Thoughts on #Revival in America. It's a Whole 'Nuther Thing While Being Shaken In The Rabid Jaws of Autocracy. #Seattle #SeanFeucht #Fascism

                  The word “revival” has been assaulting my mind this month. “Assaulting” seems like a harsh term to describe a word’s impact on my psyche, but my experience of this word in the context of organized religious-affiliated events, is like (reader: please note I am NOT talking about a specific individual here, but an environment—a personified metaphor) an acquaintanceship  with someone you’d thought was a friend who accepted you and wanted to help you, but they’d turned out to be a control-freak with alarming narcissistic tendencies, steeped in capitalist ambitions, so you had to separate yourself from them while trying to holding on to any positive outcomes that occurred ultimately in-spite-of more so than because-of your association with them. The flashbacks to that season could send me to the depths were it not for divine grace meeting me and because of the presence of other sincere seekers. I am indebted to them and divine interference for rescuing me from a season of hopelessness as well as from succumbing to religious oppression’s embrace of hateful doctrine. I am thankful that manifestations of authentic love overcomes a LOT.

                  On the upside, spiritual revival is great in the context of gaining a refreshed perspective and desire to recommit to character development, strengthening of integrity, and spending one’s days in meaningful, honorable pursuit of one’s purpose in this life, doing what is right and being a positive, courageous, compassionate force for humanity, in generosity, kindness, forgiveness, healing, (etc.). This is what I will refer to as Step One of the modern the American revival. (If you’ve left your brain at the door during Step One, RUN—do not walk, to go fetch it. It’s half of your discernment processor, and you’re gonna need it.)

                  How can there even BE a downside when Step One has all those sweet, respectable, righteous desires and aspirations? The hitch in that giddy-up is what I shall call Step Two—what happens next. Someone will ask you if you have a “home church” and encourage you to get “plugged in”, as you are seen as not so much a found sheep or fish pulled onto a boat, but a sheep-shed-“small ‘c’-church” widget.

                  Now that you are presumed washed white as snow of your sin, you are placed on an assembly line where it is determined what “ministry” basket you belong in. Don’t worry about providing input regarding where you feel your skills, talents, and gifts lie. Leadership knows better and will find a place for you to “plug in”. The fact this ministry is particularly demanding and short of volunteers is mere coincidence—you’re gifted! Praise God! Then you are inspected to find out if any disassembly is required,  and you are extruded through a series of increasingly confining social expectations—the god-fearing spouse, the 2.5 to  twelve homeschooled children, picket fenced cul de sac or gated community-located house, the appearance of a thriving MLM business, etc, until you fit in, like an egg in a carton. You can be rotten on the inside, but so long as your widget backside can still fit and plug into a carton cell, it’s ok. You can have a brown shell, but only as long as your inside whites are WHITE, even under the heat of racist aggressions, micro or otherwise. That kind of diversity makes the sheep shed look good—gives the appearance of diversity without anyone having to own accountability for recognizing the legitimacy of diverse cultures and  needs. (and --hush!-- in that pew carton—did you not get that congregational memo? “Diversity” is now a four-letter word!) If you remain too misshapen to fit in a cell, you will continue to be molded by pressure from disapproving side-eye and subtle manifestation of exclusion from ministries you feel called to.

At some point though, by the grace of God, you’ll find yourself grateful for this exclusion. You’re arriving at an understanding there exists doctrine that amounts to a heavy, un-Christ-like yoke and you just cannot carry it. At about this time, a door will open to leave while another opens to welcome you. (Ok—maybe not. Maybe, like me, there will be a transitional space. Sometimes the journey as a speedbump.) You recall the red flags of the “revival” experience—the billboards advertising it, the souvenir coffee mugs, the pained-from-the-pulpit faces of those engaged in extreme fasting. But I also remember receiving revelation and healing in my life during that time. No one revival is perfect, I guess, but within a few weeks after I’d left, I felt like I’d left a dysfunctional home. I have heard that since I left, the doctrinal yoke has become even heavier.

In this era of Christian Nationalism’s fascist head sporting its fool’s crown, I see American “Revival” as a commercialized industry, steeped in political conservatism’s lust for power and, by either default or intention, a lust for control of corporate capitalism’s purse strings, complete with persecution narrative branding.  

For example, Sean Feucht showed up with his guitar and a crew of his organization’s members to Seattle this past weekend. They’d wanted to perform in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, which is known for its historic LGBTQ+ community, at in Cal Anderson Park, which is named after Washington’s first openly gay legislator. Feucht, who has called Pride Month part of a “demonic agenda” aiming to “pervert our children”, was not welcome by residents, so Seattle city leaders requested he find a different location. The event moved to Gas Works Park, and although protestors showed up with kazoos and bullhorns, it went off peacefully. I am compelled to wonder if Mr. Feucht chose Capitol Hill with delusions of “saving” the gay and trans population with his anointed guitar or to provoke a response from residents he has accused of being “demonic”? Them’s fightin’ words, don’t you think? Prior to the event, Feucht’s X feed featured a request that his supporters make donations for the Seattle event, promoting it as “WORSHIP WARS IN SEATTLE”. Feucht, at the event, stated, “This is not political. It’s biblical.” Some may find this statement questionable from an individual who aligns himself with the MAGA Project 2025 movement and has a pinned X video of himself in an embrace with Pete Hegseth.

So much dissonance now for me, in that word, “revival”.

So, if you’re coming off the fires of that revival or another and feel your experience was an authentic spiritual move of the Devine, I do not wish to invalidate it any more than I’d want you to delegitimize mine. On the contrary, I celebrate it with you. I just urge discernment and caution for Step 2—what you do next. My personal bias is to look for a house of worship that is open and affirming for the LGBTQA + community, because those folks are probably also pro-justice, pro-human rights—pro loving your neighbor as yourself and fruit of the Spirit stuff (look that up—they’re my favorite things!). Ultimately though, reflection, prayer, unhurried seeking and visiting different churches is great. Take your time. No place is perfect but remember you are created in the image of God. To allow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, time spent in the Word and in prayer, as your refining fire is not the same as being tossed on an assembly line so that you can be squeezed by marginalizing judgmental scrutiny in order to fit in, pretending to tolerate the trappings of heavy doctrine for the sake of “community”, trapped in a cell too small and confining to contain you. I wish you the blessings of freedom in truth on your journey.

(the attached drawing is a tribute to Marc Chagall's "The Dancer of the Heart on the Belly" in oil pastel)