I just read “Take This Bread” by Sara Miles (Ballantine Books, 2008). Miles describes herself as an atheist and “a lesbian, left-wing journalist.” She spent her younger years in restaurant work and covering revolutions in South America. Then one day she wandered into St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Francisco. When the priest invited everyone to gather around the altar and receive communion, Sara joined them.
It changed her life. She quickly moved from tentative participant to worship leader. She prayed, studied Scripture and spent hours talking with more experienced Christians. She particularly responded to the Bible stories about shared meals and Christ’s command to “feed my sheep.” St. Gregory is in a poor neighborhood, and Sara thought they should do something about the hunger she saw daily. She coaxed her parish into opening a food bank that now distributes free groceries to more than 1,200 families around the same altar where she first encountered Jesus.
Miles is a talented writer who doesn’t sugarcoat the difficulties of working with the poor or with nervous middleclass donors. She’s humorously honest about her own spiritual struggles and how being “a religious nut” affects her partner and her daughter. She’s still a left-wing lesbian. She refuses to believe that her sexuality or her inclusive theology conflict with the Gospel.
Miles reminds me of Anne Lamott, a writer I’ve enjoyed for years. (“Traveling Mercies,” “Plan B”) Like Miles, Lamott wandered into church. In her case, it was St. Andrew Presbyterian, a poor, primarily black congregation in Marin City, Calif. At the time, she was half-heartedly battling bulimia, alcohol addiction, drug abuse and a habit of sleeping with the wrong men. She equated Christians with disapproval — disapproval of liberals, gays and all non-Christians. For a long time, she joined the singing but left before the “Jesus talk.”
Eventually, she surrendered to Christ’s love. Now baptized, clean and sober, she has written several books about her faith and the tension it creates. She continues to meet disapproval from Christians, who look down on her politics, dreadlocks and single parenthood. She also encounters disapproval from her activist friends who cringe at her born-again testimony. From these conflicts, Lamott has fashioned funny, honest and unique meditations on following Jesus from the left.
I find Miles and Lamott challenging because we’re so different. I cannot accept all their views or approve of all their actions. Yet, I love Miles’ fresh perspective on Scripture and church history. For example, she points out that Jesus fed everyone, whether they shared his theology or not. Healing required some faith. Food, though, was for all comers. How do I reconcile that liberality with Catholicism’s closed communion?
How do I look past Lamott’s support of abortion and consider her views on social justice? Both women argue that homosexuality is simply another way of loving. Both suggest that the church expends far too much energy on sexual morality and far too little on poverty and suffering. Both believe that Christians need to work for social change in our country and in the world.
I don’t think either woman would be comfortable as a Catholic, although Pope Francis would love Miles’ ministry and Lamott’s candor. I’m grateful that they found Protestant homes where they can serve our Lord. Perhaps he permits the institutional church to remain divided to ensure that there’s a place for everyone. The Kingdom of God is bigger than Roman Catholicism. It is, I suspect, bigger than Christianity. Contemplating Miles, Lamott and other believers with whom I disagree, I remember that famous line from ”Jaws”: “We’re gonna need a bigger boat.”
Kathleen welcomes comments. Send them to Kathleen Choi, 1706 Waianuenue Ave., Hilo, HI 96720, or e-mail: kathchoi@hawaii.rr.com.
