CONWAY -- For the first time ever, Arkansas Episcopalians banded together Sunday to observe the Feast of Simeon Bachos, the Ethiopian Eunuch. Later they discussed ongoing efforts to "queer" American Christianity.
The event, which drew roughly 80 clergy and laity from across the Central Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Arkansas, was held at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Conway.
Brandon Thomas Crowley, a Harvard Divinity School lecturer and pastor of Myrtle Baptist Church in West Newton, Mass., delivered the sermon and later discussed some of the themes in his forthcoming book: "Queering Black Churches: Dismantling Heteronormativity in African American Congregations."
"Queering is a method of subversion that, when it recognizes a pocket of privilege and oppression, it works fiercely to turn it upside down and to dismantle it," Crowley said when asked to define the term.
"Queering dismantles oppressive powers, whether it is sexism, whether it is racism. Queering is not just about gender and sexuality. It is about overturning and destroying, deconstructing oppressive powers and constructing in its place the beloved community. It is the work of Martin [Luther] King. It is the work of Gandhi. It is the work of Mother Teresa. It is the work of Christ," he said.
NEW FEAST DAY
The new feast day, which was proposed by the Episcopal Church's Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music, was subsequently "authorized for trial use" by the denomination at its 2022 triennial convention.
It is included in the newly revised version of the church's "Lesser Feasts and Fasts."
"We want to recognize everyone that comes in these doors as a beloved child of God. And the saints of yore, the people that we look up to in ages past, should reflect that," said Brandon Haynes, St. Peter's curate and the celebrant at Sunday's service.
"It is important to look at our calendar, as a church and see if we are being inclusive in that calendar. The Episcopal Church has done a lot of work to make sure that's happened, not only along gender lines, but of course around race and ethnicity and now we're getting into sexual identity and gender identity," Haynes said.
The eighth book of Acts describes an encounter between a deacon named Philip and an unnamed traveler, "an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure." (English Standard Version.)
After Philip shares "the good news about Jesus," the Ethiopian, who was returning home from Jerusalem, stopped his chariot beside some water and had Philip baptize him, after which the eunuch "went on his way rejoicing."
While his name is not given in the passage, some sources subsequently referred to him as Simeon Bachos.
The Ethiopian Eunuch's story is worth highlighting, Episcopal leaders decided.
"His status as a eunuch indicates that he was a member of a sexual minority, either a castrated male, a deliberately celibate male, or a gender nonconformist," according to the language approved by the general convention.
"As a person of a different race, ethnicity, and gender identification, Simeon Bachos stands at the intersection of multiple marginalized groups. His identity shows that the early church was able to transcend social categories in its evangelizing work and that the gospel's message would spread to the ends of the earth and to every person. Simeon Bachos calls Christians to be fully inclusive and welcoming of all people, empowering them for ministry and leadership," the passage stated.
The addition of Simeon Bachos was the result of divine inspiration, Haynes said.
DOESN'T HAPPEN OFTEN
This type of "intersectionality does not happen often in the Christian saint world so this was unique and there certainly was the Spirit moving, saying 'There's something here. We need to recognize this in our calendar,'" Haynes said.
St. Peter's is an open and affirming congregation, with a statement of inclusivity affirming that "all peoples, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, mental or physical ability, age, race, ethnicity, or nation of origin, are welcome to participate in the life of the church."
"We are in a city that has three colleges in it. The generation that is coming through is more open about their gender identity, their sexuality, than any others. I think it's important for us to be able to connect their personal experience with a religious experience [and recognize] that they are not separate but they do work in tandem," Haynes said. "This feast day gives us that opportunity to have that conversation," Crowley said
'BEEN SEARCHING FOR'
Haynes, who took a course from Crowley at the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas, invited his former professor to lead Sunday's service, and credited him with helping him find "a voice in preaching that I had been searching for my entire seminary career."
Crowley, who holds an undergraduate degree from Morehouse College in Atlanta and graduate degrees from Boston University and Harvard University, has been pastor of Myrtle Baptist Church since 2009. He was ordained by the Progressive National Baptist Convention of America, Inc. in 2009 and licensed by the National Baptist Convention of America in 2001, his biography states.
During a presentation after the service, Crowley described his own congregation's journey of openness and affirmation.
Myrtle Baptist Church in West Newton, a historically Black congregation roughly 10 miles west of Boston, was founded in the 1870s, less than a decade after the end of the Civil War. The current sanctuary, built after fire destroyed the first in 1897, has a stained glass window depicting the baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch.
"Although our founders erected this window because of its depiction of a Black face, little did they know that the selection of this passage and window would connect with our future mission to be a safe haven and a citadel of hope for Black queer folk," Crowley said.
The story itself reflects "one refugee of color baptizing another person of color who was traditionally 'othered' by the texts that he was feeling compelled to read and live by in Acts 8," Crowley said. "This proves that the early church had colored people who affirmed queer persons of color."
The passage shows that "persons who do not fit into the binary of male and female were indeed affirmed by the early Christians," he said.
The baptism of an Ethiopian eunuch by St. Philip the Evangelist (sometimes referred to as St. Philip the Deacon) is recounted in the eighth chapter of Acts. It has also been depicted by artists over the centuries.
The baptism of an Ethiopian eunuch by St. Philip the Evangelist (sometimes referred to as St. Philip the Deacon) is recounted in the eighth chapter of Acts. It has also been depicted by artists over the centuries.
Brandon Thomas Crowley, pastor of Myrtle Baptist Church in West Newton, Mass., preached Sunday during a service at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Conway, marking the Feast of Simeon Bachos, an Ethiopian eunuch and an early convert to Christianity. Crowley is the author of the forthcoming book, “Queering Black Churches: Dismantling Heteronormativity in African American Congregations.” (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Frank E. Lockwood)Support journalism that digs deeper into topics that matter most to Arkansans. Donate today to preserve the quality and integrity of local journalism.