BY NOW you might know about the article Erika Andersen, a far-right, Christian freelance writer, published recently in “The Federalist” titled:
“There’s Nothing Loving About Dolly Parton’s False Gospel”
There’s been a lotta ….uh..backlash. I mean, WHAT was she thinking?!
In this post I chose to alternate comments culled from Andersen’s article with quotes from Dolly Parton from other sources to compare the different Christian mandates each one claimed for their life’s spiritual practice.
You may ask, “Where’s the wonder aspect here?”
It lives in the blank space between their statements.
———————————————————————————————————-
ERIKA ANDERSEN-
“In a world where division is the default, [Parton] collects fans of every political stripe, refusing to denigrate anyone, and regularly proclaims, ‘I love everybody’ when asked how she does it …When asked about her diverse community of fans, Parton always mentions Christianity, saying she does her best “not to judge” and only “to love” for that reason.”
DOLLY PARTON-
“I think everybody should be treated with respect. I don’t judge people.”
ERIKA ANDERSEN-
“But Parton’s version of love, which includes condoning immoral sexual behavior (“Be who you are.” she said), is unaligned with God’s vision for humanity. Like so many secularized spiritual leaders, Parton equates love with agreement, but the two are not reciprocal.”
DOLLY PARTON-
“I did find out I have many gays and lesbians in my own family. We accept them, we embrace them. Oh, there are some in the mountains who still don’t know quite what to make of it or how they should feel about it, but they’re ours and they’re who they are, and we know they’re wonderful … we don’t try to make them feel separate or different. We embrace it.”
ERIKA ANDERSEN-
“Love doesn’t mean we have to accept sinfulness as good to avoid hurting someone’s feelings … I appreciate that she refuses to condemn conservatives as so many Hollywood Democrats do, but according to Scripture she is wrong on the issue of homosexuality.”
DOLLY PARTON-
“I say: ‘You need to let people know who you are, and you need to come out. You don’t need to live your life in darkness – what’s the point of that?’ You’re never gonna be happy, you’re gonna be sick, you’re not gonna be healthy if you try to suppress your feelings and who you are.”
“Whether it’s about being gay or whatever, a lot of people do me like they used to do my mama and come to talk to me about things. Hopefully I’m able to help. I think I have.”
ERIKA ANDERSEN-
“To be sure, the culture is on a constant witch hunt for those who would call homosexuality sinful. I understand wanting to avoid the avalanche of criticism but calling sin out by name isn’t judgement. It’s adhering to Scripture.”
DOLLY PARTON-
“I try not to get too caught up in the controversy of things. I hope everybody gets a chance to be who and what they are. I just know if I have to pee I’m gonna pee, I don’t care where it’s gonna be.”
————————————————————————————————————-
OKay. I succumb to commenting on this first “No Comment” episode.
Since I began to write this post there has been, of course, an international and nationwide avalanche of outraged backlash that seems less about Andersen’s outdated, anti-gay soundbites than No one fucks with our Dolly.
I’m guessing this public rejection was something Ms. Andersen didn’t see coming. I assume she assumed she wasn’t preaching outside the ring of the converted, a population she must have overestimated.
Andersen’s facile commentary not only severly misunderstood Parton’s reasons for practicing her philosophy, but also seemed to have underestimated the reach of the performer’s positive influence, of how untouchable, Dolly Parton is.
Eventually Andersen felt the pressure, personal and otherwise, to publicly apologize. Saying she really likes Dolly Parton.
——————————————————————————————————————
“Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous, and willing to share.” —Timothy 6:17-18
Both women seem to have no doubt what God means by “doing good.” If you looked at Andersen’s website ( erikaandersen.com ) you’d see that, more than a free-lance writer, she, like Parton, is rich in good deeds. Her site reaches out, with loving concern, to struggling christians, offering workshops, therapy, consultations and advice via traditional christian ways.
Parton’s site ( dollyparton.com ) promotes the crucial meaning of human joy innate in shared music, good-humored sensuality, and a very public, ongoing conviction to offer respect beyond divisiveness, and to witness the good in every person beyond judgement.
So. If one’s choice is between good deeds rooted in fear of an emperor God’s command to obey “the law” or else, or good deeds rooted in desire to accept a trusting God’s mandate to find each others’s worth through praise and love, isn’t that choice, like, kind of a no-brainer?
Fear … or Fun? Rejection … or Acceptance? Punishment … or Compassion?
And if you die only to find out there is no God, at least you enjoyed a much happier time along the way.
Ps remember Dolly saying that if she was a man she’d be a drag queen. I wish she was President.
Funny to get this on eve of one of the major Jewish feasts Shavuos aka Feast of Weeks (7 since Passover), harvest of barley and first fruits when the tradition (besides eating blintzes and remembering Moses bringing two tablets of stone down from the mountain) is to read the Book of Ruth. My musical comment? “…And the ones who glean in corners will wear the golden crown, and love will cross all borders and wear the old walls down”
soundcloud.com/jerushamusic/two-gleaners