

And maybe we should start demanding

to hear more Gospel,

more Good News,

instead.

A Letter of (Enthusiastic) Consent

A Letter of Enthusiastic Consent

(In response to current proposed measures in the Iowa State Legislature).

I wholeheartedly give my consent for my children to read any book they wish that teachers and librarians find in their expertise as educators to have educational value and put in their classrooms, school libraries, and public libraries. I especially want my children to be able to read any book written by a person of color, a person of a different religious background or nationality, a person with a disability, or an LGBTQIA+ person.

I absolutely DO NOT GIVE CONSENT for a small group of bigoted religious extremists to ban any book from the public schools and libraries in my community, especially those which are first-person narratives or historical accounts from people of a different racial, ethnic, gender identity, religious, or disability background.

I wholeheartedly give my consent for any teacher, counselor, staff, or administrator to listen to my child and offer support and affirmation if my child needs a trusted adult to discuss gender identity, orientation or other concerns with them.

I absolutely DO NOT GIVE CONSENT for a small group of bigoted religious extremists to censor public school teachers, staff, and administrators from ever acknowledging racial, gender and orientation differences in the classroom, especially if it is acknowledging and supporting the identities of students in the classroom or students' family and loved ones.

I wholeheartedly give my consent for any teacher, counselor, staff, or administrator to use the name and pronouns my child may wish to be called, even if my child is not ready to tell me yet. I also affirm that I am fully accepting of my child for whoever they may be and will not engage in any form of verbal, physical, or psychological abuse towards them, nor will I kick them out of my home or threaten them with religious consequences if they identify as LGBTQ+. I am even willing to provide a safe home for any friend or classmate of my child who suddenly finds themselves in danger at their own home because they have come out, or been outed, as LGBTQ+.

I absolutely DO NOT GIVE CONSENT for a small group of religious extremists to put other students in potential danger in their own homes, nor to terrorize teachers, administrators, and staff with threats of heavy penalties, if they need to act or speak up to support the safety and wellbeing of a student in their classroom.

Our public schools need to be safe places for ALL students, and not just the students who belong to one racial, ethnic, or religious group at the expense of all others. Religious extremists are certainly free in this country to form their own private schools. Our state government has given them plenty of tax credits and financial incentives to do so, at the expense of our public schools already. They are even free to send a letter of their own to their child's teachers, staff, and administrators regarding which materials or curriculum from which they would like their child excluded. However, they do not have the right to obstruct other students' right to learn in a safe and diverse environment with adequate social supports.

I DO NOT CONSENT to have my public tax dollars used in any way to further the goals of a small, bigoted group of religious extremists to enforce their agenda on public institutions and put members of other religious, ethnic, racial, gender, disability, or any other demographic group in harm's way.