Dreaming Dreams And Seeing Visions: Nadia, Rachel, Tony Et Al.

I had an odd dream last night. Maybe this dream is the result of the spicy bean bowl I made for dinner, maybe it was melatonin gummies that helped me get the best night sleep in a month, maybe it came to me as a result of the creeping feeling that I need to walk away from Christianity all together. What ever the cause I’d like to share it with you because it is sticking on me like white on rice this morning.

Cue wobbly TV footage and hokey dream sequence music.

It was the one year anniversary of my father’s death and there happened to be an Eastern Star meeting in Tyrone where he last lived and where his Masonic membership is located. Side bar – the last time I had set my foot on Masonic ground was in middle school when daddy entered me in a Temple beauty pageant judged by local Masons of pseudo-notoriety and Chief Nock-a-Homa (that part is real y’all, and yes I am troubled by at least three things in that sentence). So with the anniversary of dad’s death in mind, I was compelled to visit the Eastern Star meeting to learn about joining in his honor. I drove into the parking lot of the seed and feed that stood next to the old brick Masonic lodge. My boots crunched soothingly and dust clung to the frayed hem of my faded jeans as I crossed the chicken-feed strewn gravel lot. As I neared the open oak door I could see a gaggle of older ladies (YES older than ME!) arranging the evening’s cornucopia of covered dish goodies and then I noticed three rumply looking pieces of paper with big ole block letters taped to the door. As I drew closer the words came into focus and on them was printed – in all caps –

IF YOU READ
AND AGREE WITH

NADIA BOLZ-WEBER
RACHEL HELD EVANS
OR TONY JONES

YOU ARE NOT
WELCOME HERE

And after a split second of discernment I sighed a heavy sigh, turned and walked away.

Cue wobbly dream sequence interstitial.

When I awoke and recalled this dream I was not sad but I was curious about the particular list of names. I am still perplexed by the randomness of the setting since many Christians eschew all things Masonic.

Maybe it was just the beans.

Or maybe there is a message of hope in there that is just barely pulling me back from the brink of walking away from this screwed up ~~cult~~ religion we call Christianity. Now I don’t hang my theological or ecclesiological hats on these three leaders and I’m no silly fan girl (I do in fact disagree with them once in a blue moon) but I do know that their persistent voices have pestered me back from the brink more than a few times. In the latest fray over World Vision’s decision to hire gay and lesbian employees in committed relationships and the nasties who call themselves Christians withdrawing money from hungry children, these three have indeed been just a few of the Christian voices of reason that have helped me not chuck the whole gnarly baby with the bathwater. I’m close, but not yet.

Here’s a few snippets of Good News in response to the announcement by WV and the subsequent hissing of the brood of vipers.