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Introduction
I’ve been collecting stories since I was seven years old. Here are a few of my favorite memoirs. Some are funny, some are tender; others are heartbreaking, maddening and disturbing.
“Do justice” and “love mercy.” Those two commands sum up, for me, the essence of Jesus’ value system, which he has left for his followers to adopt as their own. They have fueled my passion for what I’ve been about for most of my life. I’ve had my hands full trying to live them, and to my dying breath, that’s what I’ll be up to. I often don’t get it right; sometimes I don’t get it at all! After all, educated guesses are all any of us have about a man who’s been dead for over 2,000 years! Thankfully, perfection has never been the requirement; only that we get up one more time than we fall.
I don’t like bullies. Of any kind—corporate, ecclesiastical or bureaucratic. A bully is any institution or individual who profits from another’s misfortunes, by exploiting, taking advantage of, harming, or devaluing another human being. (The German language has the perfect word for this: schadenfreude.) I want to side with those underdogs by advocating for them, and thwarting and exposing cruelty and hypocrisy when I see it. Jesus always sided with the unfortunates of this world. This means that he, and anyone who follows him, is at odds with the current “domination system”—a term invented by Walter Wink— in religion (the temple excesses), and the state (Roman exploitation of the Jews).
I learned early in life what it feels like to be bullied, so I can identify with others who have been exploited. My compassion is with—not for—society’s casualties. I want to side with those who are easy targets for predatory humanity. So, often I advocate by using confrontation: through prophetic criticism, “perfect squelches,” righteous indignation, and holy anger. Not just to get it out of my system (revenge), but also to be faithful to the model—the things that Jesus said and did. I don’t think Jesus gives a diddily-squat what we “believe,” as long as we believe that justice and mercy are a way of life. He’s much more interested in what we do.
As Jesus said to his followers in Luke, “Why call me ‘Lord, Lord’ and do not do what I’ve told you to do?” I often wonder about my methods, and myself, but I do it anyway. Better to get it wrong than to stop trying. My intention is to follow Jesus’ way.
Ten of my forty-four years’ of ordained ministry were given to people with AIDS. I was a volunteer therapist with The Whitman-Walker Clinic for gay men in Washington, D.C. I wrote the first pamphlet on the microbiological risks of AIDS called, “AIDS and the Common Cup.” Ministering among these folks was painful. They all died! I remember pulling off the road when I needed to cry, which was often.
Jesus is reported to have said, “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Two thousand years later, a plaque at the entrance to the Virginia Theological Seminary library reads, “Speak the truth come what may, cost what it will.” (Professor William Sparrow 1801–1874) To this day, the idea is alive and well.
In my ministry, I have often found myself saying things other people secretly agreed with but were reluctant to say themselves. They pretended to be shocked, but then told me privately that they were relieved to hear the truth on the table. I became the mouthpiece for what they couldn’t say in public or in church. Maybe I encouraged cowardice on their part; or maybe I was a source of encouragement for them to speak the truth, too, . . . when they were ready.
And when life seems too serious, I try to remember that Jesus had quite a sense of humor. The comedic in his life reminds me not to take religious, cultural and familial prohibitions too seriously. Godly play has helped to keep me sane. I know God also must have a great sense of humor because, . . . well, I’m here and sometimes I’m all she has to work with. Maybe you, too. I’ve always been able to rely on humor to bring levity and hope to any situation. One step at a time. One day at a time.
James S. Petty
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