In the Broadway play "Harriet," Helen Hayes plays the part of Harriet Beecher Stowe, the 19th century author and abolitionist. Beecher Stowe's ideas were ahead of her time, so far ahead that many questioned her sanity: she was an early member of the Underground Railroad; she advocated for women's voting rights, and even went so far as to compare women's roles in America to those of African American slaves.
In an 1869 issue of "Hearth and Home" magazine, she wrote, "[T]he position of a married woman ... is, in many respects, precisely similar to that of the negro slave. She can make no contract and hold no property; whatever she inherits or earns becomes at that moment the property of her husband.... Though he acquired a fortune through her, or though she earned a fortune through her talents, he is the sole master of it, and she cannot draw a penny....[I]n the English common law a married woman is nothing at all. She passes out of legal existence."
In 1868 -- and maybe even 1968 -- this was considered crazy talk.
She was most famous, of course, for writing Uncle Tom's Cabin, a seminal work on the systemic mistreatment of America's black population. The book sold more than 300,000 copies - an unprecedented number - and remains in publication today. For a white woman to sympathize with black families in 1868 was almost even crazier than advocating for women.
In the play, when Beecher Stowe's life is coming to an end, her family gathers to say goodbye. As they do, they embed her brave witness firmly in Christian faith by singing, "The Battle Hymn of the Republic:"
"In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me:
As he died to make us holy, let us die to make all free,
While God is marching on.
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
God's truth is marching on."
It's a bold proposition, that the crazy talk of some is actually God's truth marching forward, God's way of implementing God's agenda for the world. It's also a risky proposition because some people think God wants some pretty crazy things for our world.
In our scripture passage this week, Jesus' family and friends think he's lost his moorings, that he's gone off his medicine and should be involuntarily committed. And yet, 21 centuries later, it can be argued that nobody in the history of the world has been more influential.
We'll explore his craziness -- and ours -- this weekend. Join us, and bring a friend.
Warmly,
