Written by: United Theological Seminary May 22, 2019

“Camp is Revelation!” Pastoral Insights on the 2019 Met Gala

Every year on the first Monday in May, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute holds a gala to celebrate the opening of their spring exhibition. This year’s exhibition is “Camp: Notes of Fashion”, inspired by a 1964 essay by the writer and social critic Susan Sontag entitled “Notes on Camp.” Like past years, the attendees to the exclusive social and fashion event were asked to dress to reflect the theme of the exhibition. From Billy Porter, dressed entirely in gold and held aloft on a golden platform carried in by anonymous gold-clad men, to Tiffany Haddish’s homage to the zoot suit style of Cab Calloway to Lady Gaga who “performed” four outfit changes during her entrance to the gala, guests brought their own interpretation of camp aesthetic for display. Following the event, I began to ask: How can camp contribute new ways of thinking and talking about God and theology? How can we interpret scripture through the lens of camp? What does camp have to say to those who have suffered greatly or who lack spiritual direction? I believe the ironic reverence, joy and humor of camp speak to our lives as theologians and pastoral leaders.

The Oxford Dictionary defines camp as “deliberately exaggerated and theatrical in style.” Sontag states that “the essence of camp is its love of the unnatural: of artifice and exaggeration . . . of things-being-what they-are-not.” As a child of the seventies, my camp icons were Cher, John Waters films (Divine!) and David Bowie – luscious makeup, tongue-in-cheek, over the top performances and visual treats that questioned dominant standards of politics, class, sex, gender, taste, fashion and behavior. These people saw the hypocrisy of the “normal.” What drew me to camp as a kid and continues to excite me is the expression of the self through art and fashion that transcends traditional expectations. Growing up I loved sneaking into the bathroom, applying the most dramatic eye-shadow and lipstick combinations, and admiring myself in the mirror. My camp icons helped me not take myself so seriously, because they didn’t take themselves seriously and they looked like they were having fun! Camp has an element of humor, irreverence, even an ironic reverence. Camp loves history and tradition but does not make an idol of either.

Camp exaggerates the past by injecting it with a particular artifice – feathered, bouffanted, hair-sprayed, sequined, draped – while keeping it recognizable and relatable. It’s the outsiders’ version of tradition that makes the world look at culture in a new way – like performing a task with your opposite hand or picturing Moses in a big-shouldered pant suit. Camp creates new meaning from the “old” in creative and outrageous interpretations of shared historical references. We are in on the joke and cultural context.

In her essay, Sontag writes that “camp is a solvent of morality. It neutralizes indignation, sponsors playfulness.” I would add that camp can be a way to question moral codes that have excluded the experiences of those outside normative Western white male culture. Camp is a way of telling the story of one’s experience of history, playfully commenting on politics, power, society, ideas and values.

Camp helps us to re-evaluate and recreate new spiritual and theological stories for our time. I think camp is a way to hold the importance of tradition more lightly — to not make an idol of scripture, or to critique normative ideas about Jesus or his disciples. Last month United alum Rev. Craig Lemming preached a sermon, “Drag Queens, Mary, and Jesus: Lavish, Outrageous, and Extravagant Love,” at St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. For Lemming, drag queens are marginalized people who respond to oppression with “a lavish, outrageous, extravagant display of joy that is ‘burnished by the fire of adversity, oppression and struggle.’” For Lemming both the Biblical Bethany and modern drag queens reflect the lavishness in the image of God, teaching us “ how to outrageously, unashamedly and unapologetically love ourselves and each other […] and God as extravagantly, lavishly and outrageously as God loves all of us!”

Camp is a way of breaking open new ideas about how we image embodiment, God, faith and scripture. If Ziggy Stardust is made in the image of God, what does that say about divinity? The pitfalls of life can make me feel completely alienated from the world around me, but Ziggy, the literal alien pop star, helps me see myself as a beloved part of creation. Imagine stories from scripture being performed in a Real Housewives format showing us conflict, jealousy, pain, beauty, forgiveness, disconnection and reconciliation so that we see how Biblical texts still speak to us today! The possibilities are endless. When we hold humor and irony in paradoxical relationship with reverence, we reveal faces of the sacred that have otherwise been hidden. Camp is revelation!

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January 22, 2026

Statement by President Molly T. Marshall on Community Response Efforts

These are fraught days for us. Those who call the Twin Cities home persist under the pall of a federal occupation, bracing each day for word of a new atrocity. In the weeks since an ICE agent killed Renee Good, we have seen the good people of Minneapolis and St. Paul show up for one another as armed federal agents patrol our communities, violating due process and cruelly abducting thousands of people. I think often of our friends and neighbors—including some members of the United community—as they live under the acute terror ICE has wrought on their neighborhoods. Many rely on the aid of a trusted few to meet their basic needs. Facing an oppressive force, our communities have turned outward with resilience, toward one another, embodying anew the command to “love your neighbor as yourself.” I have been deeply moved by the courage of my neighbors and, in particular, United’s students, alums, trustees, and faculty and staff. They model solidarity despite extreme cold, attending vigils, leading music, creating art, and keeping watch with whistles over their neighborhoods while ICE patrols their streets. Chaplains involved in interfaith organizations are supporting local demonstrations and assisting in de-escalation efforts. Lay leaders, prompted to care for their vulnerable neighbors, are picking up groceries, taking kids to school, and meeting material needs in a vast network of mutual aid. Indeed, this is servant leadership. This week, clergy and faith leaders of myriad traditions are answering MARCH’s call to resist this importunate occupation and bear witness to its harm. With members of our United community engaged in rapid response efforts, the seminary will be closed on Friday, January 23. And, in solidarity with fellow clergy and elected officials, I reaffirm my call that ICE must immediately end its terrorizing of the Twin Cities, leave Minnesota altogether, and bring to justice the agent who killed Ms. Good. Social transformation is one of United’s longstanding pillars, and we are seeing the real-world witness of faith and community leaders equipped for the work of justice and peace. In the words of Rev. Dr. Justin Sabia-Tanis, director of our Social Transformation Program, “Faith leaders are shaping Minnesota’s response to be highly ethical and effective.” The common good, though under grave threat, is in the committed stewardship of our very best. In the days ahead, may we be courageous in our convictions for the love and dignity of our neighbors. Rev. Molly T. Marshall, Phd President About United Founded by the United Church of Christ (UCC) as a welcoming, ecumenical school that embraces all denominations and faith traditions, United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities has been on the creative edge of progressive theological thought and leadership since it was established in 1962. Today, United continues to train leaders who, through the eyes of faith, engage in the dismantling systems of oppression, exploring multi-faith spirituality, and pushing the boundaries of knowledge. Media Contact Nathanial Green (he/him), Director of Marketing and Communications United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities press@unitedseminary.edu • 651-255-6138

Lauren Busey (’07) Ministers to a New Beloved Community at Pickledilly Skokie

Lauren Busey (’07) grew up in the Lutheran church, earned an undergraduate degree from Luther College, and thought she would probably attend a Lutheran seminary. Then, at a Luther College women’s retreat, Rev. Dr. Christie Cozad Nueger (’80)— Professor Emerita of Pastoral Counseling and Pastoral Theology (1992–2005)—was the featured speaker and knew Lauren’s campus pastor. “So,” Lauren remembers, “we just kind of got to talking, and within a couple of weeks, I was enrolled at United.” United “was a good fit,” Lauren asserts. She found a welcoming community of fellow students and treasured professors. Those who had the greatest impact include Rev. Dr. Jann Cather Weaver (Associate Professor Emerita of Worship, and Theology and the Arts, 2001–2012), Dr. Marilyn Salmon† (Professor Emerita of New Testament Theology, 1989–2014), and Dr. Carolyn Pressler (Professor Emerita of Biblical Interpretation, 1990–2020). After seminary, Lauren accepted a call back home in Evanston, Illinois, at the church where she grew up, Trinity Lutheran Church. Despite being a bit apprehensive about serving as the director of Faith Formation at her home church, Lauren found that the parishioners were warmly welcoming and supportive. She’s been there ever since and notes that the flexibility of the position allowed for a positive work-life balance. Lauren and her wife are raising two children. Just this year, however, Lauren, along with her wife and two business partners, embarked on a new venture—and in February 2025, the four co-owners opened a new state-of-the-art pickleball court in Skokie, Illinois. Dubbed Pickledilly Skokie, the new indoor space features 11.5 courts under high ceilings, lockers, a lounge area, and a pro shop. Plus, the venue is in the same complex as Sketchbook Brewing Company and has abundant free parking. So what happened? “I think my wife would say that I’ve always been the big idea person,” Lauren explains. Usually, she continues, Amy “nods and smiles and keeps on going,” but this time she agreed with the idea. Both Lauren and Amy are avid pickleball players, and Lauren says she found that the activity was much more of a “community-based sport.” Community was the key. As Lauren stated in a July 18, 2025, interview for Ryan Glatzhofer’s The Locals: Stories of Courageous Entrepreneurs, “One of the things that has always been a passion of mine is bringing people together.” Going a step further, she said more recently, “One of our pillars is that this is a safe space, and we are welcoming here.” How did United prepare Lauren for entrepreneurship? “United was really helpful to me in expanding my worldview and my understanding of diversity and not assuming you know where people are coming from.” As for the connection to ministry, Lauren asserts, “We’re still grounded in the same way of taking care of people, and loving people, and meeting them where they are.” __________________________ † of blessed memory

Images of Hope: Advent in Art

Art has the tremendous power to restore us in a time when our world seems to make no sense and we need a moment of respite and encouragement from our daily struggles. A single photograph of a flower or a laughing child can buoy our spirit to carry on. (more…)