Crossroads -- Gray Lady explores women with crosses

Especially when worn by powerful blonde women on Team Trump

At a pivotal moment in the 2002 sleeper hit “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” Ian Miller — from a family with a thin veneer of Protestant faith, at best — agrees to be baptized as a Greek Orthodox Christian.

Why? To earn the acceptance of the ultra-Greek family of Toula Portokalos, who he wants to marry. After the sacrament — performed before her family, as opposed to an entire Orthodox congregation — Toula meets with him as he changes back into civilian clothes.

Ian shows her his new baptism cross, which was placed around his neck after the baptism rite. He smiles and offers his take on what this cross means: “I’m Greek now.”

Believe it or not, that rom-com scene was highly relevant to the New York Times feature that served as the hook for this week’s “Crossroads” podcast. Check out this double-decker headline:

A Hot Accessory, at the Intersection of Faith and Culture

Seen on influencers, pop stars and White House staff, cross necklaces are popping up everywhere.

What did the baptism cross mean in this very personal script by Nia Vardalos? Clearly, it meant that it was now acceptable for this white-bread Anglo to be part of her Greek family. “I’m Greek now,” as opposed to “I'm an Orthodox Christian now” was a simple statement of what that cross meant to him.

That isn’t, of course, what the baptismal vows said. One of the off-screen prayers is a bit more specific (the movie didn’t really focus on doctrinal details):

Blessed are You, Lord God Almighty, Fountain of Blessings, Sun of Righteousness, Who made to shine forth for those in darkness a light of salvation through the manifestation of Your Only-Begotten Son and our God, granting unto us, though we are unworthy, blessed cleansing in Holy Water, and divine sanctification in the Life-effecting Anointing; Who now also has been well-pleased to regenerate this Your servant newly illuminated through Water and Spirit, giving him forgiveness of his voluntary and involuntary sins: do You Yourself, Sovereign Master, Compassionate King of All, bestow upon him also the Seal of Your omnipotent and adorable Holy Spirit, and the Communion of the Holy Body and Most Precious Blood of Your Christ; keep him in Your sanctification; confirm him in the Orthodox Faith; deliver him from the Evil One and all his devices; preserve his soul, through Your saving fear, in purity and righteousness, that in every work and word, being acceptable before You, he may become a child and heir of Your heavenly Kingdom.

Details, details. What does this have to do with the Gray Lady piece, which was written by a fashion-beat scribe? Hang in there with me, because we will be getting to that.

Consider this thesis statement noting why this topic is serious news:

On red carpets, on social media, at protests by high-ranking Democrats and in the White House, necklaces with cross pendants are appearing with renewed prevalence. Chappell Roan wore an oversize one to the MTV Video Music Awards in September, and one dangled from Sabrina Carpenter’s neck in the music video for her single “Please Please Please.” The trendy online store Ssense sells them in nearly 50 variations, and mainstream jewelers like Kendra Scott and Zales carry numerous designs.

Lately, the cross necklaces flash across cable news screens several times a week, suspended between the collarbones of Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, and Attorney General Pam Bondi.

There you go. The big issue here is what that cross necklace means when it is worn by blonde women who are members of the Donald Trump team. Is this a matter of religious faith or political identity?

You know, maybe the cross means: “I’m Trumpian now.”

This fashion feature has other angles woven into the text, but it’s clear that it was the political symbolism that made this story sizzle for Gray Lady editors.

Personally, I would have appreciated some insights into why — think superstar Madonna in her young prime — featured strategically large crosses in, well, strategic places “between the collarbones” during her PG-13, if not R-rated performances. That kind of edgy symbolism gets a byte of Times content, maybe, but that’s not the cultural message at the heart of this drama.

Let’s keep reading. What are the roots of this whole drama?

The cross, a symbol most associated with the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, first emerged during the Roman Empire when it was an instrument of mass torture, said Robert Covolo, a theologian and associate pastor at Christ Church Sierra Madre near Los Angeles. By the 4th century, Mr. Covolo said that Christians had begun to use the cross as an emblem of their religion. Not long after, the cross became a focal point for daily jewelry.

Let’s pause for a moment. I think most readers would assume that this clergyman is part of a Catholic parish, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Apparently, this is a freewheeling nondenominational Protestant congregation, according to online information via several sources.

Does that matter?

It would certainly matter if this fashion report was going to take this basic fact seriously — that the act of wearing a cross may have a radically different and more specific meaning for a member of a liturgical faith, such as Catholicism, as opposed to someone who is a Protestant. Yes, baptismal crosses are also common among Anglicans and Lutherans.

For example, press secretary Leavitt is a Roman Catholic — which may explain that cross around her neck.

The religious background of Attorney General Bondi is much more complex and even controversial. Readers can find sources claiming vague ties to Scientology, blatant Christian Nationalism or ordinary charismatic Protestantism. In the Times piece, there is this:

Bondi, 59, wrote in a statement that her necklaces are an expression of her “strong Christian” upbringing: “My faith is very important to me,” she said. “It is what gets me through each day.”

Does it matter if readers are kept in the dark about the faith facts of people who, you know, are making some kind of public statement by wearing a cross? Did it matter that President Joe Biden was a Catholic who carried a rosary and had ashes on his forehead on Ash Wednesday? Sort of.

Or maybe it was just this simple, as National Review noted in a headline about this fashion feature: “The New York Times Discovers That Christian Women Wear Cross Necklaces.”

Right, but what does this symbolic gesture mean? The Times quotes Covolo, again, noting that the cross was a “symbol of the Roman Empire asserting its power with impunity.”

That sounds like a political statement. But maybe those crosses — when most ordinary believers wear them — have more to do with kneelers, altars, sacraments and faith, as opposed to symbolizing what happens in ballot boxes?

Maybe it would be good to talk to the individuals? After all, as Covolo tells Times readers: “They have an official meaning but people bring their own meaning, which is where symbols really get their power. …”

Enjoy the podcast and, please, pass it along to others.

FIRST IMAGE: Uncredited photo from a BioKing.com biography page for Attorney General Pam Bondi.