Commission Permission
This is a song I've been working on for a while now. I wrote it in response to how God's people sometimes exclude others from participating in the life and ministry of the church. We exclude because of gender, race, sexuality, political affiliation...
[Verse 1]
I've never had to ask permission
To be part of the great commission
I've always been allowed to do the things I've wanted to
No one's ever questioned me
Because I am so "normal."
I've never had to wonder if it's alright to be me
Why do other people always have to ask?
As they're walking past the judging eyes
Of people who think God hates fags
When the only thing they want to do is love and be loved too
Forgive us, God, we know not what we do
Forgive us, God, we know not what we do
[Verse 2]
I've never had to ask permission
To be part of the great commission
I've always been allowed to do the things I've wanted to
And no one's ever made a fuss
Since I don't have a uterus
I guess to God, it matters what hides underneath my jeans
So other people always have to ask
While they're told to be submissive
And stick to "godly women's tasks."
When the only thing they want to do is follow God's call, too
Forgive us, God, we know not what we do
Forgive us, God, we know not what we do
[Bridge]
They say that I am fearfully and wonderfully made
As long as I am white and male, Republican and straight
They say that Jesus loves me, no conditions, as I am
If I conform to the image of how they created him
[End]
I've never had to ask permission
To be part of the great commission
I've always been allowed to do the things I've wanted to
Forgive us, God, we know not what we do
Forgive us, God, we know exactly what we do
Brian, thank you for acknowledging and validating how women, people of color, and those with different genders often feel ostracized in organized religion. It baffles me and breaks my heart that, by and large, many Christian churches have this tacit - and sometimes very overt - agreement that white/male/conservative/straight people are God's highest chosen ones. The rest of us are supposed to "submit," which I find has been perverted to mean whatever a person who wants to abuse or manipulate or weaponize that word wants it to mean.
We need to do better as Christians. I am grateful, heartened, relieved, and encouraged that you are doing this type of ministry! To change the contours of how we live as Christians, what the word "Christian" presents to the rest of the world. My spiritual director often tells me that it's easy to say we believe IN Jesus, but to BELIEVE Jesus means we have to also follow him to the edges of society, to the margins where the "outcasts" have been thrown out of their communities.
Christianity isn't for the elite and privileged few. It's for those who need healing, for those humble enough to admit they are broken and in need of a merciful savior. And we who call ourselves Christian are meant to mirror God's mercy in the world.