Green: I’d describe you as part of a certain genre of Christian writers: women who go on tour, have a personal name brand, have their own books, and who primarily reach out to other women. “Being on the wrong side of the evangelical machine is terrifying and punitive.” But ultimately that tension became too heavy and I couldn’t hold it anymore. I felt like a fractured human being to have these convictions inside of me that I was too afraid to say out loud because it might damage my bottom line. At the end of the day, I’m not here to build a career. They would say, “Jen, if you speak into the LGBTQ inclusion in the church conversation and/or the election, then this is career suicide.” I come out of an evangelical space, and there’s a party line, more or less, that runs alongside of that. In both cases, for me, I just could not sit silently by in order to protect my own brand. It was sort of the dovetail of my statements toward the LGBTQ community and their inclusion in every manner of church, right alongside the election and the insane rhetoric surrounding the campaign. Everything last year just felt like it was DEFCON 1 at all times. Hatmaker: This entire year has just been one for the record books. Green: You’ve gotten into a lot of fights-although maybe that’s not the right word-particularly around the LGBT stuff. Our conversation has been edited for clarity and length.Įmma Green: This has been kind of an insane year for you. I spoke with Hatmaker about her book and the stakes of being political for the women in her world. Hatmaker’s readers, like her, face stark choices about when and how to speak up about politics, particularly those injustices committed by and within their communities. Yet it speaks, subtly, to the conflicted feelings women may have about the different aspects of their identity. It is distinctly non-political, full of references to wine drinking and gym misadventures. Hatmaker’s new book, Of Mess and Moxie, is both of that world and not. At times, even the aesthetics of their world can seem designed to telegraph non-threatening vibes: lots of swirly fonts, recipe trading, and talk about diets unfaithfully kept. They choose to remain non-political, often out of a legitimate desire not to alienate the people they’re trying to reach. Many women in Christian ministry take the alternate path. For women who make their living through their writing and teaching, taking strong positions on controversial issues can have extraordinary consequences-not only for their livelihoods, but for everyone who works for them. While Hatmaker faced backlash specifically because of her position on same-sex relationships, people were also reacting to her decision to be politically outspoken. Hatmaker represents one road for the predominantly white, Protestant women who have built large, name-brand followings.
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