Pastor Junia Joplin
In June of 2020 Junia Joplin, the lead minister at Lorne Park Baptist church in Toronto, made the courageous decision to inform the congregation that she now identified as female rather than male. She took the first name Junia, which has biblical significance. In Paul's letter to the Roman church he mentions Junia and the verse suggests that she is given apostolic status. For centuries most translations of the bible translated the name as Junius, a male, to reconcile the exemption of women as apostles. It seems that by choosing Junia as her new name Joplin was making a declaration about her own awakening
Sharing this news occurred during online worship and it led to a series of virtual town hall meetings for the congregation in which questions were presented to Joplin. These were followed by a vote which narrowly decided that she would be dismissed from her role. It was a vote by members only, so excluded those who may have been active in the congregation but not allowed to vote. The decision led to Six of its eight executive council members stepping down, along with two members of the church’s pastoral team. Others decided to leave the congregation.
Although Joplin now has a position with Metropolitan Community Church she has decided to sue her former congregation for wrongful dismissal, asking for $200,000 in compensation. It will be interesting to see how this unfolds. Religious bodies do have exemptions on theological grounds -- consider the Roman Catholic church and its exclusion of half the population from the possibility of ordination.
Many denominations and other faith groups hold to what might otherwise be considered human rights violations on the basis of creeds and sacred texts. The United Church does not share these views and has actually changed policy over time because those exclusionary practices were considered contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ, which makes us the denomination many love to hate. We can ask, though, how lots of United Church congregations would respond to a similar announcement from a member of their staff. We have heard many sad stories of how pastors were treated when they came out as gay or lesbian in years past. The responses were often anything but Christian.
I do hope that Pastor Joplin finds her way through this to some sense of justice for what transpired. I often wonder whether legal action in faith settings resolves much, but she may want to make a statement about the fairness of the process which led to her dismissal, as well as the practical need for financial compensation. She deserves to have a sense of dignity and well being as she embarks on this important new phase of her life.
2 comments:
The world outside the Church is much more tolerant of sexual differences and choices, and identities. And the world is much more prepared to read the research and findings of scientists about the genetic basis for these. It is unfortunate that we cannot be open to discussion, and hearing the science, and the stories of people. We should, at the very least, try to understand the basic feelings of folk who are not heterosexual, or who identify differently from their birth gender, even if we can't feel the same way. We do not have a right to d=say that God rejects others, and that God cannot use those different from us for holy purposes.
Thoughtful observations Judy. It is a mystery that some faith communities move toward radical inclusion because of the Christian imperative to love, while others are even more exclusionary based on a Good News narrative which is actually bad news for those who aren't part of the perceived inner circle.
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