Photo courtesy of Zao MKE
Recent news of a Michigan Roman Catholic priest refusing communion to a married lesbian judge serves as another sad reminder for spiritually minded LGBTQs that most mainstream religions exercise, at best, a full-blown intolerance of their non-heterosexual brethren. In the season of religious holidays, they face being the awkward outsider at the table or entirely estranged from it.
For Methodist minister Jonah Holm, the solution was simply to found a new church, Zao MKE. Holm, who holds dual degrees in theology and social work, explains Zao as a Jesus-rooted, justice-centered and radically inclusive community. “The Greek word Zao appears in Jesus’ teaching and means being fully alive. This is the core of Jesus’ teaching, and whereas traditional churches fixate on the afterlife, Zao seeks out the abundance of life now. It is a Christian spiritual community in the United Methodist tradition of John Wesley, embracing a practical theology without the hard lines of doctrine. It embraces personal holiness, social wholeness and the living out of God’s mission against injustice,” Holm explains.
This leads to Zao’s tenets of social justice and radical inclusion. “We are committed to racial justice, and we talk about that… that Jesus was brown. That reality changes the image of the white, blond, Californian, surfer Jesus back to the brown-skinned, Palestinian, Jewish, peasant organizer living under Roman occupation and challenging religious authority. It’s foundational to our identity,” Holm says.
It is in this context that Zao, rather than simply reconciling, affirms LGBTQ people. “I want to have people see the holiness of their sexuality and sexual orientation. We also actively engage in justice-making. Part of that is to oppose institutions that hurt people. Jesus was about opposing unjust teaching in religious and political circles. We declare, ‘God is proud of you.’ Trans liberation, supporting immigrants and black lives matter to God,” he says.
According to Holm, being radically inclusive means all parts of the individual belong in church—no part needs to be left at the door or toned down to be accepted by God. Zao believes God created people in their fullness.
“Radical is what we choose to prioritize. Anyone who is oppressed gets priority. Radical means protecting and celebrating the most vulnerable,” Holm explains. “The spiritual community has to include us. For example, there is still a troubling lack of trans leadership in mainstream churches. That’s unique about Zao. I am trans, and my husband is trans. You can’t love what you don’t know. God knows all of us and loves all of us. We believe God created people to be gay or trans. Zao accepts all people but not all ideas. Inclusion doesn’t mean we affirm an ideology like white supremacism.”
And, while studies show Millennials as less likely to participate in mainstream religions, they form a major part of the ever-growing Zao congregation. “The Millennials I encounter are deeply creative thinkers longing for connection and meaning. Zao is ‘I go to church because I want to know what I believe and find what others believe, and because I want to support [others] and take joy in that journey.’ Belief here is not required. It’s a process of discovery,” Holm says.
Zao MKE Church is located at 2319 E. Kenwood Boulevard. Christmas services include “Hark! A Message of Love” on Sunday, Dec. 22, and a Christmas Eve service on Tuesday, Dec. 24.
