Cosplay In The Pulpit

I stumbled onto another collegial conversation about wearing costumes in the pulpit.

I have listened in on many such conversations among Unitarian Universalists, Jews and Christians.

It starts with a holiday, usually. Purim, or Halloween, or Founders Day. “Gee, wouldn’t it be neat if I dressed as a Puritan, or a jester for April Fool’s Day, or as Hamen, or as a Hogwarts professor?”

No, it would not be neat.

At this moment in our national history, it would be an inexcusable indulgence, in fact.

Dressing up for the entertainment of our congregants is fun, winky insider stuff. What it communicates is that we’re all family, and I’m the fun uncle who’s going to tell some stories and sing some songs for the kiddies.
To that I must ask, “Really? Have you not seen Nazis marching in the streets lately? Have you not seen the desecration of Jewish graves in cemeteries? Have you not heard the bomb threats against mosques? Have you not heard of the pardoning of Joe Arpaio, a hateful, dangerous man who is responsible for terrorizing people of color in Arizona and for the deaths of many?

If I walked into a church on a Sunday morning and I saw the minister greeting people in a jester outfit, I’d walk the hell right out the door. RIGHT OUT. I’d rather read a book by a religious leader whose authority, scholarship and love I can trust rather than squirm through a service led by someone who willingly undercuts their own authority by the wearing of a hugely distracting costume. Are you really so brilliant and respected, and more importantly, is your religious perspective so respected among your people and in society that you feel confident your message can transcend the silliness of your Esther crown or powdered wig?

WORSHIP IS NOT COSPLAY.

By all means, don a quick-change costume for the Story For All Ages. Use a prop in the pulpit, wear a hat for a portion of the sermon.

But really, does the grieving widow or the earnest seeker or the person heartbroken by the latest spectacle of violence not deserve better of our ministry than to endure a worship service led by someone in a clown costume?

I am a minister who uses humor, song and character to convey my message, so don’t come at me with whining about how I’m no fun. I am LOTS of fun. I am all kinds of fun, and let me tell you something: costumes don’t make for a fun message. What they do is communicate that the worship service is for our cozy little family, for insiders, for those who regard the minister with such fond affection that that person can be respected even when they chose to wear a dopey get-up now and then.

Our nation is in moral crisis. None of us should be aiming for anything but absolute excellence in worship, and these times require all of us to reconsider just exactly how it is we define excellence.

The pulpit and the title of preacher are sacred trusts. We are artists, prophets, pastors and chief teaching elders of our traditions. Anyone who wants to duck that responsibility should quit the ministry. Every time we do some wackadoodle, cheesy thing in the pulpit we duck that responsibility. If you’re going to do something creative in worship, let the visual magic happen in some other way than donning the robes and wig of Gandalf yourself. This is no time for cutesy nonsense.

You know who I’ve NEVER heard talk about wearing costumes in the pulpit?
Anyone who isn’t white.

3 Replies to “Cosplay In The Pulpit”

  1. YES THANK YOU. I have found a church I like (mostly) in my new city but the minister wears a tie-dye multicolor robe each week (It’s Lutheran and he is not Nadia Bolz-Weber so he should really stick to a suit). I am happy to go to an affirming church but the large presence of the queer community in the pews is more convincing than the pastoral gown.

  2. Just discovering your blog and love it. I’d say this doesn’t really apply to the Purim example. It would be bizarre for a rabbi or cantor to not show up to Purim megillah reading in their synagogue without some kind of costuming (and it might feel like a judgment on the rest of the community’s practice). This includes Jewish clergy who are POC. That being said, the costume obviously has to be careful. For some rabbis it’s a silly hat, for others it’s a full-on costume. I usually go abstract and dress as “spring” or something like that.
    [Welcome to BTFM!! Thanks for the input from your ministry context! – PB]

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