Church Women United re-imagines Christian worship By Susan Cyre The Presbyterian Layman Nov/Dec, 1997 On Nov. 7, women from mainline denominations in communities all across the country gathered to worship on World Community Day, sponsored by Church Women United. The worship was meant to be a visible witness of the women’s oneness. However, if they used the published liturgy provided by Church Women United, women who expected to worship Jesus Christ instead found themselves immersed in a service that mocked Christ and Christian faith and focused on earth-centered worship of “Motherroot” and ultimately self-worship. Judging from the liturgy, which was published last spring, women expecting a celebration of Holy Communion did not find the body and blood of Christ but water symbolizing the blood of women’s monthly cycles and raisin cakes with raisins representing the dried up dreams of women oppressed by patriarchy baked in the grain harvested from “our Motherroot.” The worship litany leads the women in affirming that this raisin cake “will feed us for the journey” and “we have tasted the bread of the new covenant.” The worship includes carefully constructed monologues recited by local women who play the part of medieval women mystics. These monologues include a menagerie of beliefs contrary to Christian faith. For example, Gnosticism, with its emphasis on the special insights given only to a few select people, is exalted: “I was conscious of a mysterious hidden power and experienced wonderful visions within myself. … After these visions, suddenly I had the power of explaining scripture ... .” Basing theology on experience Women are encouraged to develop their own theology based on their experienc using Scripture not as normative but only as one possible source of insight among many. The woman playing Hildegard of Bingen recites, “It was ... after years of studying scripture, listening to God, observing life, nature and God in all that was around me, that my ideas and beliefs crystallized.” A few carefully selected Scripture passages are quoted to support the ideology being presented. Yet it is not Scripture that is referred to as the “Word,” but monologues of the women mystics: “Mechtild of Magdeburg said this Word ...,” “Julian of Norwich said this Word ... ,” “Hildegard of Bingen said this Word ... .” The leader’s guide decries biblical faith as a racist belief system whose followers unjustly suppressed the women’s spirituality: “the suppression of their art, ideas and spirituality was a prelude of the domination and colonialism that would increasingly subjugate people of color, labeling our/their religion as pagan, denying our/their humanity as persons with souls.” Biblical faith is cast as a male invention and labeled “St. Augustine’s Fall/Redemption” (italics supplied), which is then described as “individualistic and self-centered, and it supported the abusive power of men over women.” One monologue charges, “Fall/Redemption theology did not promote justice-making and social transformation. It failed to teach love of the earth and care for the beautiful world ... .” Distorting biblical doctrines Distorting and attacking the biblical doctrines of the Fall and Redemption, the monologues actually mock the sacrifice of Christ, saying, “The reason for our exclusion from educational, political and ecclesiastical institutions was supposedly because women were second in creation and first in sin. They said that we were all born in sin because we come through the uncleanness of women’s bodies and that Jesus had to be the sacrifice to redeem us from this depraved state of being!” Having rejected the doctrine of the Fall and the concept of original sin, the women propose instead “original blessing” as the foundation of their spirituality. A worship service leader recites in a monologue, “I believe that every woman who gives birth is a ‘spinner of God-flesh, a creation to be celebrated!’ ” Drawing on women’s experience as the norm, the leader continues, “as women of faith, have you ever looked at the innocent face of a newborn child and stated to its mother, ‘what a beautiful original sin you have birthed’? Of course not! ‘God is good and all things which proceed from God are good.’ ” Anyone clinging to biblical faith in the midst of this unChristian revisionism is identified as someone “locked into patterns of shame, fear, and guilt, who seemed to be more motivated by fear of punishment than by trust in God.” CWU and Re-Imagining Church Women United was an ardent supporter of the 1993 Re-Imagining Conference, giving funds as well as affirmation. In the aftermath of that conference 50 women executives representing many of the 26 member organizations in CWU issued a statement affirming “the absolute right of women to develop theological understandings rooted in their own realities and experiences.” They called on “all concerned women and men of faith to affirm the freedom to worship and develop theology as the Spirit directs.” According to their 1992-93 budget, 9 percent of their $1.57 million budget came from the offerings collected at World Community Day, 33.7 percent came from offerings at their World Day of Prayer. Another 5 percent came from mainline church groups. In the PCUSA, Presbyterian Women belongs to CWU and supports it financially. Susan Cyre is pastor of Dublin Presbyterian Church in Dublin, Va., and executive director of Presbyterians for Faith, Family and Ministry. |
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