#MeToo

Probably the only subject which compares in volatility to the racial question in America is the issue of sexual harassment.  My entire adult life I have heard  'she should have known'  or 'she led him on' or 'he said, she said' or a hundred other iterations of the classic victim blaming whenever there is inappropriate behavior called out.  Before all of this blew up, I had no idea who Harvey Weinstein was, but I had no trouble believing the women who came forward, the women who launched #MeToo.

This kind of behavior is not confined to the magical movie sets of Hollywood.  Sit down with any group of women who trust you enough to know you won't immediately start declaiming and defending and you will hear stories.....of family members, of dates who presumed, of bosses, of co-workers.......of complete strangers.  Stories of men who were under the impression that females were available to them and could be subjected to all kinds of disrespectful and demeaning behavior; too many men who thought it was alright to touch!

What may surprise you is the number of #MeToo stories that come from female clergy.  These are women who serve as pastors and deacons throughout Christ's church who have been pinched, fondled, backed into a corner, invited out for drinks, been asked questions about their sex life, and been called out for the color of their lipstick, the earrings they have chosen to wear, the respect they have required through the use of the title Pastor. They have stories about professors and supervisors and even synod staff....along with an encyclopedia of congregational members.

Some of us are lucky.  It was no more than a random touch, a lingering embrace.  Some of us are not.  But this is true, there are lots of places in Christ's church which are not safe for women and lots of people in positions of authority who don't want to hear about it.*

I wanted to separate this issue from the underlying Bible story, (the woman who had 7 husbands), because it deserves to be considered on its own.

Martin Luther was right.  The power of sin is strong and we are all susceptible.  We Lutherans have always taken sin seriously; no happy bluebirds for us.  That doesn't mean that we are better at avoiding sin and therefore don't have to put our energy into making our faith community a safe place for all people.  We too need to call out wrong behavior and help all our members learn how to live in respectful community with each other.

It simply needed to be said.  That is all.

* Please do not hear this as a criticism of present or past leadership in our synod because it is not.  We are blessed with leadership who takes these things seriously and acts on them.  Not everyone has our blessings.