United Church Head Rewrites Psalm 51 Reading as ‘Bathsheba’s Lament’- Her Response to David’s Sexual Abuse
Three months ago the General Synod of the United Church of Christ elected the Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson as the first woman and the first Black woman to lead the denomination as General Minister and President. Thompson was the former Associate General Minister for Wider Church Ministries and Co-Executive for Global Ministries, who also previously served as the denomination’s minister for racial justice and ecumenical and interfaith relations.
This past ‘Roe Sunday,’ she gave a recital from Psalm 51, the well-known lament from David after the prophet Nathan confronted him about his sin with Bathsheba and his complicity in killing Uriah.
Rather than quote the scripture verbatim, the denomination has been rewriting the texts as part of their Living Pslam Project, which reimagines the Psalms from a “contemporary justice perspective.” Thompson alters the verses from the perspective of Bathsheba, who was raped and brutalized by David and now has to hear him with his crocodile tears and false confession.
In ‘Bathsheba’s Lament’ she asks the Lord to “wash away the trauma coursing through my veins” and to “cleanse the dirt of sexual violations from my body,” all the while insisting, “I was born innocent, a whole person when my mother conceived me. My heart was created clean. My spirit was new and right within me.”
Wash me thoroughly from the stench of shame,
cleanse me from the deep raw wounds on my body and spirit
remove the staining of unwanted touches,
wash away the trauma coursing through my veins,
cleanse the dirt of sexual violations from my body,
remove the violence of abuse and suffering.
Speak to me O God, am I not your child?
They infringed upon my rights,
negated my humanity with both fists,
they violated my trust,
forcing me to hide my face in humiliation,
while they stand before you crying for your help,
asking you to forgive their iniquity and their transgression.
See the bruises God, what about me?
I know their transgressions,
their sins are before me daily
they ignore me as they sit before you weeping
calling me a liar while spinning tall tales of love for me
they ask for your forgiveness,
they should ask of me the same.
Will you seek judgment for me, O God?
Against me they have committed this wrong,
yet they run to you,
trampling my dignity once again
denying to me the power of my choice,
as they return to my bed over and over again
never asking my forgiveness, their lips dry with no apology.
Why listen to their pleas, when they have no truths for me?
You say you desire truth flowing from the inward being:
I was born innocent, a whole person when my mother conceived me
my heart was created clean
my spirit was new and right within me
About Author
This mouth-breathing pretend-‘reverend’ is both in opposition to God Almighty by her station as well as obviously biblically ignorant.
A loathsome woman.
As general rule, anything with the word ‘United’ in front of the word ‘Church’ should be approached with great caution. Kinda like I before e except after c.
It’s amazing how many scholars throughout all of church history misread the text and didn’t see that Bathsheba was raped…(rolls eyes). Give me a break. This is all because people think they are “enlightened” and that we are seeing more clearly now. And, of course, we now have the “power dynamics” so even if Bathsheba didn’t resist, because David was king it automatically requires us to call it rape. I’m so over people. Rape is no small thing. It’s a horrible thing. But, to just wipe away Bathsheba’s accountability is a grievous error. It’s feminism run amok.