I\u2019ve been openly gay for nearly 30 years \u2014 legally married for more than 10 of them \u2014 and it has been my experience that few scriptures delight the far right more this time of year than Proverbs 16:18: Pride comes before a fall.<\/p>\n
I mostly blame inertia.<\/p>\n
Pride month started in 1970. The Old Testament is, well \u2026 older than Jesus.<\/p>\n
Theological debates are fine any month. It\u2019s just that the \u201cpride\u201d being warned against had nothing to do with the protest in 1969 or the rainbow-glitter celebrations of love and civil rights that followed.<\/p>\n
According to the Bible, God appeared in a dream early in King Solomon\u2019s reign and asked the young ruler what he wanted. The king did not ask for silver or gold. Instead, he asked the Lord for \u201clev shomea,\u201d a listening heart in Hebrew. Proverbs 16 is primarily a meditation on power and its use. However, because rainbows and scriptures are often pitted against one another in the public square \u2014 be it the pulpit, a podcast or a parade \u2014 the wisdom of Solomon\u2019s words tends to be overshadowed by the desire some have to weaponize them.<\/p>\n
The LGBTQ+ community didn\u2019t start using the word \u201cpride\u201d broadly until the 1968 release of \u201cSay It Loud \u2014 I\u2019m Black and I\u2019m Proud\u201d by James Brown. The Godfather of Soul released the song four months after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. It became a Billboard Top 10 hit and a civil rights anthem. Rolling Stone recently named it the fifth greatest protest song of all time.<\/p>\n
Of course, no one honestly believes the pride Brown sung about \u2014 or the pride mentioned in Lee Greenwood\u2019s \u201cI\u2019m proud to be an American where at least I know I\u2019m free\u201d \u2014 is the same as the form of pride Solomon warns against. We understand there is a difference between having self-esteem and having a big ego. The conflating of the two is an attempt to make stripping rights away from minority groups more palatable by giving the impression that God sanctions the cruelty. Meanwhile Solomon writes it is \u201cbetter to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.\u201d<\/p>\n
Proud, meaning having a haughty spirit (as quoted in the Bible) as opposed to being part of the queer community.<\/p>\n
In fact, the word \u201cking\u201d is mentioned five times in Proverbs 16. The word \u201cdrag\u201d is not \u2014 queen, king or otherwise.<\/p>\n
It is also worth noting that Solomon \u2014 a man who took up many wives and ordered the construction of temples to false gods \u2014 did not fall because he married a man. He fell from ignoring the advice that bears his name. In Verse 11, Proverbs warns against being too harsh in his judgment of others. In Verse 12, the book doesn\u2019t call homosexuality an abomination; it condemns kings who commit wickedness. Proverbs says that a perverse person stirs up conflict and that a scoundrel uses his speech \u201clike a scorching fire.\u201d The humbleness that came with a heart that listened was replaced by an arrogance fueled by the belief that he had all the answers.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t know about you, but to me that sounds an awful lot like Donald Trump.<\/p>\n
In 2015, when asked if he had ever asked God for forgiveness, he initially responded with \u201cthat\u2019s a tough question.\u201d He then started talking about Protestant leader Norman Vincent Peale and the power of positive thinking. When asked again if he had ever asked for God\u2019s forgiveness, he landed on \u201cI\u2019m not sure that I have.\u201d This was the same year he claimed he knew more than our generals despite having never served in the military or in public office.<\/p>\n
Early this year, the president told the New York Times, \u201cI don\u2019t need international law\u201d when it comes to guardrails on global power and that the only limit is: \u201cMy own morality. My own mind. It\u2019s the only thing that can stop me.\u201d Last month the president, whose family has made north of $4 billion since he returned to the White House, said, \u201cI don\u2019t think about Americans\u2019 financial situation\u201d in response to a question about the Iran war\u2019s impact on the middle class. An analysis found 1 in 6 sentences said during a Trump Cabinet meeting is a compliment to the president. Leader of the pack is Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whom Trump famously called \u201cLittle Marco\u201d for years until his former rival kissed the ring. Though Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent pushing to place Trump\u2019s face on currency, just as jobless claims jump to a four-month high, can\u2019t be bad for the president\u2019s ego.<\/p>\n
Which essentially is what the phrase \u201cpride before a fall\u201d was all about in the first place \u2014 the mindset of a ruler, not the love life of a people.<\/p>\n