THE CHURCH OF TUMBLR

Churchyard cat, St Elphins, Warrington, by Matt Harrop. (Creative commons license).

The internet has been one of the most significant technological developments in human history. It enables us to communicate with people all over the world who we might otherwise never have a chance to speak to, and to share our thoughts and feelings with each other. As indispensable as the internet has become to us, it carries with it all aspects of the human experience, good and bad. Religion, too, has become a large presence online.

When we think of the “Christian Internet” we may think of family blogs and vlog channels, often more conservative in nature, or perhaps the odd clergyperson giving advice to their flock through whatever social medium they choose. We are perhaps familiar with the online presence of many religious orders, Roman Catholic or otherwise, and we have all become all too acquainted with livestreamed services over the last few years. 

There is, however, one corner of the internet, hidden in the shadows of anonymity, that is not focused on teaching, not run by clergy or religious, and not subject to the oversight of any institution: Christian tumblr.

For the uninitiated, tumblr is a social media blogging platform that allows absolute anonymity and focuses mainly on text posts (both long and short-form). A key feature of the platform is the ability to ask anonymous questions on other’s blogs, and reblog someone else’s post with commentary. 

Tumblr is known to cultivate niches. In the early 2010s, at the height of its popularity, it was the focus of many a teen’s after-school attentions. It was a space to find like-minded people who loved the same things you did and to rant and rave about whatever new thing the community decided was important that day. Inevitably, tumblr became a hotspot for political discussion. Warring opinions about every conceivable topic filled the website, and many of us tumblr veterans still carry the scars of our heated debates with other teenagers to this day. 

Since its decline in popularity, tumblr has become more separated. There are few events that catch the attention of the entire userbase, and as such, it has become an ideal space for echo chambers. Tiny, inward-looking communities of users who often use the platform as more of a journal than a public space. 

It is through one of these bubbles that I want to guide you today. 

The Christian bubble on tumblr is fascinating. It is hard to put into words just how diverse in both theology and politics this space is. It is one of the few Christian spaces online that is not dominated by an evangelical world-view, and as such, it has become an escape for more high church or liturgical Christians of all persuasions. You are unlikely to run into pictures of sunsets with superimposed Bible quotes, nor will you find colourful Bible study guides. That’s not to say these things don’t exist, but they are by no means as ubiquitous as on more public-facing platforms like Instagram or YouTube. 

What you will find on Christian tumblr is more likely a picture of the Virgin Mary, followed by a devotional text, or perhaps a picture of an Orthodox monk holding a cat, followed by a quote from the Desert Fathers. Maybe a picture of an old Anglo-Saxon church.

You will also find essays. Essays about theology. Essays about social issues within the Church (whichever Church that may be). Essays about Arianism and how it’s not heresy according to the author, actually. 

Trinitarian discussions. Christian witchcraft. Traditional femininity. The Crusades. The list is endless. 

The real miracle here is that people feel safe enough to voice any and all opinions, thoughts, fears, doubts, and questions, and in turn receive support and encouragement from the community, even if it is often accompanied by an equally forceful pushback from those on the opposite side of the spectrum. It is like an ever-evolving Ecumenical Council, if all the participants were passing each other notes instead of shouting at each other. 

I would like to show some of the interesting sides of this space to you, both the good and the bad, and perhaps we can learn something about what it means to have a truly safe space to explore spirituality, doctrine, and belief.

Faith, Sexuality, and Gender

In my early days on tumblr, I received a lot of “asks” (anonymous questions) wondering the same thing over and over: does God still love me if I’m gay/trans? 

If, like me, you have the luxury of attending an affirming church that actively supports the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals, it can be easy to forget how hostile and downright dangerous the home churches of these people may be. Imagine a fifteen-year-old kid, sitting in their room in a small town in the rural US, typing out this question to a stranger online who posts silly memes about God. They are struggling with their feelings, their faith, and their bodies.

Imagine that that is the only resource this kid has to ask such existential questions without risking real-life consequences. The possibility of true anonymity, with no username to track and no way for anyone to prove it was you who sent this question, even on your own device. More importantly, the feeling of speaking to a peer, rather than an authority figure, without the clerical collar looming before you as a symbol of God’s judgement. 

Imagine being eighteen and confronted with answering such a question for the first time. People are coming to you with questions you are woefully unequipped to answer, and so you learn. You delve into the arguments and scripture and, over time, you become well-educated on these topics. Suddenly, your blog is not just about silly memes, but also about pastoral care. A confessional of sorts.

The queer Christian community of tumblr was, and is, a space for those who are questioning their faith, sexuality, and gender to ask questions, support each other, and share thoughts. There is no pressure to conform to conservative values, nor to reject God. It is a place to lament and grieve, but also a place of hope.

A blog to start exploring this topic: queerchristianaffirmations.tumblr.com (currently inactive but still a great resource)

Traditional Femininity and Wifely Duty

You may have heard of TradWives, women who truly believe they belong in the kitchen, must obey their husbands, and see domestic work as their calling. 

Often going hand-in-hand with traditional Roman Catholicism (the kind that bears an unspeakable rage towards Vatican II and its changes), traditional femininity is one of the most well-organised and fleshed out subgenres of Christian tumblr. Much of the content is fairly innocuous--recipes, advice on household chores, pretty pictures of women in dresses frolicking in meadows, maybe a sewing pattern. 

Unfortunately, there are often fundamentalist and white supremacist undertones to these blogs. Some have an emphasis on having as many children “as God will grant you” (a sentiment also seen in the quiverfull movement, for example). This may hearken back to the rhetoric employed in the Third Reich, encouraging women to stay home and raise “strong Arian children” in order to preserve and grow the Arian race. The messaging on these tradfem blogs is not usually as openly racist, but the imagery employed often skews heavily towards blonde, blue-eyed women and children. Those familiar with the YouTuber “Mrs Midwest” may also know that there are a number of openly white supremacist tradwife influencers in the wider web as well. 

The main focus of tradwives, however is submission to the husband. Like many other fundamentalist movements, they justify this with a heady mix of biblical references and biological essentialism, and by calling on the nebulous concept of “traditional femininity”. God leads the husband, and the husband leads the family. As a woman, your role is to bear and raise children, and to be a gentle helper to your husband. 

While the majority of these blogs tend to be conservative-leaning, ranging from questionable to extreme, a small number are also self-identifying leftists. These tend to lean more heavily into personal choice feminist ideas and emphasise that they simply enjoy being submissive to their husbands, rather than advocating for a general “return to tradition” for all women. 

Of course, where there is traditional femininity, traditional masculinity is never far away. On tumblr this is most often found in the form of Orthodox and Catholic men who glorify the crusades and seem to be unhealthily attached to the phrase “Deus Vult” (lit. God wills it, heavily associated with anti-Muslim and pro-Crusade sentiments). These blogs tend to be more political than spiritual, using Christianity as a means of political identity. 

Christian Witches

Witchcraft, a word laden with so much baggage it is almost impossible to define. For older generations, the word may have negative connotations associated with dark magic, satanism, or other occult practices. For younger people, it tends to conjure images of rebellious women, green gardens full of herbs, and lighting a candle with intention. 

Many young people are rediscovering what they term “Christian Witchcraft” but might be more properly described as Syncretic Folk Christianity. There is no one way to be a Christian Witch, but there is an emphasis on working within the Christian model of spirituality to cast, heal, curse, or manifest. 

As someone drawn to mysticism and contemplative spirituality, I often find myself on Christian Witch tumblr. There are many things I consider folk practice that are considered witchcraft by others that we share, and many other things that make me deeply uncomfortable and remind me why I myself do not identify as a Christian Witch. Divination in its many forms, for example, is one I am not comfortable with. I have many friends who practice it and see no conflict with Christianity, but I personally can’t reconcile it with my beliefs. The use of crosses, holy water, and Christian symbols as protective charms, however, is something I do admit to participating in myself as part of my folk practice and that I find helpful in integrating spirituality into my daily life. 

We have to marvel at the fact that a community of self-identifying witches is one of the most active aspects of Christian spirituality on tumblr. I sometimes think that if Hildegard von Bingen knew she was considered the original Christian Witch by some, she would likely roll in her grave. And yet they have a point if one defines herbalism and prophecy as aspects of witchcraft. 

Real Life

What I have always found most interesting about tumblr is that it is entirely possible that all of these people, in all their glorious diversity, attend church together without ever knowing of each other’s inner thoughts and beliefs. It is like a microcosm of the global church, its conflicts and its commonalities. 

With the forced proximity of tumblr’s layout, we are all confronted with the true breadth of identities of our siblings in Christ. We see the ugly truths, confusion, and beauty of it all and are challenged to ask ourselves how we can have so much in common yet live so differently, in a way that few of us ever do in our daily lives. Ecumenism in real life often has the air of a state visit. There are formal greetings, polite smiles, civilised discussions. There is little room for public vitriol, even though we all go home and grumble to our families about the heretics two churches down. Tumblr doesn’t do that. You can and will be confronted with honest opinions and warring perspectives, and it will be a baptism by fire and a liberation all at once. 

In the end we may believe vastly different things, but we all love a picture of an old monk with a cute cat.