c. 1999 Religion News Service

(Kim A. Lawton is managing editor of the PBS television program Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly.)

UNDATED _ Was she a saint or a sorceress? A feminist? The original Protestant? A lesbian, or maybe a transvestite? A military genius? A schizophrenic? Or a prophet, perhaps, whose ultimate message would only be understood in the 20th century?.

Five hundred years after she was burned at the stake, Joan of Arc continues to inspire and intrigue. And today, her legacy is being given new scrutiny, through modern eyes.”She is very broadly appreciated and claimed by many diverse groups,”says Marquette University professor Mary Beth Tallon, editor of the forthcoming book”Joan of Arc at the University”(Marquette University Press).”Extreme right and extreme left, many polar opposites”claim her.

Experts on popular and religious culture see a new _ and surprising _ revival of interest in the numerous facets of Joan of Arc. The high profile CBS mini-series”Joan of Arc”airing May 16 and 18 is just one example. At least one major motion picture is also in the works.

There are also new Joan of Arc books _ from children’s books to serious novels to scholarly analyses. There are hundreds of Web sites dedicated to Joan, from traditional Roman Catholic to academic, gay and lesbian, and even witchcraft sites. And there is music: CDs inspired by Joan’s life and even a new post-punk rock group called Joan of Arc.”She’s a big, substantial part of the cultural awareness right now,”Phyllis Tickle of Publishers Weekly told the PBS television program”Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly”in a recent interview.

It’s all a little ironic, given that Joan lived in the early 15th century, during the Hundred Years War, when England occupied much of France. As a teen, Joan began hearing mystical voices. She believed it was God, instructing her through the voices of Saints Michael, Catherine and Margaret to save France. And so, dressed in male clothing, Joan set out to obey. She led the army in several successful battles, and then helped crown a French king.

Eventually, however, Joan was betrayed, captured and imprisoned. French Catholic leaders conspired with the English to put her on trial for heresy and witchcraft. She was burned at the stake at the age of 19.

The romance of Joan’s story has long inspired artists and playwrights and screen writers. But today, beyond the drama, there appears to be a new interest in Joan’s spirituality. Tickle believes there is particular resonance for contemporary Americans, who have been described as searching for an individualized spirituality that may not always be worked out within organized religion.”Joan of Arc is a real icon for our times,”Tickle said.”One that understood that organized religion has its place, it has its function, it is where God and man meet and do the business of both. But there is another place where man meets the divine, and they’re doing no business at all except the business of the divine.” Twenty-five years after Joan was burned at the stake, the church nullified the verdict against her, and more than 400 years after that, she was declared a Roman Catholic saint. But for many Catholics, she’s been more an inspiring model of bravery than a spiritual guide. That may be changing.

Virginia Frohlick, founder and director of the St. Joan of Arc Center in Albuquerque, N.M., and its Web site (http://www.stjoan-center.com), began a massive collection of Joan of Arc posters and paraphernalia as a child, fascinated by Joan’s military exploits. Now, as a charismatic Catholic, Frohlick said her interest has become a spiritual devotion to Saint Joan.”She’s drawing me closer to Jesus,”Frohlick said.”She would call herself daughter of God. When I was younger, I said, that’s only Joan’s title. But now, I’ve come to realize that yes, we are all daughters of God and the men are sons of God.” Interest in Joan of Arc is particularly strong at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis., site of the Joan of Arc chapel _ a medieval church dismantled in France and reassembled, stone by stone, on the campus. Tradition says Joan prayed at the chapel.

Tallon, an English professor at Marquette, said Joan of Arc has special appeal for students who are trying to define their relationship with God.”I think young people are really yearning for a hero that will connect them,”she said.”For a hero that’s not on TV and not on video. Somebody who is as good as Rambo, yes, but a Rambo who prays.” There is also growing Joan interest in the gay and trans-gender communities. Some speculate about Joan’s sexual orientation, because she refused to take off male clothing. Even those gays who do not believe Joan was a lesbian admire her. For example, she is one of the top 10 historical figures listed on the gay heroes Web site (http://www.gayheroes.com).

The site praises her for”defying corrupt authority, refusing to submit to gender roles and being true to her own convictions.” Not everyone is pleased this Roman Catholic saint is becoming such a universal symbol. The fact that Joan has been embraced by feminists and gays who are critical of the church troubles some traditional Catholics.”I feel a little uncomfortable about that, but I don’t want to deny them the opportunity to love Joan because I believe if they allow Joan, Joan will lead them to the truth,”Frohlick said.

Even those most fascinated by Joan of Arc are not sure whether the current interest is anything deeper than a passing cultural fad. But some cultural critics believe it could signal an openness to a different kind of spirituality.”She is being accepted into the culture as an example of what dedication to one religion can do for the whole culture,”Tickle said.”It’s a significant kind of thing.”

DEA END LAWTON