Kate Boyd

We have Kate Boyd as our guest this week for a conversation that will really resonate with folks who have seen contradictions between what was in the real world versus what was taught in church.  Kate is the author of “An Untidy Faith” and host of the Happy &amp; Holy podcast. She helps weary and wounded Christians rebuild their relationship with Scripture and community and love God and their neighbors with their whole selves. She is currently pursuing a masters in theological studies with an emphasis in biblical studies at Perkins School of Theology.  We talk about making sense of your faith in light of questions and how important it is to ask questions and make space for questions. Kate, like many of us, were taught that the body doesn’t matter- only the soul matters. But what she has found is that the gospel is good news for our bodies and taking care of them is just as important as taking care of our souls.    Resources:  Book: anuntidyfaith.com Website: kateboyd.co Instagram: @kateboyd.co Twitter: @thekateboyd Untidy Faith Newsletter: kateboyd.co/newsletter Podcast: kateboyd.co/podcast    Join the online community Sanctuary Collective.  If you want to support the Patreon and help keep the podcast up and running, you can learn more and pledge your support at patreon.com/queertheology. The post An Untidy Faith with Kate Boyd appeared first on Queer Theology.

We have Kate Boyd as our guest this week for a conversation that will really resonate with folks who have seen contradictions between what was in the real world versus what was taught in church.  Kate is the author of “An Untidy Faith” and host of the Happy &amp; Holy podcast. She helps weary and wounded Christians rebuild their relationship with Scripture and community and love God and their neighbors with their whole selves. She is currently pursuing a masters in theological studies with an emphasis in biblical studies at Perkins School of Theology.  We talk about making sense of your faith in light of questions and how important it is to ask questions and make space for questions. Kate, like many of us, were taught that the body doesn’t matter- only the soul matters. But what she has found is that the gospel is good news for our bodies and taking care of them is just as important as taking care of our souls.  Resources: <ul> <li>Book:<a href="http://anuntidyfaith.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> anuntidyfaith.com</a></li> <li>Website:<a href="https://www.kateboyd.co/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> kateboyd.co</a></li> <li>Instagram:<a href="http://instagram.com/kateboyd.co" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> @kateboyd.co</a></li> <li>Twitter:<a href="http://twitter.com/thekateboyd" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> @thekateboyd</a></li> <li>Untidy Faith Newsletter:<a href="http://kateboyd.co/newsletter" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> kateboyd.co/newsletter</a></li> <li>Podcast:<a href="http://kateboyd.co/podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> kateboyd.co/podcast</a></li> </ul> Join the online community <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/community/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sanctuary Collective</a>.  If you want to support the Patreon and help keep the podcast up and running, you can learn more and pledge your support at <a href="http://patreon.com/queertheology" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">patreon.com/queertheology</a>. The post <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/podcast/499/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">An Untidy Faith with Kate Boyd</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.queertheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Queer Theology</a>.

An Untidy Faith with Kate Boyd

Kevin Patterson

One prominent voice in the polyamory community is that of Kevin A. Patterson. Kevin is an active member of the Philadelphia polyamory community. He’s been practicing ethical nonmonogamy since 2002 after opening up a relationship that eventually became his marriage. He was inspired to start Poly Role Models, an interview series for people describing their experiences with polyamory and was part of a drive and a desire to change the way poly lives and communities are viewed. He has written both a non-fiction book, Love’s Not Color Blind, and fiction books that are a sci-fi novel series. Kevin shares how he came to be part of a polyamorous relationship and how that has enriched his life in more ways than he could have imagined. Storytelling is a big part of Kevin’s work and we discuss how it can open up a whole world for people who may feel isolated or marginalized in their experiences. Brian was thrilled to get the chance to sit down with one of HIS poly role models to talk more about the conversations around the polyamory community and the power of sharing those stories. Resources:  Books by Kevin A Patterson: Love’s Not Colorblind, For Hire: Operator, For Hire: Audition. Website: https://www.kevinapatterson.com/ Social Media: IG: Poly Role Models, Twitter: @PolyRoleModels, Tumblr: polyrolemodels Dirty Lola: https://www.dirtylola.co/ Multiamory: https://www.multiamory.com/ Alicia Bunyan Sampson: https://www.aliciabunyansampson.com/ Cunning Minx podcast Polyamory Weekly    Join the online community Sanctuary Collective. If you want to support the Patreon and help keep the podcast up and running, you can learn more and pledge your support at patreon.com/queertheology. EPISODE TRANSCRIPT   var podscribeEmbedVars = { epId: 87079773, backgroundColor: 'white', height: '600px', showSpeakers: true };   The post The Power of Polyamorous Stories with Kevin Patterson appeared first on Queer Theology.

One prominent voice in the polyamory community is that of Kevin A. Patterson. Kevin is an active member of the Philadelphia polyamory community. He’s been practicing ethical nonmonogamy since 2002 after opening up a relationship that eventually became his marriage. He was inspired to start Poly Role Models, an interview series for people describing their experiences with polyamory and was part of a drive and a desire to change the way poly lives and communities are viewed. He has written both a non-fiction book, Love’s Not Color Blind, and fiction books that are a sci-fi novel series. Kevin shares how he came to be part of a polyamorous relationship and how that has enriched his life in more ways than he could have imagined. Storytelling is a big part of Kevin’s work and we discuss how it can open up a whole world for people who may feel isolated or marginalized in their experiences. Brian was thrilled to get the chance to sit down with one of HIS poly role models to talk more about the conversations around the polyamory community and the power of sharing those stories. Resources: <ul> <li><a href="https://www.kevinapatterson.com/books" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Books by Kevin A Patterson</a>: Love’s Not Colorblind, For Hire: Operator, For Hire: Audition.</li> <li>Website: <a href="https://www.kevinapatterson.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.kevinapatterson.com/</a></li> <li>Social Media: IG: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/polyrolemodels/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Poly Role Models</a>, Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/PolyRoleModels" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@PolyRoleModels</a>, Tumblr: <a href="https://polyrolemodels.tumblr.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">polyrolemodels</a></li> <li>Dirty Lola: <a href="https://www.dirtylola.co/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.dirtylola.co/</a></li> <li>Multiamory: <a href="https://www.multiamory.com/#gsc.tab=0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.multiamory.com/</a></li> <li>Alicia Bunyan Sampson: <a href="https://www.aliciabunyansampson.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.aliciabunyansampson.com/</a></li> <li>Cunning Minx podcast <a href="https://polyweekly.libsyn.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Polyamory Weekly</a></li> </ul> Join the online community <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/community/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sanctuary Collective</a>. If you want to support the Patreon and help keep the podcast up and running, you can learn more and pledge your support at <a href="http://patreon.com/queertheology" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">patreon.com/queertheology</a>. EPISODE TRANSCRIPT var podscribeEmbedVars = { epId: 87079773, backgroundColor: 'white', height: '600px', showSpeakers: true }; The post <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/podcast/498/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Power of Polyamorous Stories with Kevin Patterson</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.queertheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Queer Theology</a>.

The Power of Polyamorous Stories with Kevin Patterson

Madison Morrigan

This week we have an inspiring interview with Madison Morrigan as part of our continuing Summer Guest Series.  Madison is an international award winning life coach, speaker, creative consultant and creator of Awaken Her Soul, a 14 week mentorship program designed to help womxn embody their worth, power and fullness. Centered on self-responsibility and full expression, Madison coaches ambitious and creative women as they shed the layers of old programming keeping them small and finally come home to their true selves.  Madison was a spiritual kid who didn’t grow up in a religious home and she talks about what led her into Christianity – and to what eventually led her out. She is passionate about listening to what our bodies are trying to tell us (often loudly if we would listen!) and living into our own liberation. We’re totally here for her conversation on centering joy, queer aliveness, and liberation as opposed to the abusive evangelical Christian theology that has been the focus of the last decade.   Resources:  Madison Morrigan website: https://www.madisonmorrigan.com/  Podcast: Everything Belongs Social: IG https://www.instagram.com/madisonmorrigan/ , TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@madisonmorrigan  Book: Already Free by Bruce Tift Tara Brach: https://www.tarabrach.com/    Join the online community Sanctuary Collective.  If you want to support the Patreon and help keep the podcast up and running, you can learn more and pledge your support at patreon.com/queertheology.   EPISODE TRANSCRIPT     var podscribeEmbedVars = { epId: 87008845, backgroundColor: 'white', height: '600px', showSpeakers: true };    The post Living Your Liberation with Madison Morrigan appeared first on Queer Theology.

This week we have an inspiring interview with Madison Morrigan as part of our continuing Summer Guest Series.  Madison is an international award winning life coach, speaker, creative consultant and creator of Awaken Her Soul, a 14 week mentorship program designed to help womxn embody their worth, power and fullness. Centered on self-responsibility and full expression, Madison coaches ambitious and creative women as they shed the layers of old programming keeping them small and finally come home to their true selves.  Madison was a spiritual kid who didn’t grow up in a religious home and she talks about what led her into Christianity – and to what eventually led her out. She is passionate about listening to what our bodies are trying to tell us (often loudly if we would listen!) and living into our own liberation. We’re totally here for her conversation on centering joy, queer aliveness, and liberation as opposed to the abusive evangelical Christian theology that has been the focus of the last decade. Resources: <ul> <li>Madison Morrigan website: <a href="https://www.madisonmorrigan.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.madisonmorrigan.com/</a> </li> <li>Podcast: <a href="https://www.madisonmorrigan.com/everything-belongs-podcast" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Everything Belongs</a></li> <li>Social: IG <a href="https://www.instagram.com/madisonmorrigan/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/madisonmorrigan/</a> , TikTok <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@madisonmorrigan" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.tiktok.com/@madisonmorrigan</a> </li> <li>Book: <a href="https://www.brucetift.com/already-free-book/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Already Free</a> by Bruce Tift</li> <li>Tara Brach: <a href="https://www.tarabrach.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.tarabrach.com/</a></li> </ul> Join the online community <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/community/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sanctuary Collective</a>.  If you want to support the Patreon and help keep the podcast up and running, you can learn more and pledge your support at <a href="http://patreon.com/queertheology" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">patreon.com/queertheology</a>. EPISODE TRANSCRIPT var podscribeEmbedVars = { epId: 87008845, backgroundColor: 'white', height: '600px', showSpeakers: true };   The post <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/podcast/497/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Living Your Liberation with Madison Morrigan</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.queertheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Queer Theology</a>.

Living Your Liberation with Madison Morrigan

John Dominic Crossan

If you’ve been here with us for a while, you’ll know how much we like to highlight context and historical perspective when reading the Bible. You’ll also know we often reference and recommend reading the work of scholar, John Dominic Crossan. We’re so honored to have the opportunity to chat with him about the historical Jesus and what that means for Christians today.  John Dominic Crossan is an Irish-American biblical scholar with two-year post-doctoral diplomas in exegesis from Rome’s Pontifical Biblical Institute and in archeology from Jerusalem’s École Biblique. He has been a mendicant friar and a catholic priest, a Co-Chair of the Jesus Seminar, and a President of the Society of Biblical Literature. His focus, whether scholarly or popular, whether in books, videos, or lectures, is on the historical Jesus as the norm and criterion for the entire Christian Bible. Crossan’s method is to situate biblical texts within the reconstructed matrix of their own their own genre and purpose, their own time and place, and to hear them accurately for then before accepting or rejecting them for now.  Crossan explains how interpretation of translation can make a big difference in understanding the meaning behind biblical texts. ‘Gospel,’ for example, means ‘good news.’ But we can totally see how different people can interpret what would be good news to them! Crossan is excellent at showing how learning more and reading these texts as a scholar can be a faith building exercise as opposed to taking everything literally from an evangelical lens.   Resources:  How to Read the Bible and Still Be a Christian by John Dominic Crossan Other books by John Dominic Crossan: https://www.harpercollins.com/collections/books-by-john-dominic-crossan  Does classes with Trip Fuller of Home Brewed Christianity https://trippfuller.com/2023/01/23/resource-page-easter-stories-w-john-dominic-crossan/   Join the online community Sanctuary Collective.    If you want to support the Patreon and help keep the podcast up and running, you can learn more and pledge your support at patreon.com/queertheology.   EPISODE TRANSCRIPT   var podscribeEmbedVars = { epId: 86965074, backgroundColor: 'white', height: '600px', showSpeakers: true };   The post The Heart Of A Scholar with John Dominic Crossan appeared first on Queer Theology.

If you’ve been here with us for a while, you’ll know how much we like to highlight context and historical perspective when reading the Bible. You’ll also know we often reference and recommend reading the work of scholar, John Dominic Crossan. We’re so honored to have the opportunity to chat with him about the historical Jesus and what that means for Christians today.  John Dominic Crossan is an Irish-American biblical scholar with two-year post-doctoral diplomas in exegesis from Rome’s Pontifical Biblical Institute and in archeology from Jerusalem’s École Biblique. He has been a mendicant friar and a catholic priest, a Co-Chair of the Jesus Seminar, and a President of the Society of Biblical Literature. His focus, whether scholarly or popular, whether in books, videos, or lectures, is on the historical Jesus as the norm and criterion for the entire Christian Bible. Crossan’s method is to situate biblical texts within the reconstructed matrix of their own their own genre and purpose, their own time and place, and to hear them accurately for then before accepting or rejecting them for now.  Crossan explains how interpretation of translation can make a big difference in understanding the meaning behind biblical texts. ‘Gospel,’ for example, means ‘good news.’ But we can totally see how different people can interpret what would be good news to them! Crossan is excellent at showing how learning more and reading these texts as a scholar can be a faith building exercise as opposed to taking everything literally from an evangelical lens. Resources: <ul> <li><a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/how-to-read-the-bible-and-still-be-a-christian-john-dominic-crossan?variant=32207500279842" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">How to Read the Bible and Still Be a Christian</a> by John Dominic Crossan</li> <li>Other books by John Dominic Crossan: <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/collections/books-by-john-dominic-crossan" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.harpercollins.com/collections/books-by-john-dominic-crossan</a> </li> <li>Does classes with Trip Fuller of Home Brewed Christianity <a href="https://trippfuller.com/2023/01/23/resource-page-easter-stories-w-john-dominic-crossan/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://trippfuller.com/2023/01/23/resource-page-easter-stories-w-john-dominic-crossan/</a> </li> </ul> Join the online community <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/community/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sanctuary Collective</a>.  If you want to support the Patreon and help keep the podcast up and running, you can learn more and pledge your support at <a href="http://patreon.com/queertheology" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">patreon.com/queertheology</a>. EPISODE TRANSCRIPT var podscribeEmbedVars = { epId: 86965074, backgroundColor: 'white', height: '600px', showSpeakers: true }; The post <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/podcast/496/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Heart Of A Scholar with John Dominic Crossan</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.queertheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Queer Theology</a>.

The Heart Of A Scholar with John Dominic Crossan

We’re so excited to bring this discussion with former colleague and activist comrade, J Mase III for this episode of our Summer Guest Series! We get into the intersections of faith, transness, and queerness and his impactful work as a creative and public theologian.  J Mase III is an award winning Black Trans poet, author, educator, and filmmaker. He was raised in a Christian and Muslim home and coined the term ‘Black Trans Liberation Theology’ alongside his creative partner, Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi. His recent book, Josephine: a trans story of biblical proportions is available now and he talks with us about his love of this familiar story. He is winner of a Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Non-Fiction and a Creative Capital Award, he is co-director of the forthcoming documentary, the Black Trans Prayer Book and is finishing his latest solo work, Is Your God a Violent God? Finding a Theology for Survivors.   We discuss with J Mase his work and healing from the trauma of a violent religion, the importance of centering arts to center activism, poetry as prayer, and moving resources as impactful justice work.    Resources:  Josephine by J Mase III, illustrated by Wriply Bennet Website: https://jmaseiii.com/  Follow on Social: IG:https://www.instagram.com/jmaseiii/ , TikTok: @jmaseiii The Black Trans Prayer Book Wit López, artist: https://witlopez.com/  Virginia Theological Seminary Reparations work https://vts.edu/reparations-faq/  Decolonizing Wealth: Indigenous Wisdom to Heal Divides and Restore Balance by Edgar Villanueva  Join the online community Sanctuary Collective.  If you want to support the Patreon and help keep the podcast up and running, you can learn more and pledge your support at patreon.com/queertheology. EPISODE TRANSCRIPT   var podscribeEmbedVars = { epId: 86881546, backgroundColor: 'white', height: '600px', showSpeakers: true };   The post Centering Black Trans Experience with J Mase III appeared first on Queer Theology.

We’re so excited to bring this discussion with former colleague and activist comrade, J Mase III for this episode of our Summer Guest Series! We get into the intersections of faith, transness, and queerness and his impactful work as a creative and public theologian.  J Mase III is an award winning Black Trans poet, author, educator, and filmmaker. He was raised in a Christian and Muslim home and coined the term ‘Black Trans Liberation Theology’ alongside his creative partner, Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi. His recent book, Josephine: a trans story of biblical proportions is available now and he talks with us about his love of this familiar story. He is winner of a Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Non-Fiction and a Creative Capital Award, he is co-director of the forthcoming documentary, the Black Trans Prayer Book and is finishing his latest solo work, Is Your God a Violent God? Finding a Theology for Survivors.   We discuss with J Mase his work and healing from the trauma of a violent religion, the importance of centering arts to center activism, poetry as prayer, and moving resources as impactful justice work.  Resources: <ul> <li><a href="https://josephinebook.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Josephine</a> by J Mase III, illustrated by Wriply Bennet</li> <li>Website: <a href="https://jmaseiii.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://jmaseiii.com/</a> </li> <li>Follow on Social: IG:<a href="https://www.instagram.com/jmaseiii/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/jmaseiii/</a> , TikTok: @jmaseiii</li> <li><a href="https://theblacktransprayerbook.org/product/the-black-trans-prayer-book/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Black Trans Prayer Book</a></li> <li>Wit López, artist: <a href="https://witlopez.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://witlopez.com/</a> </li> <li>Virginia Theological Seminary Reparations work <a href="https://vts.edu/reparations-faq/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://vts.edu/reparations-faq/</a> </li> <li><a href="https://www.edgarvillanueva.net/thebook" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Decolonizing Wealth: Indigenous Wisdom to Heal Divides and Restore Balance</a> by Edgar Villanueva</li> </ul> Join the online community <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/community/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sanctuary Collective</a>.  If you want to support the Patreon and help keep the podcast up and running, you can learn more and pledge your support at <a href="http://patreon.com/queertheology" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">patreon.com/queertheology</a>. EPISODE TRANSCRIPT var podscribeEmbedVars = { epId: 86881546, backgroundColor: 'white', height: '600px', showSpeakers: true }; The post <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/podcast/495/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Centering Black Trans Experience with J Mase III</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.queertheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Queer Theology</a>.

Centering Black Trans Experience with J Mase III

We’re breaking into our Guest Series to give you an update on what we’ve got going on behind the scenes and what you can expect over the next couple months. It’s incredible to think we’re celebrating 10 years of QueerTheology.com and almost our 500th podcast episode ( !!). We’re so excited to share this journey with you and are really excited to bring you the next chapter of QueerTheology!   Join the QueerTheolgy email list: https://www.queertheology.com/    Join the online community Sanctuary Collective.    If you want to support the Patreon and help keep the podcast up and running, you can learn more and pledge your support at patreon.com/queertheology.   var podscribeEmbedVars = { epId: 86825244, backgroundColor: 'white', height: '600px', showSpeakers: true };   The post BONUS Episode: Special Update! appeared first on Queer Theology.

We’re breaking into our Guest Series to give you an update on what we’ve got going on behind the scenes and what you can expect over the next couple months. It’s incredible to think we’re celebrating 10 years of <a href="http://QueerTheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">QueerTheology.com</a> and almost our 500th podcast episode ( !!). We’re so excited to share this journey with you and are really excited to bring you the next chapter of QueerTheology! Join the QueerTheolgy email list: <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.queertheology.com/</a> Join the online community <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/community/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sanctuary Collective</a>.  If you want to support the Patreon and help keep the podcast up and running, you can learn more and pledge your support at <a href="http://patreon.com/queertheology" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">patreon.com/queertheology</a>. var podscribeEmbedVars = { epId: 86825244, backgroundColor: 'white', height: '600px', showSpeakers: true }; The post <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/podcast/special2023/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">BONUS Episode: Special Update!</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.queertheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Queer Theology</a>.

BONUS Episode: Special Update!

Rob Bell

We’re so honored to get the opportunity to have Rob Bell on for this episode of our guest series! Some of you might know the Rob Bell of 7 Rob’s ago… And some of you might know him currently- a New York Times Bestselling author of 13 books and plays which have been translated into 25 languages and the host of a podcast called The RobCast. But what we found about Rob is that there is beauty in allowing yourself to change and become a different version of yourself as long as you just be YOU.  It was an absolute pleasure to sit down with Rob and talk about his journey and how he came to be at the place he is now. He discusses his passion for storytelling, his fascination with people and all their complexities, and finding the beauty in growth, disruption, and reorientation. We hope you’re inspired to give your past self some grace while also recognizing the season that you are in. We’ve all got many versions of ourselves with more waiting to be discovered!   Resources: https://robbell.com/  The RobCast Podcast- https://robbell.com/podcast/    Join the online community Sanctuary Collective.    If you want to support the Patreon and help keep the podcast up and running, you can learn more and pledge your support at patreon.com/queertheology.   EPISODE TRANSCRIPT   var podscribeEmbedVars = { epId: 86800181, backgroundColor: 'white', height: '600px', showSpeakers: true };   The post Wrestling and Dancing With the Big Questions with Rob Bell appeared first on Queer Theology.

We’re so honored to get the opportunity to have Rob Bell on for this episode of our guest series! Some of you might know the Rob Bell of 7 Rob’s ago… And some of you might know him currently- a New York Times Bestselling author of 13 books and plays which have been translated into 25 languages and the host of a podcast called The RobCast. But what we found about Rob is that there is beauty in allowing yourself to change and become a different version of yourself as long as you just be YOU.  It was an absolute pleasure to sit down with Rob and talk about his journey and how he came to be at the place he is now. He discusses his passion for storytelling, his fascination with people and all their complexities, and finding the beauty in growth, disruption, and reorientation. We hope you’re inspired to give your past self some grace while also recognizing the season that you are in. We’ve all got many versions of ourselves with more waiting to be discovered! Resources: <a href="https://robbell.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://robbell.com/</a> The RobCast Podcast- <a href="https://robbell.com/podcast/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://robbell.com/podcast/</a> Join the online community <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/community/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sanctuary Collective</a>.  If you want to support the Patreon and help keep the podcast up and running, you can learn more and pledge your support at <a href="http://patreon.com/queertheology" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">patreon.com/queertheology</a>. EPISODE TRANSCRIPT var podscribeEmbedVars = { epId: 86800181, backgroundColor: 'white', height: '600px', showSpeakers: true }; The post <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/podcast/494/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wrestling and Dancing With the Big Questions with Rob Bell</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.queertheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Queer Theology</a>.

Wrestling and Dancing With the Big Questions with Rob Bell

Claire Willet is a powerful storyteller. Her plays are insightful and her Twitter threads impressive! Brian met Claire at an Ex-Gay Survivor conference years ago and it has been wonderful to see her thrive and flourish as a creative storyteller.    Claire is a playwright, novelist, and former Catholic youth minister. Her most recent projects include “How Can I Keep From Singing?”, a play about the intersection of Catholicism and queerness. Her play “Dear Galileo”, which explores the intersection of Catholicism and astrophysics, has been workshopped across the country and her first novel, “The Rewind Files”, was published in 2015.   We talk with Claire about how her art embodies the intersection of queerness, spirituality, and creativity. She discusses what it means to her to remain in a religion that has caused so much harm and how telling her story through creative writing has been a therapeutic way to unpack and reconstruct her faith.   Resources: Social Media: Twitter @clairwillet, IG clairewillettpdx http://clairewillettwrites.com/  The Rewind Files by Claire Willett  Ex-gay Survivor Conference video     Join the online community Sanctuary Collective.  If you want to support the Patreon and help keep the podcast up and running, you can learn more and pledge your support at patreon.com/queertheology.   EPISODE TRANSCRIPT  var podscribeEmbedVars = { epId: 86719952, backgroundColor: 'white', height: '600px', showSpeakers: true };   The post The Power of Story with Claire Willet appeared first on Queer Theology.

Claire Willet is a powerful storyteller. Her plays are insightful and her Twitter threads impressive! Brian met Claire at an Ex-Gay Survivor conference years ago and it has been wonderful to see her thrive and flourish as a creative storyteller.  Claire is a playwright, novelist, and former Catholic youth minister. Her most recent projects include “How Can I Keep From Singing?”, a play about the intersection of Catholicism and queerness. Her play “Dear Galileo”, which explores the intersection of Catholicism and astrophysics, has been workshopped across the country and her first novel, “The Rewind Files”, was published in 2015. We talk with Claire about how her art embodies the intersection of queerness, spirituality, and creativity. She discusses what it means to her to remain in a religion that has caused so much harm and how telling her story through creative writing has been a therapeutic way to unpack and reconstruct her faith. Resources: Social Media: Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/clairewillett?lang=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@clairwillet</a>, IG <a href="https://www.instagram.com/clairewillettpdx/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">clairewillettpdx</a> <a href="http://clairewillettwrites.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://clairewillettwrites.com/</a> The Rewind Files by Claire Willett  <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ub2Fy5o0Myw" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ex-gay Survivor Conference</a> video   Join the online community <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/community/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sanctuary Collective</a>.  If you want to support the Patreon and help keep the podcast up and running, you can learn more and pledge your support at <a href="http://patreon.com/queertheology" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">patreon.com/queertheology</a>. EPISODE TRANSCRIPT var podscribeEmbedVars = { epId: 86719952, backgroundColor: 'white', height: '600px', showSpeakers: true }; The post <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/podcast/493/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Power of Story with Claire Willet</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.queertheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Queer Theology</a>.

The Power of Story with Claire Willet

Adil Mansoor

We’re pretty passionate about storytelling over here so it was a real pleasure to sit down with Adil Mansoor and chat with him about art, theater, and storytelling!  Adil is a theater director centering the stories of queer folks and people of color. His performance “Amm(i)gone” adapts Sophocles’s “Antigone” as an apology to and from his mother. Mansoor is a founding member of Pittsburgh’s Hatch Arts Collective and the former Artistic Director of Dreams of Hope, an LGBTQA+ youth arts organization. We talk with Adil about the intersection of his queerness and Islam. He explains how his performance is both vulnerable and therapeutic. We discuss the power of art and how it can be a way to process the world around us. Adil is joyful and thoughtful in his approach to storytelling and we agree with him that the more vulnerable, authentic, and specific we are in telling our stories, the more powerful and impactful they are across a larger audience. Resources:  Website: adilmansoor.com IG: @adilman    Join the online community Sanctuary Collective.  If you want to support the Patreon and help keep the podcast up and running, you can learn more and pledge your support at patreon.com/queertheology. EPISODE TRANSCRIPT  var podscribeEmbedVars = { epId: 86645643, backgroundColor: 'white', height: '600px', showSpeakers: true };   The post Vulnerable Storytelling with Adil Mansoor appeared first on Queer Theology.

We’re pretty passionate about storytelling over here so it was a real pleasure to sit down with Adil Mansoor and chat with him about art, theater, and storytelling!  Adil is a theater director centering the stories of queer folks and people of color. His performance “Amm(i)gone” adapts Sophocles’s “Antigone” as an apology to and from his mother. Mansoor is a founding member of Pittsburgh’s Hatch Arts Collective and the former Artistic Director of Dreams of Hope, an LGBTQA+ youth arts organization. We talk with Adil about the intersection of his queerness and Islam. He explains how his performance is both vulnerable and therapeutic. We discuss the power of art and how it can be a way to process the world around us. Adil is joyful and thoughtful in his approach to storytelling and we agree with him that the more vulnerable, authentic, and specific we are in telling our stories, the more powerful and impactful they are across a larger audience. Resources: <ul> <li>Website: <a href="https://www.adilmansoor.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">adilmansoor.com</a></li> <li>IG: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/adilman/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@adilman</a></li> </ul> Join the online community <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/community/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sanctuary Collective</a>.  If you want to support the Patreon and help keep the podcast up and running, you can learn more and pledge your support at <a href="http://patreon.com/queertheology" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">patreon.com/queertheology</a>. EPISODE TRANSCRIPT var podscribeEmbedVars = { epId: 86645643, backgroundColor: 'white', height: '600px', showSpeakers: true }; The post <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/podcast/492/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Vulnerable Storytelling with Adil Mansoor</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.queertheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Queer Theology</a>.

Vulnerable Storytelling with Adil Mansoor

Tamice Spencer-Helms is a force and we are excited to share this interview with you as part of our Guest Series. Tamice is a published author, speaker, and theologian based in Richmond, Virginia. After 16 years of full-time ministry, she founded Sub: Culture Incorporated, a nonprofit that provides holistic support and crisis relief for Black College Students. Over the years, Tamice has been a change-maker and pioneer for young people in her community. We talk with her about her book, “Faith Unleavened: The Wilderness Between Trayvon Martin &amp; George Floyd”, and its important message for people of faith. In this interview, we really dig into the ways in which white supremacy has infected Chrisitanity. Tamice offers some practical insight into how to unpack that from our own theologies. She also talks about the dichotomy of her queerness and faith, how reclaiming common sense has been a powerful way for her to follow Jesus while enriching her faith, and recognizing real freedom and love. Resources:  Faith Unleavened: The Wilderness Between Trayvon Martin &amp; George Floyd by Tamice Spencer-Helms Sub: Culture Incorporated if you want to make donations to Tamice’s non-profit Social: IG @tamicenamaespeaks, Twitter @TamiceNamae, TikTok tamice_namae_speaks Subscribe to Substack: https://tamicenamaespeaks.substack.com/    Join the online community Sanctuary Collective. If you want to support the Patreon and help keep the podcast up and running, you can learn more and pledge your support at patreon.com/queertheology.EPISODE TRANSCRIPT var podscribeEmbedVars = { epId: 86581225, backgroundColor: 'white', height: '600px', showSpeakers: true };   The post I Followed Jesus Out with Tamice Spencer-Helms appeared first on Queer Theology.

Tamice Spencer-Helms is a force and we are excited to share this interview with you as part of our Guest Series. Tamice is a published author, speaker, and theologian based in Richmond, Virginia. After 16 years of full-time ministry, she founded Sub: Culture Incorporated, a nonprofit that provides holistic support and crisis relief for Black College Students. Over the years, Tamice has been a change-maker and pioneer for young people in her community. We talk with her about her book, “Faith Unleavened: The Wilderness Between Trayvon Martin &amp; George Floyd”, and its important message for people of faith. In this interview, we really dig into the ways in which white supremacy has infected Chrisitanity. Tamice offers some practical insight into how to unpack that from our own theologies. She also talks about the dichotomy of her queerness and faith, how reclaiming common sense has been a powerful way for her to follow Jesus while enriching her faith, and recognizing real freedom and love. Resources: <ul> <li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Faith-Unleavened-Wilderness-Between-Trayvon-ebook/dp/B0BTZ9J6LJ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Faith Unleavened: The Wilderness Between Trayvon Martin &amp; George Floyd</a> by Tamice Spencer-Helms</li> <li><a href="https://www.subcultureinc.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sub: Culture Incorporated</a> if you want to make donations to Tamice’s non-profit</li> <li>Social: IG @tamicenamaespeaks, Twitter @TamiceNamae, TikTok tamice_namae_speaks</li> <li>Subscribe to Substack: <a href="https://tamicenamaespeaks.substack.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://tamicenamaespeaks.substack.com/</a></li> </ul> Join the online community <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/community/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sanctuary Collective</a>. If you want to support the Patreon and help keep the podcast up and running, you can learn more and pledge your support at <a href="http://patreon.com/queertheology" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">patreon.com/queertheology</a>.EPISODE TRANSCRIPT var podscribeEmbedVars = { epId: 86581225, backgroundColor: 'white', height: '600px', showSpeakers: true }; The post <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/podcast/491/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">I Followed Jesus Out with Tamice Spencer-Helms</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.queertheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Queer Theology</a>.

I Followed Jesus Out with Tamice Spencer-Helms

For over 6 years, Brian G. Murphy and Fr. Shannon TL Kearns have shared an LGBTQ perspective on a different Bible passage each week. Most weeks, the show covers a passage from the upcoming Sunday's lectionary but also occasionally covers current event, special themes, and important events like Coming Out Day or Transgender Day of Remembrance. Join tens of thousands of listeners from around the world for the Bible, every week, queered.

So, so grateful for the @queertheology community, and the social justice lens @shannontlkearns and @thisisbgm meet the Bible with. It’s a gospel full of good news, and hope in troubled times. Most importantly, their interpretations of biblical text not only leave any one out, but preach the belief that we are all in this together. They’ve helped me find a God I can believe in.

With gratitude

Poor Theology. Period. The Bible is infallible, that’s a core doctrine of Christian belief, but this podcast openly denies that and grossly misinterprets scripture. Jesus wants a relationship with anyone, but he doesn’t want one this podcast promotes. I beg you to find a good Christian pastor that doesn’t tell you what you want to hear, but tells you the Truth. God bless

Poor Theology

Queer Theology

Honor

Honoring marriage or a relationship is not only for straight relationships. More often than not, people who are in queer relationships take faithfulness even more seriously. This episode also shares how there are more important things to focus on in this world than to nit-pick other people’s relationships. Episode TranscriptBrian: Welcome to the Queer Theology podcast Fr. Shay: Where each episode, we take a queer look at the week’s lectionary readings. We’re the co-founders of QueerTheology.com and the hosts for this podcast. I’m Father Shay Kearns B: And I’m Brian G. Murphy. FS: Hello and welcome back to the Queer Theology podcast this week we’re taking a look at the text for Sunday, September 1st. We’re gonna look at Hebrews 13:1-8, and I’m gonna read it for us now. Keep loving each other like family. Don’t neglect to open up your homes to guests, because by doing this, some have been hosts to angels without knowing it. Remember prisoners as if you were in prison with them, and people who are mistreated as if you were in their place. Marriage must be honored in every respect, with no cheating on the relationship, because God will judge the sexually immoral person and the person who commits adultery. Your way of life should be free from the love of money, and you should be content with what you have. After all, he has said, I will never leave you or abandon you. This is why we can confidently say, The Lord is my helper, and I won’t be afraid. What can people do to me? Remember your leaders who spoke God’s word to you. Imitate their faith as you consider the way their lives turned out. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever! So let’s continually offer up a sacrifice of praise through him, which is the fruit from our lips that confess his name. Don’t forget to do good and to share what you have because God is pleased with these kinds of sacrifices. B: Oh man! FS: There’s a lot in here! B: Yeah. We’re reading this passage and I’m like, yeah, love each other like family, this is going to be great, we’re gonna talk about queer chosen family, open up your homes to guests, yes! Remember prisoners, the mistreated, and then I can almost hear in my head this record scratch, eerrr eerrr talking about marriage and I realize in myself that despite being a Christian my whole life and openly queer for over a decade — oh my God, 15 years at this point — closer to 2 decades than 1 — and I’ve been open and polyamorous for eight-plus years. I’m finding that sometimes my extinct is to clench up a little bit whenever marriage or relationship are talked about in the Bible because I don’t always trust it. And then I realize, oh wait! Marriage must be honored in every respect like no cheating on the relationship. I was like, oh yeah! I actually do take relationships and commitment in a relationship very, very seriously. I think sometimes even more serious than people who are monogamously married. And there is no cheating in my relationship, and I don’t know, I can’t say for certain whether or not, the author of this passage intended to be endorsing queer-polyamorous relationships to millennia in the future. But I do know that if you look at the spirit of this, that actually queer &amp; polyamorous relationships fit right into this and are not so antithetical to it as folks might assume on first brush. So that was the first thing that jumped out at me, what about you Shay? FS: Yes, there are two things for me, kind of going off what you just said. I think part of this too, is understanding the historical context about what these writers were trying to do and who they were trying to protect, right? In a setting where women were able to be practically discarded, to say that you had to respect your marriage relationship and that you shouldn’t commit adultery was really protecting someone who was marginalized and oppressed in that community. I look at so many heterosexual and even heterosexual-Christian relationships today, and I think, well jeez, you’re still not respecting women and you’re still oppressing and marginalizing people who are vulnerable. So that kind of comes up for me in reading about this passage. And the other thing is that I’ve heard a lot about sexual immorality and adultery in the Christian communities. I have not heard very much about prisons and prisoners, and respecting those who are mistreated and opening your homes to guests, and you know… B: Not loving money. FS: Not loving money!!! So it’s like, again this idea that gay and queer Christians are the ones that “cherry picks” scripture is just not true. I think evangelical Christians do it all the time. I think that often they read this passage, even when they are talking about prisoners, they are talking about prisoners so they can convert them, not so they can actually be in solidarity with them, and treat them well in prison. So I think that this passage still really speaks today, and I think often queer and trans-folks are the folks that are the ones who are opening their homes to guests, and paying attention to people in prison, and paying attention to the oppressed and marginalized, and probably be more responsible and faithful in their relationships than even a lot of heterosexual Christians. I don’t see this passage as an indictment against my own queerness and transness. But it is a good reminder of where the places I could still be doing more. B: Yeah. And you know, I think that when I was first figuring out my queerness and how that fits into my faith. I felt like progressive Christianity or queer Christianity was this modified version of the real Christianity which I had grown up with. And it’s important for me to remember when you were saying all this stuff about not honoring this, and this, and that, queer Christians and progressive Christians have just as much of a claim, if not more of a claim to the Christian tradition than conservatives, evangelicals, prosperity gospel, anti-gay Christians, right? It’s not like they are the real ones and we are the modification of it. We are both laying claim to this and I always love going back to Matthew 7, “Judge the tree by its fruit.” We’re both saying that we’re Christians and we can’t say that we’re the real ones and they are not the real Christians. We’re all making Christian theological claims, but “judge the tree by its fruit”, and what fruit are our faith bearing. I just look at my life and the lives of other queer Christians that I know. There’s some tasty, tasty fruit there and I’m so excited to be part of this movement with all ya’ll. We talked about the historical context and Shay was talking about you have to understand that this was intended to honor women, and all that. So we are in the midst of registration for a How to Read the Bible course, we also recently did a Christianity and Polyamory course, and we are gonna be doing one about sex coming up. If any of the stuff that we’ve talked about in this podcast episode is resonating with you, you can learn more about the various courses and groups that we’re putting together at queertheology.com/courses. And add your name to the list of any ones that catch your eye that you might be interested. Again that’s queertheology.com/courses and we would love to dive even deeper into these topics if we have time for in this short podcast episodes. That is all for now and we will see you next week. [outro music plays] B: The Queer Theology podcast is just one of many things that we do at QueerTheology.com which provides resources, community, and inspiration for LGBTQ Christians and straight cisgender supporters. FS: To dive into more of the action, visit us at QueerTheology.com. You can also connect with us online: on Facebook, Tumbler, Twitter, and Instagram. B: We’ll see you next week.  Download the transcript (PDF) In this episode, we talked about…  Honoring marriage or relationships regardless of whether you are heterosexual or queer Who is really “cherry-picking” the scripture? How the writers of this passage were protecting the marginalized and oppressed — the women How Christian communities focus more on adultery and sexual immorality over prisoners and the mistreated  We have tons of exciting courses lined up for you, and you can check if any of these courses excite you by going to queertheology.com/courses. Hebrews 13:1-8 Keep loving each other like family. Don’t neglect to open up your homes to guests, because by doing this, some have been hosts to angels without knowing it. Remember prisoners as if you were in prison with them, and people who are mistreated as if you were in their place. Marriage must be honored in every respect, with no cheating on the relationship, because God will judge the sexually immoral person and the person who commits adultery. Your way of life should be free from the love of money, and you should be content with what you have. After all, he has said, I will never leave you or abandon you. This is why we can confidently say, The Lord is my helper, and I won’t be afraid. What can people do to me? Remember your leaders who spoke God’s word to you. Imitate their faith as you consider the way their lives turned out. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever! So let’s continually offer up a sacrifice of praise through him, which is the fruit from our lips that confess his name. Don’t forget to do good and to share what you have because God is pleased with these kinds of sacrifices. Photo by Brooke Cagle The post What It Means to Honor Marriage (and other important lessons) – Hebrews 13:1-8 appeared first on Queer Theology.

Honoring marriage or a relationship is not only for straight relationships. More often than not, people who are in queer relationships take faithfulness even more seriously. This episode also shares how there are more important things to focus on in this world than to nit-pick other people’s relationships. <h3>Episode Transcript</h3>Brian: Welcome to the Queer Theology podcast Fr. Shay: Where each episode, we take a queer look at the week’s lectionary readings. We’re the co-founders of <a href="http://QueerTheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">QueerTheology.com</a> and the hosts for this podcast. I’m Father Shay Kearns B: And I’m Brian G. Murphy. FS: Hello and welcome back to the Queer Theology podcast this week we’re taking a look at the text for Sunday, September 1st. We’re gonna look at Hebrews 13:1-8, and I’m gonna read it for us now. Keep loving each other like family. Don’t neglect to open up your homes to guests, because by doing this, some have been hosts to angels without knowing it. Remember prisoners as if you were in prison with them, and people who are mistreated as if you were in their place. Marriage must be honored in every respect, with no cheating on the relationship, because God will judge the sexually immoral person and the person who commits adultery. Your way of life should be free from the love of money, and you should be content with what you have. After all, he has said, I will never leave you or abandon you. This is why we can confidently say, The Lord is my helper, and I won’t be afraid. What can people do to me? Remember your leaders who spoke God’s word to you. Imitate their faith as you consider the way their lives turned out. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever! So let’s continually offer up a sacrifice of praise through him, which is the fruit from our lips that confess his name. Don’t forget to do good and to share what you have because God is pleased with these kinds of sacrifices. B: Oh man! FS: There’s a lot in here! B: Yeah. We’re reading this passage and I’m like, yeah, love each other like family, this is going to be great, we’re gonna talk about queer chosen family, open up your homes to guests, yes! Remember prisoners, the mistreated, and then I can almost hear in my head this record scratch, eerrr eerrr talking about marriage and I realize in myself that despite being a Christian my whole life and openly queer for over a decade — oh my God, 15 years at this point — closer to 2 decades than 1 — and I’ve been open and polyamorous for eight-plus years. I’m finding that sometimes my extinct is to clench up a little bit whenever marriage or relationship are talked about in the Bible because I don’t always trust it. And then I realize, oh wait! Marriage must be honored in every respect like no cheating on the relationship. I was like, oh yeah! I actually do take relationships and commitment in a relationship very, very seriously. I think sometimes even more serious than people who are monogamously married. And there is no cheating in my relationship, and I don’t know, I can’t say for certain whether or not, the author of this passage intended to be endorsing queer-polyamorous relationships to millennia in the future. But I do know that if you look at the spirit of this, that actually queer &amp; polyamorous relationships fit right into this and are not so antithetical to it as folks might assume on first brush. So that was the first thing that jumped out at me, what about you Shay? FS: Yes, there are two things for me, kind of going off what you just said. I think part of this too, is understanding the historical context about what these writers were trying to do and who they were trying to protect, right? In a setting where women were able to be practically discarded, to say that you had to respect your marriage relationship and that you shouldn’t commit adultery was really protecting someone who was marginalized and oppressed in that community. I look at so many heterosexual and even heterosexual-Christian relationships today, and I think, well jeez, you’re still not respecting women and you’re still oppressing and marginalizing people who are vulnerable. So that kind of comes up for me in reading about this passage. And the other thing is that I’ve heard a lot about sexual immorality and adultery in the Christian communities. I have not heard very much about prisons and prisoners, and respecting those who are mistreated and opening your homes to guests, and you know… B: Not loving money. FS: Not loving money!!! So it’s like, again this idea that gay and queer Christians are the ones that “cherry picks” scripture is just not true. I think evangelical Christians do it all the time. I think that often they read this passage, even when they are talking about prisoners, they are talking about prisoners so they can convert them, not so they can actually be in solidarity with them, and treat them well in prison. So I think that this passage still really speaks today, and I think often queer and trans-folks are the folks that are the ones who are opening their homes to guests, and paying attention to people in prison, and paying attention to the oppressed and marginalized, and probably be more responsible and faithful in their relationships than even a lot of heterosexual Christians. I don’t see this passage as an indictment against my own queerness and transness. But it is a good reminder of where the places I could still be doing more. B: Yeah. And you know, I think that when I was first figuring out my queerness and how that fits into my faith. I felt like progressive Christianity or queer Christianity was this modified version of the real Christianity which I had grown up with. And it’s important for me to remember when you were saying all this stuff about not honoring this, and this, and that, queer Christians and progressive Christians have just as much of a claim, if not more of a claim to the Christian tradition than conservatives, evangelicals, prosperity gospel, anti-gay Christians, right? It’s not like they are the real ones and we are the modification of it. We are both laying claim to this and I always love going back to Matthew 7, “Judge the tree by its fruit.” We’re both saying that we’re Christians and we can’t say that we’re the real ones and they are not the real Christians. We’re all making Christian theological claims, but “judge the tree by its fruit”, and what fruit are our faith bearing. I just look at my life and the lives of other queer Christians that I know. There’s some tasty, tasty fruit there and I’m so excited to be part of this movement with all ya’ll. We talked about the historical context and Shay was talking about you have to understand that this was intended to honor women, and all that. So we are in the midst of registration for a How to Read the Bible course, we also recently did a Christianity and Polyamory course, and we are gonna be doing one about sex coming up. If any of the stuff that we’ve talked about in this podcast episode is resonating with you, you can learn more about the various courses and groups that we’re putting together at <a href="http://queertheology.com/courses" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">queertheology.com/courses</a>. And add your name to the list of any ones that catch your eye that you might be interested. Again that’s <a href="http://queertheology.com/courses" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">queertheology.com/courses</a> and we would love to dive even deeper into these topics if we have time for in this short podcast episodes. That is all for now and we will see you next week. [outro music plays] B: The Queer Theology podcast is just one of many things that we do at <a href="http://QueerTheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">QueerTheology.com</a> which provides resources, community, and inspiration for LGBTQ Christians and straight cisgender supporters. FS: To dive into more of the action, visit us at <a href="http://QueerTheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">QueerTheology.com</a>. You can also connect with us online: on Facebook, Tumbler, Twitter, and Instagram. B: We’ll see you next week. <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Queer-Theology-Podcast-292-9119.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Download the transcript (PDF)</a> In this episode, we talked about… <ul> <li>Honoring marriage or relationships regardless of whether you are heterosexual or queer</li> <li>Who is really “cherry-picking” the scripture?</li> <li>How the writers of this passage were protecting the marginalized and oppressed — the women</li> <li>How Christian communities focus more on adultery and sexual immorality over prisoners and the mistreated</li> </ul> We have tons of exciting courses lined up for you, and you can check if any of these courses excite you by going to <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/courses/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">queertheology.com/courses</a>. <h2>Hebrews 13:1-8</h2> <blockquote>Keep loving each other like family. Don’t neglect to open up your homes to guests, because by doing this, some have been hosts to angels without knowing it. Remember prisoners as if you were in prison with them, and people who are mistreated as if you were in their place. Marriage must be honored in every respect, with no cheating on the relationship, because God will judge the sexually immoral person and the person who commits adultery. Your way of life should be free from the love of money, and you should be content with what you have. After all, he has said, I will never leave you or abandon you. This is why we can confidently say, The Lord is my helper, and I won’t be afraid. What can people do to me? Remember your leaders who spoke God’s word to you. Imitate their faith as you consider the way their lives turned out. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever! So let’s continually offer up a sacrifice of praise through him, which is the fruit from our lips that confess his name. Don’t forget to do good and to share what you have because God is pleased with these kinds of sacrifices.</blockquote> Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@brookecagle" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Brooke Cagle</a> The post <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/podcast/what-it-means-to-honor-marriage-and-other-important-lessons-hebrews-131-8/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">What It Means to Honor Marriage (and other important lessons) – Hebrews 13:1-8</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.queertheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Queer Theology</a>.

What It Means to Honor Marriage (and other important lessons) – Hebrews 13:1-8

If it feels like we’ve talked about this passage before … we haven’t! It’s just that social justice, taking care of people’s immediate needs, shows up over and over and over again in the Bible. If you’ve ever heard that you’re not really a Christian or that you’re “doing” Christianity “wrong” because of your progressive convictions, this passage is a helpful reminder that taking care of each other is constantly close to the heart of God. Isaiah 55:1-9 All of you who are thirsty, come to the water! Whoever has no money, come, buy food and eat! Without money, at no cost, buy wine and milk! Why spend money for what isn’t food, and your earnings for what doesn’t satisfy? Listen carefully to me and eat what is good; enjoy the richest of feasts. Listen and come to me; listen, and you will live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful loyalty to David. Look, I made him a witness to the peoples, a prince and commander of peoples. 5Look, you will call a nation you don’t know, a nation you don’t know will run to you because of the Lord your God, the holy one of Israel, who has glorified you. Seek the Lord when he can still be found; call him while he is yet near. Let the wicked abandon their ways and the sinful their schemes. Let them return to the Lord so that he may have mercy on them, to our God, because he is generous with forgiveness. My plans aren’t your plans, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. 9Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my plans than your plans. Photo by Anthony DELANOIX The post All who are thirsty, come to the water – Isaiah 55:1-9 appeared first on Queer Theology.

If it feels like we’ve talked about this passage before … we haven’t! It’s just that social justice, taking care of people’s immediate needs, shows up over and over and over again in the Bible. If you’ve ever heard that you’re not really a Christian or that you’re “doing” Christianity “wrong” because of your progressive convictions, this passage is a helpful reminder that taking care of each other is constantly close to the heart of God. <h3>Isaiah 55:1-9</h3> <blockquote>All of you who are thirsty, come to the water! Whoever has no money, come, buy food and eat! Without money, at no cost, buy wine and milk! Why spend money for what isn’t food, and your earnings for what doesn’t satisfy? Listen carefully to me and eat what is good; enjoy the richest of feasts. Listen and come to me; listen, and you will live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful loyalty to David. Look, I made him a witness to the peoples, a prince and commander of peoples. 5Look, you will call a nation you don’t know, a nation you don’t know will run to you because of the Lord your God, the holy one of Israel, who has glorified you. Seek the Lord when he can still be found; call him while he is yet near. Let the wicked abandon their ways and the sinful their schemes. Let them return to the Lord so that he may have mercy on them, to our God, because he is generous with forgiveness. My plans aren’t your plans, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. 9Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my plans than your plans.</blockquote> Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/hzgs56Ze49s?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Anthony DELANOIX</a> The post <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/podcast/all-who-are-thirsty-come-to-the-water-isaiah-551-9/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">All who are thirsty, come to the water – Isaiah 55:1-9</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.queertheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Queer Theology</a>.

All who are thirsty, come to the water – Isaiah 55:1-9

Read the transcript (PDF) Mark 9:38-50 John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone throwing demons out in your name, and we tried to stop him because he wasn’t following us.” Jesus replied, “Don’t stop him. No one who does powerful acts in my name can quickly turn around and curse me. Whoever isn’t against us is for us. I assure you that whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will certainly be rewarded. “As for whoever causes these little ones who believe in me to trip and fall into sin, it would be better for them to have a huge stone hung around their necks and to be thrown into the lake. If your hand causes you to fall into sin, chop it off. It’s better for you to enter into life crippled than to go away with two hands into the fire of hell, which can’t be put out. If your foot causes you to fall into sin, chop it off. It’s better for you to enter life lame than to be thrown into hell with two feet. If your eye causes you to fall into sin, tear it out. It’s better for you to enter God’s kingdom with one eye than to be thrown into hell with two. That’s a place where worms don’t die and the fire never goes out. Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if salt loses its saltiness, how will it become salty again? Maintain salt among yourselves and keep peace with each other.” Photo by Cecilie Johnsen  The post Biblical Allyship – Mark 9:38-50 appeared first on Queer Theology.

<a href="https://www.queertheology.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Queer-Theology-Podcast-Sep-30-2018.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Read the transcript (PDF)</a> <h3>Mark 9:38-50</h3> <blockquote>John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone throwing demons out in your name, and we tried to stop him because he wasn’t following us.” Jesus replied, “Don’t stop him. No one who does powerful acts in my name can quickly turn around and curse me. Whoever isn’t against us is for us. I assure you that whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will certainly be rewarded. “As for whoever causes these little ones who believe in me to trip and fall into sin, it would be better for them to have a huge stone hung around their necks and to be thrown into the lake. If your hand causes you to fall into sin, chop it off. It’s better for you to enter into life crippled than to go away with two hands into the fire of hell, which can’t be put out. If your foot causes you to fall into sin, chop it off. It’s better for you to enter life lame than to be thrown into hell with two feet. If your eye causes you to fall into sin, tear it out. It’s better for you to enter God’s kingdom with one eye than to be thrown into hell with two. That’s a place where worms don’t die and the fire never goes out. Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if salt loses its saltiness, how will it become salty again? Maintain salt among yourselves and keep peace with each other.”</blockquote> Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/G8CxFhKuPDU?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cecilie Johnsen</a> The post <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/podcast/biblical-allyship-mark-938-50/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Biblical Allyship – Mark 9:38-50</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.queertheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Queer Theology</a>.

Biblical Allyship – Mark 9:38-50

This year for Easter, we’re doing a Q&amp;A episode to cover all things Holy Week and Easter. We really dig into a few amazing questions in this week’s episode. There were too many to get to all in one episode so we will be doing more Q&amp;A episodes soon. Make sure you’re subscribed so that you don’t miss it — and you can submit your own question to be included in a future episode. Mentioned in this episode  Last week’s episode on why we follow the lectionary Ask a question for a future podcast by email connect@queertheology.com (or leaving a voicemail here) Shay’s work on transgender theology Articles on LGBTQ youth and parents here and here Let justice roll like a mighty river The Nonviolent Atonement by Denny Weaver Jesus The Forgiving Victim by James Alison Webinar on the atonement, why Jesus died, and what happened on the cross with Rev. Adam Rao at queertheology.com/whydidjesusdie CRUCIFIXION (RESURRECTION)   Photo by Tucker Good The post Easter Q&amp;A appeared first on Queer Theology.

This year for Easter, we’re doing a Q&amp;A episode to cover all things Holy Week and Easter. We really dig into a few amazing questions in this week’s episode. There were too many to get to all in one episode so we will be doing more Q&amp;A episodes soon. Make sure you’re <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/lgbt-bible-podcast/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">subscribed</a> so that you don’t miss it — and you can submit your own question to be included in a future episode. <h3>Mentioned in this episode</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.queertheology.com/why-lectionary/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Last week’s episode on why we follow the lectionary</a></li> <li>Ask a question for a future podcast by email <a href="mailto:connect@queertheology.com">connect@queertheology.com</a> (or leaving a <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/lgbt-bible-podcast/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">voicemail here</a>)</li> <li>Shay’s work on <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/resurrection/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">transgender theology</a></li> <li>Articles on LGBTQ youth and parents <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/qcf-lgbtq-youth-family-rejection/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/lgbtq-kids-with-unaffirming-parents/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.queertheology.com/amos-5-18-24-faith-justice/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Let justice roll like a mighty river</a></li> <li><a href="https://amzn.to/2IDKnfB" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Nonviolent Atonement</a> by Denny Weaver</li> <li><a href="https://amzn.to/2IzHDA0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jesus The Forgiving Victim</a> by James Alison</li> <li>Webinar on the atonement, why Jesus died, and what happened on the cross with Rev. Adam Rao at <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/whydidjesusdie" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">queertheology.com/whydidjesusdie</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.queertheology.com/spitandspirit/crucifixion/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CRUCIFIXION (RESURRECTION)</a></li> <li></li> </ul> Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/abVYsYAUNWo?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tucker Good</a> The post <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/podcast/easter-qa/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Easter Q&amp;A</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.queertheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Queer Theology</a>.

Easter Q&A

We’ve look at this text a few times before (here, here, and embedded below). This week, we look at this section of the creation narrative and focus in on a few important themes:  choice the power of names the purpose of this story marriage, monogamy, and purity culture  Read the transcript (PDF) We’re hosting an online workshop about Christianity &amp; polyamory on Sunday October 14. Register at queertheology.com/polyamory In this episode, Brian referenced understanding this passage better when he dated his first boyfriend. He writes about more here. Genesis 2:18-24 Then the Lord God said, “It’s not good that the human is alone. I will make him a helper that is perfect for him.” So the Lord God formed from the fertile land all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky and brought them to the human to see what he would name them. The human gave each living being its name. 20 The human named all the livestock, all the birds in the sky, and all the wild animals. But a helper perfect for him was nowhere to be found. So the Lord God put the human into a deep and heavy sleep, and took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh over it. With the rib taken from the human, the Lord God fashioned a woman and brought her to the human being. The human said, “This one finally is bone from my bones and flesh from my flesh. She will be called a woman because from a man she was taken.” This is the reason that a man leaves his father and mother and embraces his wife, and they become one flesh. The post God trusts you to pick your partner – Genesis 2:18-24 appeared first on Queer Theology.

We’ve look at this text a few times before (<a href="https://www.queertheology.com/genesis-1-2-creation-adam-eve/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/lgbtq-gods-image-genesis/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>, and embedded below). This week, we look at this section of the creation narrative and focus in on a few important themes: <ul> <li>choice</li> <li>the power of names</li> <li>the purpose of this story</li> <li>marriage, monogamy, and purity culture</li> </ul> <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Queer-Theology-Podcast-Oct-7-2018.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Read the transcript (PDF)</a> We’re hosting an online workshop about <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/polyamory/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Christianity &amp; polyamory</a> on Sunday October 14. Register at <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/polyamory/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">queertheology.com/polyamory</a> In this episode, Brian referenced understanding this passage better when he dated his first boyfriend. He writes about more <a href="https://www.briangerald.com/discovering-eden/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. <h3>Genesis 2:18-24</h3> <blockquote>Then the Lord God said, “It’s not good that the human is alone. I will make him a helper that is perfect for him.” So the Lord God formed from the fertile land all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky and brought them to the human to see what he would name them. The human gave each living being its name. 20 The human named all the livestock, all the birds in the sky, and all the wild animals. But a helper perfect for him was nowhere to be found. So the Lord God put the human into a deep and heavy sleep, and took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh over it. With the rib taken from the human, the Lord God fashioned a woman and brought her to the human being. The human said, <blockquote>“This one finally is bone from my bones and flesh from my flesh. She will be called a woman because from a man she was taken.”</blockquote> This is the reason that a man leaves his father and mother and embraces his wife, and they become one flesh.</blockquote> The post <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/podcast/god-trusts-you-to-pick-your-partner-genesis-218-24/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">God trusts you to pick your partner – Genesis 2:18-24</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.queertheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Queer Theology</a>.

God trusts you to pick your partner – Genesis 2:18-24

In this passage, the wise people encounter the baby Jesus and are so transformed by their encounter, that they return another way. In this episode, we explore how queerness can mirror that experience and how each can inform the other. Referenced in this episode:  Brian’s article on LGBTQ activism + the wise people meeting Jesus Is Christianity all about saying a prayer and getting into heaven?  Matthew 2:1-12 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the territory of Judea during the rule of King Herod, magi came from the east to Jerusalem. They asked, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We’ve seen his star in the east, and we’ve come to honor him.” When King Herod heard this, he was troubled, and everyone in Jerusalem was troubled with him. He gathered all the chief priests and the legal experts and asked them where the Christ was to be born. They said, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for this is what the prophet wrote: You, Bethlehem, land of Judah, by no means are you least among the rulers of Judah, because from you will come one who governs, who will shepherd my people Israel.” Then Herod secretly called for the magi and found out from them the time when the star had first appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you’ve found him, report to me so that I too may go and honor him.” When they heard the king, they went; and look, the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stood over the place where the child was. 1When they saw the star, they were filled with joy. They entered the house and saw the child with Mary his mother. Falling to their knees, they honored him. Then they opened their treasure chests and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 Because they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country by another route.         var podscribeEmbedVars = {         epGuid: 'https://www.queertheology.com/?p=5674',         rssUrl: 'https://www.queertheology.com/feed/podcast/?wpmfeedkey=1%3B803a7377a32346e6c2e9dad2350c33b1',         backgroundColor: 'white',         font: undefined,         fontColor: undefined,         speakerFontColor: undefined,         height: '600px',         showEditButton: false,         showSpeakers: true,         showTimestamps: true       };        Photo by Caleb Stokes The post Activist Epiphanies – Matthew 2:1-12 appeared first on Queer Theology.

In this passage, the wise people encounter the baby Jesus and are so transformed by their encounter, that they return another way. In this episode, we explore how queerness can mirror that experience and how each can inform the other. <h3>Referenced in this episode:</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.queertheology.com/lgbt-christian-nativity/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Brian’s article on LGBTQ activism + the wise people meeting Jesus</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.queertheology.com/christianity-heaven/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Is Christianity all about saying a prayer and getting into heaven?</a></li> </ul> <h3>Matthew 2:1-12</h3> <blockquote>After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the territory of Judea during the rule of King Herod, magi came from the east to Jerusalem. They asked, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We’ve seen his star in the east, and we’ve come to honor him.” When King Herod heard this, he was troubled, and everyone in Jerusalem was troubled with him. He gathered all the chief priests and the legal experts and asked them where the Christ was to be born. They said, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for this is what the prophet wrote: You, Bethlehem, land of Judah, by no means are you least among the rulers of Judah, because from you will come one who governs, who will shepherd my people Israel.” Then Herod secretly called for the magi and found out from them the time when the star had first appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you’ve found him, report to me so that I too may go and honor him.” When they heard the king, they went; and look, the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stood over the place where the child was. 1When they saw the star, they were filled with joy. They entered the house and saw the child with Mary his mother. Falling to their knees, they honored him. Then they opened their treasure chests and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 Because they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country by another route.</blockquote> var podscribeEmbedVars = { epGuid: '<a href="https://www.queertheology.com/?p=5674'" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.queertheology.com/?p=5674'</a>, rssUrl: '<a href="https://www.queertheology.com/feed/podcast/?wpmfeedkey=1%3B803a7377a32346e6c2e9dad2350c33b1'" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.queertheology.com/feed/podcast/?wpmfeedkey=1%3B803a7377a32346e6c2e9dad2350c33b1'</a>, backgroundColor: 'white', font: undefined, fontColor: undefined, speakerFontColor: undefined, height: '600px', showEditButton: false, showSpeakers: true, showTimestamps: true }; Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/TtcCH0MTjL8?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Caleb Stokes</a> The post <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/podcast/activist-epiphanies-matthew-21-12/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Activist Epiphanies – Matthew 2:1-12</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.queertheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Queer Theology</a>.

Activist Epiphanies – Matthew 2:1-12

When our need to help the poor, feed the hungry, and uphold the oppressed is strong, we sometimes forget that it’s okay to slow down a bit. To rest. To take care of one’s self. And this passage from Isaiah reminds us of that. Episode TranscriptBrian: Welcome to the Queer Theology podcast! Fr. Shay: Where each episode, we take a queer look at the week’s lectionary readings. We’re the co-founders of QueerTheology.com and the hosts for this podcast. I’m Father Shay Kearns B: And I’m Brian G. Murphy. B: Hello, hello, hello. Today is Sunday, August 25th, 2019 or at least that is the day that it is when this episode comes out. Actually, Shay is with me here in Los Angeles for a week so we’re recording a little bit ahead of schedule. It’s really been exciting and fun to have you here for the past week, Shay. FS: It’s been super fun to be here. B: A few days ago, we got together with some podcast listeners, some subscribers of the mailing list, some members of Sanctuary Collective for some park theology instead of pub theology. For an evening of getting to know each other, talking about everything from therapy, to veggie-tales, to Hebrew translations of the Bible, and all points in between. It’s been really a lot of fun. What have been some highlights for you Shay? FS: Yeah, I just love it when we get to meet with people face-to-face and hear more of their stories and find out how they found out about the website and podcast. But really, just to be in community with people and that’s been super fun. It’s been great to think a little bit about what’s next for Queer Theology. To think about how we’re doing things and what we can do better and what we want to do more of that’s been really exciting, too. B: Yeah, we got lots of exciting plans that we’ve been working on. One of them has already come to fruition. We are in the middle of registration for a course on How to Read the Bible. I think this is so important, I know that for me, I grew up reading the Bible, constantly talking with the Bible in church all the time. Really feeling like I knew the ins and outs of the Bible and then when I realize I was queer, having the Bible turn around on me and it becoming like a weapon used against me. Then, spending so many years having to fend myself against the Bible. And then, so feeling like I really knew the Bible, I remember as a closeted teenager and opening the Bible trying to figure out what the passages about homosexuality meant and did it condemn me. What about bisexuality, what about this transgender that I heard of? And then, fast forward years in the future and realizing that being a gay or a bi-sexual Christian wasn’t quite enough as much as I thought I knew the Bible in and out, there was just so much more to learn and reading a lot of books by serious academics has been helpful. Working alongside folks that had seminary education has been very helpful. One of our goals at QueerTheology.com has always been to sort of make all of this juicy stuff that happens in Academia available to everyone so that you don’t have to go hundred thousand dollars into debt and go to spend 3 years in seminary to learn how to read the Bible. Because I think there’s something more to just picking it up and reading like it’s the book in order to get the most out of it. So I’m super excited about this class if you’re interested in learning more, you can go to queertheology.com/biblecourse, with or without a hyphen, it will take you there. Shay, what can we look forward to in this course? FS: Yeah. We’re going to look at a ton of different stuff, we’re gonna a lot about how to read the Bible in context meaning both in what kind of literature it is, but also the historical context and really unpacking that and how knowing that context impacts how we read scripture. We’re gonna look at tools for you to do this work on your own, so that you don’t have to be necessarily beholden to going to seminary. We are just gonna give a hint and a tease of starting to read the Bible through a queer and trans lens. We are going to do an entire course on just that later on, but you’ll get just a hint of that in this course. B: I’m super, super, super excited. So before we jump into this week’s lectionary text, this is something that we don’t really ever do. But if you are a fan of this podcast, it would really mean a lot to us if you could go and leave a review on iTunes, or Stitcher or wherever it is that you listen to this podcast. The more reviews that there are, the more it helps other people find the podcast with the algorithms, and also just having your voice on there gives a sense of what this podcast is about for folks who might be considering it. We do from time to time get anti-LGBTQ Christians leaving one star, hateful reviews on there. So having your voice to counterbalance all of that negativity would be super meaningful. So iTunes, Stitcher, the Google podcast, or wherever you listen to your podcast, go on there and drop a review we would really appreciate it. And now, unto this week’s text. It is Isaiah 58:9-14 I will read it to you now. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and God will say, “I’m here.” If you remove the yoke from among you, the finger-pointing, the wicked speech; if you open your heart to the hungry, and provide abundantly for those who are afflicted, your light will shine in the darkness, and your gloom will be like the noon. The Lord will guide you continually and provide for you, even in parched places. He will rescue your bones. You will be like a watered garden, like a spring of water that won’t run dry. They will rebuild ancient ruins on your account; the foundations of generations past you will restore. You will be called Mender of Broken Walls, Restorer of Livable Streets. If you stop trampling the Sabbath, stop doing whatever you want on my holy day, and consider the Sabbath a delight, sacred to the Lord, honored, and honor it instead of doing things your way, seeking what you want and doing business as usual, then you will take delight in the Lord. I will let you ride on the heights of the earth; I will sustain you with the heritage of your ancestor Jacob. The mouth of the Lord has spoken. Amen. Shay, I know you really love this passage, why is that? FS: I do. I love the poetry of it for one, but I also love how it really turns so much of what I was taught as a kid on its head. I remember growing up and being told that the reason that America was in such bad shape, the reason that there were abortion and mass shootings was because we had taken prayer out of public school. B: Right! FS: I remember Carmen, God bless…. B: Carmen the life coach? FS: Yes …had this entire monologue about putting God back in America again. Quoted all these statistics that said that the rise, the violence happened exactly when they took God out of schools, whatever. But I love that this passage talks so clearly about when you call, the Lord will answer, but it’s if you remove the yoke from among you, if you open your heart to the hungry and provide abundantly for those who are afflicted. Then, your light will shine in the darkness. Again, when we talk about the fact that social justice is baked into scripture, that it’s all throughout, that this idea of caring for the poor and those who are marginalized is at the heart of what it means to follow God. We are talking about through all of these passages. I think that this is a passage that’s so clear. It’s also a passage that it isn’t like if you berate your neighbors for their religious beliefs, or lack of religious beliefs. If you make sure that you fly the American flat, if you protest the abortion clinics, and your light will shine in the darkness. No. You take care of the poor and hungry. And to me, my favorite is this, they would rebuild ancient ruins on your account, you will be called mender of broken walls and restorer of livable streets. I think that’s such a beautiful image and it’s so powerful to think about: that could be the legacy that we’re living. This legacy of mending broken walls and restoring livable streets, and that’s the work to be done. B: Yeah. What sticks out for me in this passage, or I guess what comes to mind is: sometimes I think that the prosperity gospel, and God that wants you to be uber rich, and just name and then claim it, which the secular version of that is the law of attraction or whatever. Gets put in conflict with social justice, Christianity. And somehow, social justice, Christianity, in the popular conception gets translated into, God wants you to suffer or that suffering is noble, or that abundance is bad. What I see here is for this marrying of both of those. Not that we should be excessively wealthy, or if you donate to your millionaire pastor’s church and God will pay your rent. But rather, this idea of removing the yoke and taking care of the hungry goes hand-in-hand with also resting on the Sabbath, and not being ground down. No one wins under capitalism. We’re all grinding, and grinding, and grinding, and grinding. The goal of the Hebrew prophets and what I see in Jesus and what I see in my atheist, social justice friends is not that we are constantly miserable, right? But there is enough and we can take care of each other and still rest. Take care of ourselves, our family and the stranger. I think that is an important message for the world today. FS: Just a reminder, if you want to take this Bible course, it starts really soon. We are going to start it right in the beginning of September. You can sign up for that at queertheology.com/biblecourse. We would love to see you there. It’s going to be a really rich and powerful time together. [outro music plays] B: The Queer Theology podcast is just one of many things that we do at QueerTheology.com which provides resources, community, and inspiration for LGBTQ Christians and straight cisgender supporters. FS: To dive into more of the action, visit us at QueerTheology.com. You can also connect with us online: on Facebook, Tumbler, Twitter, and Instagram. B: We’ll see you next week.  Download the transcript (PDF) This episode talks about:  A recap of the LA meetup Why Fr. Shay loves this passage so much The work that needs to be done and the legacy that we can live behind Respecting the Sabbath day The importance of resting, and finding a balance between helping others and taking care of yourself  The How to Read the Bible course is now open for registration. We are going to start the course on September 15. If this is something you’re interested in, you can sign up for that at queertheology.com/biblecourse. Isaiah 58:9-14 Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and God will say, “I’m here.” If you remove the yoke from among you, the finger-pointing, the wicked speech; if you open your heart to the hungry, and provide abundantly for those who are afflicted, your light will shine in the darkness, and your gloom will be like the noon. The Lord will guide you continually and provide for you, even in parched places. He will rescue your bones. You will be like a watered garden, like a spring of water that won’t run dry. They will rebuild ancient ruins on your account; the foundations of generations past you will restore. You will be called Mender of Broken Walls, Restorer of Livable Streets. If you stop trampling the Sabbath, stop doing whatever you want on my holy day, and consider the Sabbath a delight, sacred to the Lord, honored, and honor it instead of doing things your way, seeking what you want and doing business as usual, then you will take delight in the Lord. I will let you ride on the heights of the earth; I will sustain you with the heritage of your ancestor Jacob. The mouth of the Lord has spoken. Photo by Helena Lopes The post Take Care – Isaiah 58:9-14 appeared first on Queer Theology.

When our need to help the poor, feed the hungry, and uphold the oppressed is strong, we sometimes forget that it’s okay to slow down a bit. To rest. To take care of one’s self. And this passage from Isaiah reminds us of that. <h3>Episode Transcript</h3>Brian: Welcome to the Queer Theology podcast! Fr. Shay: Where each episode, we take a queer look at the week’s lectionary readings. We’re the co-founders of <a href="http://QueerTheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">QueerTheology.com</a> and the hosts for this podcast. I’m Father Shay Kearns B: And I’m Brian G. Murphy. B: Hello, hello, hello. Today is Sunday, August 25th, 2019 or at least that is the day that it is when this episode comes out. Actually, Shay is with me here in Los Angeles for a week so we’re recording a little bit ahead of schedule. It’s really been exciting and fun to have you here for the past week, Shay. FS: It’s been super fun to be here. B: A few days ago, we got together with some podcast listeners, some subscribers of the mailing list, some members of Sanctuary Collective for some park theology instead of pub theology. For an evening of getting to know each other, talking about everything from therapy, to veggie-tales, to Hebrew translations of the Bible, and all points in between. It’s been really a lot of fun. What have been some highlights for you Shay? FS: Yeah, I just love it when we get to meet with people face-to-face and hear more of their stories and find out how they found out about the website and podcast. But really, just to be in community with people and that’s been super fun. It’s been great to think a little bit about what’s next for Queer Theology. To think about how we’re doing things and what we can do better and what we want to do more of that’s been really exciting, too. B: Yeah, we got lots of exciting plans that we’ve been working on. One of them has already come to fruition. We are in the middle of registration for a course on How to Read the Bible. I think this is so important, I know that for me, I grew up reading the Bible, constantly talking with the Bible in church all the time. Really feeling like I knew the ins and outs of the Bible and then when I realize I was queer, having the Bible turn around on me and it becoming like a weapon used against me. Then, spending so many years having to fend myself against the Bible. And then, so feeling like I really knew the Bible, I remember as a closeted teenager and opening the Bible trying to figure out what the passages about homosexuality meant and did it condemn me. What about bisexuality, what about this transgender that I heard of? And then, fast forward years in the future and realizing that being a gay or a bi-sexual Christian wasn’t quite enough as much as I thought I knew the Bible in and out, there was just so much more to learn and reading a lot of books by serious academics has been helpful. Working alongside folks that had seminary education has been very helpful. One of our goals at <a href="http://QueerTheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">QueerTheology.com</a> has always been to sort of make all of this juicy stuff that happens in Academia available to everyone so that you don’t have to go hundred thousand dollars into debt and go to spend 3 years in seminary to learn how to read the Bible. Because I think there’s something more to just picking it up and reading like it’s the book in order to get the most out of it. So I’m super excited about this class if you’re interested in learning more, you can go to <a href="http://queertheology.com/biblecourse" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">queertheology.com/biblecourse</a>, with or without a hyphen, it will take you there. Shay, what can we look forward to in this course? FS: Yeah. We’re going to look at a ton of different stuff, we’re gonna a lot about how to read the Bible in context meaning both in what kind of literature it is, but also the historical context and really unpacking that and how knowing that context impacts how we read scripture. We’re gonna look at tools for you to do this work on your own, so that you don’t have to be necessarily beholden to going to seminary. We are just gonna give a hint and a tease of starting to read the Bible through a queer and trans lens. We are going to do an entire course on just that later on, but you’ll get just a hint of that in this course. B: I’m super, super, super excited. So before we jump into this week’s lectionary text, this is something that we don’t really ever do. But if you are a fan of this podcast, it would really mean a lot to us if you could go and leave a review on iTunes, or Stitcher or wherever it is that you listen to this podcast. The more reviews that there are, the more it helps other people find the podcast with the algorithms, and also just having your voice on there gives a sense of what this podcast is about for folks who might be considering it. We do from time to time get anti-LGBTQ Christians leaving one star, hateful reviews on there. So having your voice to counterbalance all of that negativity would be super meaningful. So iTunes, Stitcher, the Google podcast, or wherever you listen to your podcast, go on there and drop a review we would really appreciate it. And now, unto this week’s text. It is Isaiah 58:9-14 I will read it to you now. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and God will say, “I’m here.” If you remove the yoke from among you, the finger-pointing, the wicked speech; if you open your heart to the hungry, and provide abundantly for those who are afflicted, your light will shine in the darkness, and your gloom will be like the noon. The Lord will guide you continually and provide for you, even in parched places. He will rescue your bones. You will be like a watered garden, like a spring of water that won’t run dry. They will rebuild ancient ruins on your account; the foundations of generations past you will restore. You will be called Mender of Broken Walls, Restorer of Livable Streets. If you stop trampling the Sabbath, stop doing whatever you want on my holy day, and consider the Sabbath a delight, sacred to the Lord, honored, and honor it instead of doing things your way, seeking what you want and doing business as usual, then you will take delight in the Lord. I will let you ride on the heights of the earth; I will sustain you with the heritage of your ancestor Jacob. The mouth of the Lord has spoken. Amen. Shay, I know you really love this passage, why is that? FS: I do. I love the poetry of it for one, but I also love how it really turns so much of what I was taught as a kid on its head. I remember growing up and being told that the reason that America was in such bad shape, the reason that there were abortion and mass shootings was because we had taken prayer out of public school. B: Right! FS: I remember Carmen, God bless…. B: Carmen the life coach? FS: Yes …had this entire monologue about putting God back in America again. Quoted all these statistics that said that the rise, the violence happened exactly when they took God out of schools, whatever. But I love that this passage talks so clearly about when you call, the Lord will answer, but it’s if you remove the yoke from among you, if you open your heart to the hungry and provide abundantly for those who are afflicted. Then, your light will shine in the darkness. Again, when we talk about the fact that social justice is baked into scripture, that it’s all throughout, that this idea of caring for the poor and those who are marginalized is at the heart of what it means to follow God. We are talking about through all of these passages. I think that this is a passage that’s so clear. It’s also a passage that it isn’t like if you berate your neighbors for their religious beliefs, or lack of religious beliefs. If you make sure that you fly the American flat, if you protest the abortion clinics, and your light will shine in the darkness. No. You take care of the poor and hungry. And to me, my favorite is this, they would rebuild ancient ruins on your account, you will be called mender of broken walls and restorer of livable streets. I think that’s such a beautiful image and it’s so powerful to think about: that could be the legacy that we’re living. This legacy of mending broken walls and restoring livable streets, and that’s the work to be done. B: Yeah. What sticks out for me in this passage, or I guess what comes to mind is: sometimes I think that the prosperity gospel, and God that wants you to be uber rich, and just name and then claim it, which the secular version of that is the law of attraction or whatever. Gets put in conflict with social justice, Christianity. And somehow, social justice, Christianity, in the popular conception gets translated into, God wants you to suffer or that suffering is noble, or that abundance is bad. What I see here is for this marrying of both of those. Not that we should be excessively wealthy, or if you donate to your millionaire pastor’s church and God will pay your rent. But rather, this idea of removing the yoke and taking care of the hungry goes hand-in-hand with also resting on the Sabbath, and not being ground down. No one wins under capitalism. We’re all grinding, and grinding, and grinding, and grinding. The goal of the Hebrew prophets and what I see in Jesus and what I see in my atheist, social justice friends is not that we are constantly miserable, right? But there is enough and we can take care of each other and still rest. Take care of ourselves, our family and the stranger. I think that is an important message for the world today. FS: Just a reminder, if you want to take this Bible course, it starts really soon. We are going to start it right in the beginning of September. You can sign up for that at <a href="http://queertheology.com/biblecourse" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">queertheology.com/biblecourse</a>. We would love to see you there. It’s going to be a really rich and powerful time together. [outro music plays] B: The Queer Theology podcast is just one of many things that we do at <a href="http://QueerTheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">QueerTheology.com</a> which provides resources, community, and inspiration for LGBTQ Christians and straight cisgender supporters. FS: To dive into more of the action, visit us at <a href="http://QueerTheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">QueerTheology.com</a>. You can also connect with us online: on Facebook, Tumbler, Twitter, and Instagram. B: We’ll see you next week. <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Queer-Theology-Podcast-291-82519.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Download the transcript (PDF)</a> This episode talks about: <ul> <li>A recap of the LA meetup</li> <li>Why Fr. Shay loves this passage so much</li> <li>The work that needs to be done and the legacy that we can live behind</li> <li>Respecting the Sabbath day</li> <li>The importance of resting, and finding a balance between helping others and taking care of yourself</li> </ul> The How to Read the Bible course is now open for registration. We are going to start the course on September 15. If this is something you’re interested in, you can sign up for that at <a href="https://join.queertheology.com/bible-course/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">queertheology.com/biblecourse</a>. <h2>Isaiah 58:9-14</h2> <blockquote>Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and God will say, “I’m here.” If you remove the yoke from among you, the finger-pointing, the wicked speech; if you open your heart to the hungry, and provide abundantly for those who are afflicted, your light will shine in the darkness, and your gloom will be like the noon. The Lord will guide you continually and provide for you, even in parched places. He will rescue your bones. You will be like a watered garden, like a spring of water that won’t run dry. They will rebuild ancient ruins on your account; the foundations of generations past you will restore. You will be called Mender of Broken Walls, Restorer of Livable Streets. If you stop trampling the Sabbath, stop doing whatever you want on my holy day, and consider the Sabbath a delight, sacred to the Lord, honored, and honor it instead of doing things your way, seeking what you want and doing business as usual, then you will take delight in the Lord. I will let you ride on the heights of the earth; I will sustain you with the heritage of your ancestor Jacob. The mouth of the Lord has spoken.</blockquote> Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/PGnqT0rXWLs" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Helena Lopes</a> The post <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/podcast/take-care-isaiah-589-14/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Take Care – Isaiah 58:9-14</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.queertheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Queer Theology</a>.

Take Care – Isaiah 58:9-14

There’s so much in this passage that can related to queerness and LGBTQ+ Christians. What does it mean to be extraordinary in our service of God and the work of God? How can LGBTQ people related the bad faith questions asked by those who don’t care about it? In what ways is queerness inherently holy? We just scratch the surface of those questions and more. What does this passage bring up for you? Let us know on Twitter! You have a few more days to submit a question for our Q&amp;A podcast about Easter and all things Holy Week. Email us at connect@queertheology.com or leave a voice message here. Submit it by midnight your local time on Sunday April 7. Transcript coming soon Referenced in this episode:  Amos 5:18-21 (and also this episode) When questions aren’t asked in good faith LGBTQ Christian sexual ethics Living into &amp; embodying the future we are trying to create (Kingdom of God, on earth as it is in heaven!  John 12:1-8 Six days before Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, home of Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Lazarus and his sisters hosted a dinner for him. Martha served and Lazarus was among those who joined him at the table. Then Mary took an extraordinary amount, almost three-quarters of a pound, of very expensive perfume made of pure nard. She anointed Jesus’ feet with it, then wiped his feet dry with her hair. The house was filled with the aroma of the perfume. Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), complained, “This perfume was worth a year’s wages! Why wasn’t it sold and the money given to the poor?” (He said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief. He carried the money bag and would take what was in it.) Then Jesus said, “Leave her alone. This perfume was to be used in preparation for my burial, and this is how she has used it. You will always have the poor among you, but you won’t always have me.” Photo by Sharon McCutcheon The post Extraordinary – John 12:1-8 appeared first on Queer Theology.

There’s so much in this passage that can related to queerness and LGBTQ+ Christians. What does it mean to be extraordinary in our service of God and the work of God? How can LGBTQ people related the bad faith questions asked by those who don’t care about it? In what ways is queerness inherently holy? We just scratch the surface of those questions and more. What does this passage bring up for you? Let us know on <a href="https://twitter.com/qtheology" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a>! You have a few more days to submit a question for our Q&amp;A podcast about Easter and all things Holy Week. Email us at connect@queertheology.com or <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/lgbt-bible-podcast/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">leave a voice message here</a>. Submit it by midnight your local time on Sunday April 7. Transcript coming soon <h3>Referenced in this episode:</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.queertheology.com/amos-5-18-24-faith-justice/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Amos 5:18-21</a> (and also <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/amos-5-18-24/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this episode</a>)</li> <li><a href="https://www.queertheology.com/matthew-21-23-27/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">When questions aren’t asked in good faith</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.queertheology.com/resources/#sex" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">LGBTQ Christian sexual ethics</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.queertheology.com/mark-4-26-34/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Living into &amp; embodying the future we are trying to create</a> (Kingdom of God, on earth as it is in heaven!</li> </ul> <h3>John 12:1-8</h3> <blockquote>Six days before Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, home of Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Lazarus and his sisters hosted a dinner for him. Martha served and Lazarus was among those who joined him at the table. Then Mary took an extraordinary amount, almost three-quarters of a pound, of very expensive perfume made of pure nard. She anointed Jesus’ feet with it, then wiped his feet dry with her hair. The house was filled with the aroma of the perfume. Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), complained, “This perfume was worth a year’s wages! Why wasn’t it sold and the money given to the poor?” (He said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief. He carried the money bag and would take what was in it.) Then Jesus said, “Leave her alone. This perfume was to be used in preparation for my burial, and this is how she has used it. You will always have the poor among you, but you won’t always have me.”</blockquote> Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/LV7lkepljdM?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sharon McCutcheon</a> The post <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/podcast/extraordinary-john-121-8/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Extraordinary – John 12:1-8</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.queertheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Queer Theology</a>.

Extraordinary – John 12:1-8

This week’s Gospel reading opens with, “Many people have tried to tell the story of what God has done among us.” In this episode, we dig into what the Bible, what it is (and is not) trying to do, what Scripture meant in the time it was written, and what it might mean for us today. Mentioned in this episode  How to read the Bible A new more in-depth course on how to read the Bible is coming later this year, join the mailing list to get notified! Reading Queerly Did Jesus come to die for our sins?  Read the transcript (PDF) Luke 1:1-4 Many people have tried to tell the story of what God has done among us. They wrote what we had been told by the ones who were there in the beginning and saw what happened. So I made a careful study of everything and then decided to write and tell you exactly what took place. Honorable Theophilus, I have done this to let you know the truth about what you have heard. Luke 4:14-21 Jesus returned to Galilee with the power of the Spirit. News about him spread everywhere. 15 He taught in the Jewish meeting places, and everyone praised him. Jesus went back to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and as usual he went to the meeting place on the Sabbath. When he stood up to read from the Scriptures, 17 he was given the book of Isaiah the prophet. He opened it and read, “The Lord’s Spirit has come to me, because he has chosen me to tell the good news to the poor. The Lord has sent me to announce freedom for prisoners, to give sight to the blind, to free everyone who suffers, and to say, ‘This is the year the Lord has chosen.’” Jesus closed the book, then handed it back to the man in charge and sat down. Everyone in the meeting place looked straight at Jesus. Then Jesus said to them, “What you have just heard me read has come true today.” Photo by Raychan The post The story of what God has done among us – Luke 1:1-4, 4:14-21 appeared first on Queer Theology.

This week’s Gospel reading opens with, “Many people have tried to tell the story of what God has done among us.” In this episode, we dig into what the Bible, what it is (and is not) trying to do, what Scripture meant in the time it was written, and what it might mean for us today. <h3>Mentioned in this episode</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.queertheology.com/resources/#basics" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">How to read the Bible</a></li> <li>A new more in-depth course on how to read the Bible is coming later this year, <a>join the mailing list to get notified!</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.queertheology.com/community/#reading-queerly" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Reading Queerly</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.queertheology.com/christianity-basics/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Did Jesus come to die for our sins?</a></li> </ul> <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Queer-Theology-Podcast-Jan-27-2019.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Read the transcript (PDF)</a> <h3>Luke 1:1-4</h3> <blockquote>Many people have tried to tell the story of what God has done among us. They wrote what we had been told by the ones who were there in the beginning and saw what happened. So I made a careful study of everything and then decided to write and tell you exactly what took place. Honorable Theophilus, I have done this to let you know the truth about what you have heard.</blockquote> <h3>Luke 4:14-21</h3> <blockquote>Jesus returned to Galilee with the power of the Spirit. News about him spread everywhere. 15 He taught in the Jewish meeting places, and everyone praised him. Jesus went back to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and as usual he went to the meeting place on the Sabbath. When he stood up to read from the Scriptures, 17 he was given the book of Isaiah the prophet. He opened it and read, <blockquote>“The Lord’s Spirit has come to me, because he has chosen me to tell the good news to the poor. The Lord has sent me to announce freedom for prisoners, to give sight to the blind, to free everyone who suffers, and to say, ‘This is the year the Lord has chosen.’”</blockquote> Jesus closed the book, then handed it back to the man in charge and sat down. Everyone in the meeting place looked straight at Jesus. Then Jesus said to them, “What you have just heard me read has come true today.”</blockquote> Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/mmEjfh-Eo-Y?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Raychan</a> The post <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/podcast/the-story-of-what-god-has-done-among-us-luke-11-4-414-21/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The story of what God has done among us – Luke 1:1-4, 4:14-21</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.queertheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Queer Theology</a>.

The story of what God has done among us – Luke 1:1-4, 4:14-21

This episode is for the lectionary from October 21 — after recording this episode, Brian had a death in the family and was unable to publish it on schedule but we wanted you to hear it. Scripture is filled with folks wrestling with their place in their universe and their relationship with each other and that which is bigger than themselves. We are hungry to find meaning. In this episode, we explore how that plays out in Job. Job 38:1-7, 34-38 Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind: Who is this darkening counsel with words lacking knowledge? Prepare yourself like a man; I will interrogate you, and you will respond to me. The establishing of order Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundations? Tell me if you know. Who set its measurements? Surely you know. Who stretched a measuring tape on it? On what were its footings sunk; who laid its cornerstone, while the morning stars sang in unison and all the divine beings shouted? Can you issue an order to the clouds so their abundant waters cover you? Can you send lightning so that it goes and then says to you, “I’m here”? Who put wisdom in remote places, or who gave understanding to a rooster? Who is wise enough to count the clouds, and who can tilt heaven’s water containers so that dust becomes mud and clods of dirt adhere? The post Making Meaning – Job 38:1-7, 34-38 appeared first on Queer Theology.

This episode is for the lectionary from October 21 — after recording this episode, Brian had a death in the family and was unable to publish it on schedule but we wanted you to hear it. Scripture is filled with folks wrestling with their place in their universe and their relationship with each other and that which is bigger than themselves. We are hungry to find meaning. In this episode, we explore how that plays out in Job. <h3>Job 38:1-7, 34-38</h3> <blockquote>Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind: Who is this darkening counsel with words lacking knowledge? Prepare yourself like a man; I will interrogate you, and you will respond to me. The establishing of order Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundations? Tell me if you know. Who set its measurements? Surely you know. Who stretched a measuring tape on it? On what were its footings sunk; who laid its cornerstone, while the morning stars sang in unison and all the divine beings shouted?</blockquote> <blockquote>Can you issue an order to the clouds so their abundant waters cover you? Can you send lightning so that it goes and then says to you, “I’m here”? Who put wisdom in remote places, or who gave understanding to a rooster? Who is wise enough to count the clouds, and who can tilt heaven’s water containers so that dust becomes mud and clods of dirt adhere?</blockquote> The post <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/podcast/making-meaning-job-381-7-34-38/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Making Meaning – Job 38:1-7, 34-38</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.queertheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Queer Theology</a>.

Making Meaning – Job 38:1-7, 34-38

As far back as we can remember, we were taught to read the Bible in a way that doesn’t always line up with what the passage actually says. Sometimes, people stop reading when they think that a particular part of the passage is enough to fit their “needs”. What’s worse is that some may take full advantage of this and use it against LGBTQ folks. Take a look at this passage and see what we think. Episode TranscriptBrian: Welcome to the Queer Theology podcast! Fr. Shay: Where each episode, we take a queer look at the week’s lectionary readings. We’re the co-founders of QueerTheology.com and the hosts for this podcast. I’m Father Shay Kearns B: And I’m Brian G. Murphy. B: Good morning! Today is Sunday, August 4th, 2019. We are going to be looking at Colossians 3:1-11, if you wanna read along we will put the texts in the show notes for this episode which you can find at QueerTheology.com/288. You can also find notes for everything we talk about over there, but I will also read it for you now. This is from the Common English Bible. Therefore, if you were raised with Christ, look for the things that are above where Christ is sitting at God’s right side. Think about the things above and not things on earth. You died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory. So put to death the parts of your life that belong to the earth, such as sexual immorality, moral corruption, lust, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). The wrath of God is coming upon disobedient people because of these things. You used to live this way, when you were alive to these things. But now set aside these things, such as anger, rage, malice, slander, and obscene language. Don’t lie to each other. Take off the old human nature with its practices and put on the new nature, which is renewed in knowledge by conforming to the image of the one who created it. In this image there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all things and in all people. Shay, this has so much going on here and I can not wait to hear your LGBTQ Christian take on this passage, so hit me with it. FS: Yeah, I feel like this is one of those passages that people read one verse, and then stop. Right? “…put to death the parts of your life that belong to the earth, such as sexual immorality, moral corruption, lust, evil desire…” and then they stop there. B: They stop even before they even get to greed! FS: Yeah! And then they say, see you, gay people, the wrath of God is coming upon you. Okay, so, first of all, ya’ll left out greed which is called idolatry, I mean that’s huge. Also, you’re leaving aside anger, rage, malice, slander and obscene language and lying. This indicts all of us in some way. It’s lazy reading to make this passage about gay people. I also think there’s somebody that said about Paul and his clear issues about sex. I want to get Paul a really great therapist so that he can work out whatever angst he has around sex and sexuality. Because I feel like he is writing out his own stuff unto other people and again, I think we’ve talked about this before, I’m pretty sure Paul would be horrified to know that his letters to specific church communities became scripture. I don’t think that that was he was doing here, and I think that he’d be like, “Oh shit! I maybe should’ve reign some of that in.” Also, the fact is I think lots of people pull out these sections and use Paul’s own angst about sexuality to create their own angst about sexuality and to be anxious about everyone’s sexuality. Which I don’t think that’s what this is about. That’s like my first rant about this passage. I do think that part of what Paul is saying here is that what it means to be a follower of Jesus is to try to imitate Jesus and Jesus’ life. Part of that is figuring out how to live in the world in a just way. In a way that is kind to other people. In a way that puts the Kingdom of God first. I think that he gets at it better at the end when he talks about, “In this image there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, but Christ is all things and in all people.” But he took a weird turn to get there. I think that that’s more about Paul and less about God. So for me, when I’m reading this passage from a queer perspective, I’m not reading it from a sense of like don’t have sex, but about what is it mean to imitate Christ? What does that look like? And not in some kind of hippy-dippy kind of way, but in concrete ways. What does it mean to follow in the path of Jesus, here and now, and in my life? I think that those are really challenging questions and those are vital and valid questions to sit with. What does this passage do for you? B: Amen! A few times recently, we’ve talked how it’s important to recognize what is in the text and who should be bringing to the text. I remember when I came out, I was 18/19 and one of my friends from church, I don’t know how she asked me but she basically, “If I gave you some passages to consider, would you read them and consider them about me being gay.” I was like, “I probably already read them, but sure.” So she sent me a letter that have 25+ passages on it. One of them was this Colossians passage, and actually most of the passages where like this where it talked about sexual immorality, or moral corruption, or lust and these are things that only mean homosexuality if you come to the table with that in mind. In fact, it only means premarital sex, or kinky sex or non-monogamy if you bring that to the table with you. I think Paul very clearly wanted no one to have sex at all, so that’s just something we have to own, and name, and deal with. Also, we recognize that we’re not doing that. I think that what you said earlier was so important to remember that when you look at this whole passage it indicts all of us. No one escapes this. As much as I try and be a kind, mindful person, I get angry. I’ve probably thrown into a rage before even. There’s just like no way to escape this, so starting there is an important thing to remember. I also just can’t help but notice all the ways the anti-LGBTQ Christians lie and manipulate the truth in order to try and condemn queer people, women and their bodies, and unfortunately, immigrants, right? Often times, slander us. In condemning queer people, Christians are often violating the very text that they are claiming to uphold, and it’s just like “ugh”. It makes me so, so angry, but I also think that this idea of “…put the parts of your life that belong to the earth, such as sexual immorality, moral corruption, lust, evil desire, and greed.” I can get behind that. What does this look like to actually ask people of faith who can not stand for rape culture, for sexual assault, for embezzlement, for objectifying people, for hoarding wealth? That is what this passage could inspire us to do, and instead, it’s just like, “Don’t masturbate and don’t be gay.” What a terrible corruption of this text. [outro music plays] B: The Queer Theology podcast is just one of many things that we do at QueerTheology.com which provides resources, community, and inspiration for LGBTQ Christians and straight cisgender supporters. FS: To dive into more of the action, visit us at QueerTheology.com. You can also connect with us online: on Facebook, Tumbler, Twitter, and Instagram. B: We’ll see you next week.  Download the transcript (PDF) This episode’s highlights include:  How others intentionally misinterpret this passage and use it against queer folks The use of this passage against queer people, when it actually talks about everyone who sins Paul’s personal issues with sex and how it is reflected in this passage Reading this passage wrongly is easy especially if you’ve already made up your mind (anti-LGBTQ thoughts) The challenge to use this passage to protect the oppressed than to castrate queer folks  Colossians 3:1-11 Therefore, if you were raised with Christ, look for the things that are above where Christ is sitting at God’s right side. Think about the things above and not things on earth. You died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory. So put to death the parts of your life that belong to the earth, such as sexual immorality, moral corruption, lust, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). The wrath of God is coming upon disobedient people because of these things. You used to live this way, when you were alive to these things. But now set aside these things, such as anger, rage, malice, slander, and obscene language. Don’t lie to each other. Take off the old human nature with its practices and put on the new nature, which is renewed in knowledge by conforming to the image of the one who created it.  In this image there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all things and in all people. Photo by Richard Jaimes The post Sexual Immorality – Colossians 3:1-11 appeared first on Queer Theology.

As far back as we can remember, we were taught to read the Bible in a way that doesn’t always line up with what the passage actually says. Sometimes, people stop reading when they think that a particular part of the passage is enough to fit their “needs”. What’s worse is that some may take full advantage of this and use it against LGBTQ folks. Take a look at this passage and see what we think. <h3>Episode Transcript</h3>Brian: Welcome to the Queer Theology podcast! Fr. Shay: Where each episode, we take a queer look at the week’s lectionary readings. We’re the co-founders of <a href="http://QueerTheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">QueerTheology.com</a> and the hosts for this podcast. I’m Father Shay Kearns B: And I’m Brian G. Murphy. B: Good morning! Today is Sunday, August 4th, 2019. We are going to be looking at Colossians 3:1-11, if you wanna read along we will put the texts in the show notes for this episode which you can find at <a href="http://QueerTheology.com/288" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">QueerTheology.com/288</a>. You can also find notes for everything we talk about over there, but I will also read it for you now. This is from the Common English Bible. Therefore, if you were raised with Christ, look for the things that are above where Christ is sitting at God’s right side. Think about the things above and not things on earth. You died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory. So put to death the parts of your life that belong to the earth, such as sexual immorality, moral corruption, lust, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). The wrath of God is coming upon disobedient people because of these things. You used to live this way, when you were alive to these things. But now set aside these things, such as anger, rage, malice, slander, and obscene language. Don’t lie to each other. Take off the old human nature with its practices and put on the new nature, which is renewed in knowledge by conforming to the image of the one who created it. In this image there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all things and in all people. Shay, this has so much going on here and I can not wait to hear your LGBTQ Christian take on this passage, so hit me with it. FS: Yeah, I feel like this is one of those passages that people read one verse, and then stop. Right? “…put to death the parts of your life that belong to the earth, such as sexual immorality, moral corruption, lust, evil desire…” and then they stop there. B: They stop even before they even get to greed! FS: Yeah! And then they say, see you, gay people, the wrath of God is coming upon you. Okay, so, first of all, ya’ll left out greed which is called idolatry, I mean that’s huge. Also, you’re leaving aside anger, rage, malice, slander and obscene language and lying. This indicts all of us in some way. It’s lazy reading to make this passage about gay people. I also think there’s somebody that said about Paul and his clear issues about sex. I want to get Paul a really great therapist so that he can work out whatever angst he has around sex and sexuality. Because I feel like he is writing out his own stuff unto other people and again, I think we’ve talked about this before, I’m pretty sure Paul would be horrified to know that his letters to specific church communities became scripture. I don’t think that that was he was doing here, and I think that he’d be like, “Oh shit! I maybe should’ve reign some of that in.” Also, the fact is I think lots of people pull out these sections and use Paul’s own angst about sexuality to create their own angst about sexuality and to be anxious about everyone’s sexuality. Which I don’t think that’s what this is about. That’s like my first rant about this passage. I do think that part of what Paul is saying here is that what it means to be a follower of Jesus is to try to imitate Jesus and Jesus’ life. Part of that is figuring out how to live in the world in a just way. In a way that is kind to other people. In a way that puts the Kingdom of God first. I think that he gets at it better at the end when he talks about, “In this image there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, but Christ is all things and in all people.” But he took a weird turn to get there. I think that that’s more about Paul and less about God. So for me, when I’m reading this passage from a queer perspective, I’m not reading it from a sense of like don’t have sex, but about what is it mean to imitate Christ? What does that look like? And not in some kind of hippy-dippy kind of way, but in concrete ways. What does it mean to follow in the path of Jesus, here and now, and in my life? I think that those are really challenging questions and those are vital and valid questions to sit with. What does this passage do for you? B: Amen! A few times recently, we’ve talked how it’s important to recognize what is in the text and who should be bringing to the text. I remember when I came out, I was 18/19 and one of my friends from church, I don’t know how she asked me but she basically, “If I gave you some passages to consider, would you read them and consider them about me being gay.” I was like, “I probably already read them, but sure.” So she sent me a letter that have 25+ passages on it. One of them was this Colossians passage, and actually most of the passages where like this where it talked about sexual immorality, or moral corruption, or lust and these are things that only mean homosexuality if you come to the table with that in mind. In fact, it only means premarital sex, or kinky sex or non-monogamy if you bring that to the table with you. I think Paul very clearly wanted no one to have sex at all, so that’s just something we have to own, and name, and deal with. Also, we recognize that we’re not doing that. I think that what you said earlier was so important to remember that when you look at this whole passage it indicts all of us. No one escapes this. As much as I try and be a kind, mindful person, I get angry. I’ve probably thrown into a rage before even. There’s just like no way to escape this, so starting there is an important thing to remember. I also just can’t help but notice all the ways the anti-LGBTQ Christians lie and manipulate the truth in order to try and condemn queer people, women and their bodies, and unfortunately, immigrants, right? Often times, slander us. In condemning queer people, Christians are often violating the very text that they are claiming to uphold, and it’s just like “ugh”. It makes me so, so angry, but I also think that this idea of “…put the parts of your life that belong to the earth, such as sexual immorality, moral corruption, lust, evil desire, and greed.” I can get behind that. What does this look like to actually ask people of faith who can not stand for rape culture, for sexual assault, for embezzlement, for objectifying people, for hoarding wealth? That is what this passage could inspire us to do, and instead, it’s just like, “Don’t masturbate and don’t be gay.” What a terrible corruption of this text. [outro music plays] B: The Queer Theology podcast is just one of many things that we do at <a href="http://QueerTheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">QueerTheology.com</a> which provides resources, community, and inspiration for LGBTQ Christians and straight cisgender supporters. FS: To dive into more of the action, visit us at <a href="http://QueerTheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">QueerTheology.com</a>. You can also connect with us online: on Facebook, Tumbler, Twitter, and Instagram. B: We’ll see you next week. <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Queer-Theology-Podcast-288-8419.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Download the transcript (PDF)</a> This episode’s highlights include: <ul> <li>How others intentionally misinterpret this passage and use it against queer folks</li> <li>The use of this passage against queer people, when it actually talks about everyone who sins</li> <li>Paul’s personal issues with sex and how it is reflected in this passage</li> <li>Reading this passage wrongly is easy especially if you’ve already made up your mind (anti-LGBTQ thoughts)</li> <li>The challenge to use this passage to protect the oppressed than to castrate queer folks</li> </ul> <h2>Colossians 3:1-11</h2> <blockquote>Therefore, if you were raised with Christ, look for the things that are above where Christ is sitting at God’s right side. Think about the things above and not things on earth. You died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory. So put to death the parts of your life that belong to the earth, such as sexual immorality, moral corruption, lust, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). The wrath of God is coming upon disobedient people because of these things. You used to live this way, when you were alive to these things. But now set aside these things, such as anger, rage, malice, slander, and obscene language. Don’t lie to each other. Take off the old human nature with its practices and put on the new nature, which is renewed in knowledge by conforming to the image of the one who created it.  In this image there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all things and in all people.</blockquote> Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/O9ma3bDyBB4" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Richard Jaimes</a> The post <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/podcast/sexual-immorality-colossians-31-11/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sexual Immorality – Colossians 3:1-11</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.queertheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Queer Theology</a>.

Sexual Immorality – Colossians 3:1-11

Sodom and Gomorrah is one of the six or seven clobber verses that is commonly used to condemn homosexuality. We talk about what the verse really represents and how it is not about LGBTQ issues. When read using the correct lenses, it focuses on the injustice and oppression that is currently occurring in today’s world. It also pushes us to find ways to help the needy, the poor and the innocent. Episode TranscriptBrian:  Welcome to the Queer Theology podcast! Fr. Shay: Where each episode, we take a queer look at the week’s lectionary readings. We’re the co-founders of QueerTheology.com and the hosts for this podcast. I’m Father Shay Kearns  B:  And I’m Brian G. Murphy. FS:  Hello and welcome back to the Queer Theology podcast. This is Sunday, July 28th and we are going to look at a doozy of a passage today, Genesis 18:20-32. You can find that in the show notes at QueerTheology.com/287, but I’m also going to go ahead and read it for us now. So this is Genesis 18:20-32. Then the Lord said, “The cries of injustice from Sodom and Gomorrah are countless, and their sin is very serious! I will go down now to examine the cries of injustice that have reached me. Have they really done all this? If not, I want to know.” The men turned away and walked toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing in front of the Lord. Abraham approached and said, “Will you really sweep away the innocent with the guilty? What if there are fifty innocent people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not save the place for the sake of the fifty innocent people in it? It’s not like you to do this, killing the innocent with the guilty as if there were no difference. It’s not like you! Will the judge of all the earth not act justly?” The Lord said, “If I find fifty innocent people in the city of Sodom, I will save it because of them.” Abraham responded, “Since I’ve already decided to speak with my Lord, even though I’m just soil and ash, what if there are five fewer innocent people than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city over just five?” The Lord said, “If I find forty-five there, I won’t destroy it.” Once again Abraham spoke, “What if forty are there?” The Lord said, “For the sake of forty, I will do nothing.” He said, “Don’t be angry with me, my Lord, but let me speak. What if thirty are there?” The Lord said, “I won’t do it if I find thirty there.” Abraham said, “Since I’ve already decided to speak with my Lord, what if twenty are there?” The Lord said, “I won’t do it, for the sake of twenty.” Abraham said, “Don’t be angry with me, my Lord, but let me speak just once more. What if there are ten?” And the Lord said, “I will not destroy it because of those ten.” B: I’m so excited!!! FS: Yes! What do you make of this? What do you do with this? B:  Yeah! So obviously, this is the start of the story of Sodom &amp; Gomorrah which LGBTQ people are intimately aware with, and honestly, at this point probably, most people are aware of it because it’s just become so ingrained in our culture. Sodomy is a word that has come to mean: non-PIV sex right? It derives from this story and I think there are all sorts of takes on why that’s maybe not accurate and we will perhaps get into some of that today. But what struck me today, and I think I said this last week, I just love coming back to texts over and over again because each time you see something different. And so, when we picked this text I was, “Oh! We’re gonna talk Sodom &amp; Gomorrah. We are going to talk about homosexuality in the Bible. And we’re gonna talk about how you can know it’s okay and this doesn’t really say what people say that it says.” All that definitely happening. Today prisons came up, particularly the death penalty, but prisons in general, and so often we need to punish people for their crimes and what about innocent folks who get swept up in this. Here God is saying, let’s just assume for the sake of this argument that all of the city of Sodom really is terrible people. God is like, I’m not gonna destroy that. I’m gonna let go and pardon an entire city full of terrible people just so that I don’t destroy ten innocent people. And I think what would our approach to criminal justice, incarceration, and in particular, the death penalty look like if we were like: just one person is too many to be punished? And what does a graceful approach to crime and punishment look like? I think, obviously, the story ends with Sodom &amp; Gomorrah being destroyed, so not a perfect analogy. But at least for me, it prompts a moment of introspection around that. In the past, we’ve talked about how prison-justice is both a queer issue and a Christian issue, and you can learn more about that at QueerTheology.com/prisons, but that’s like my prison and crime and punishment weird aside on Sodom &amp; Gomorrah. Shay, what comes up for you in this passage? FS:  Yeah, it’s funny because you started off by saying that this is a passage that people know really intimately. I think there’s a yes-and there, right? We have this sense that we know the passage, but every time I read it, I find new things. I find things that we don’t talk about when we talk about these passages. Even this passage, the very first sentence says, “The cries of injustice from Sodom and Gomorrah are countless…” and I think that there was a lot of butt sex in Sodom and Gomorrah and I’m pissed. The injustice is so serious that I have to do something about it. That’s the first takeaway.  The other takeaway is that this passage is really funny, right? This back and forth between Abraham and the Lord is hysterical to me because Abraham is doing this fake deference thing and God is like playing into it. The two of them are going back and forth and Abraham is like, well, if I got him to agree to 50, maybe I can get him to agree to 45. It’s like this barter. And again, we see this sense of a God who is willing to change God’s mind, willing to be badgered down to ten people, willing to not smite the person who is arguing. I think that we often have this sense, especially, people talk about the old testament God and we have pushed back about that in hundreds of other podcasts. So we won’t do that again here. The sense here is that God is wanting to be compassionate and also, unwilling for injustice to continue to exist. I think that’s an important piece of this story. God is wanting to protect the innocent, wanting to take care of them, and also is not willing to let oppressors go free and do their thing. And so, I think that this story should be terrifying, not to queer folks, but to people who are invested in systems of power. And really, I’ll speak for myself as a white American, that’s me and I think all of us who are in the systems where oppression and injustice is still occurring. To me, that’s the message of this story. You recorded this great video talking about how you are a sodomite and I think that’s huge, that’s a great video and it’s important to pay attention to that, and we’ll put that in the show notes. I think that’s the message that this story continues to speak and it’s more important that we grapple with that and less important than we say, well Sodom &amp; Gomorrah wasn’t really about gay people — it wasn’t. And also, it’s more important that we do the work about where’s the injustice in our world and how are we being a part of the change than it is to do linguistic things around homosexuality in the Bible. B: Yeah! I am a sodomite, but it’s not because I like to suck dick and have butt-sex, but because I like, participate, in the injustice in the world. I think that this idea of justice and injustice is so central to our understanding of this, and as people who, Christianity is this dominant religion in America and in much of the world, especially for folks that grew up in a church which are surrounded by Bible stories and church stories. And so, it’s really easy like you were saying to think that we know what it means.  It’s really important on approaching a text to be paying attention to what is actually here and what isn’t. The injustice happening in Sodom &amp; Gomorrah is only about gay people if you bring that prejudice and bias to the text. But if you look at how the Hebrew and the Christian Bibles: what does God call injustice or what did God’s people call injustice? It’s very clear that it’s political abuse, by hoarding of wealth, neglecting poor folks, mistreating women, not taking care of immigrants, right? The Bible makes clear what injustice is and even Ezekiel talks about specifically Sodom &amp; Gomorrah, saying: the sin your sister Sodom they were arrogant, overfed, unconcerned. They did not help the poor and needy, right? This passage is convicting, but not in the ways that it’s been used against us in the past. If you still have lingering questions about is it okay to be LGBTQ Christian, we put together a 7-day email series that walks you through all of that. You can get that at QueerTheology.com/is-it-ok. We will start sending those over to you. [outro music plays] B:  The Queer Theology podcast is just one of many things that we do at QueerTheology.com which provides resources, community, and inspiration for LGBTQ Christians and straight cisgender supporters.  FS:  To dive into more of the action, visit us at QueerTheology.com. You can also connect with us online: on Facebook, Tumbler, Twitter, and Instagram. B: We’ll see you next week.  Download the transcript (PDF) Today’s episode talks about:  How the passage is already ingrained in the culture of most Christians The relationship between prison and the death penalty to today’s passage Sodom &amp; Gomorrah is NOT about homosexuality Focusing on injustice and what we should do about it God’s willingness to change God’s mind Look into this video about sodomy  If you wish to receive our 7-day email series about whether or not it’s okay to be an LGBTQ Christian, check this one out: QueerTheology.com/is-it-ok Genesis 18:20-32 Then the Lord said, “The cries of injustice from Sodom and Gomorrah are countless, and their sin is very serious! I will go down now to examine the cries of injustice that have reached me. Have they really done all this? If not, I want to know.” The men turned away and walked toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing in front of the Lord. Abraham approached and said, “Will you really sweep away the innocent with the guilty? What if there are fifty innocent people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not save the place for the sake of the fifty innocent people in it? It’s not like you to do this, killing the innocent with the guilty as if there were no difference. It’s not like you! Will the judge of all the earth not act justly?” The Lord said, “If I find fifty innocent people in the city of Sodom, I will save it because of them.” Abraham responded, “Since I’ve already decided to speak with my Lord, even though I’m just soil and ash, what if there are five fewer innocent people than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city over just five?” The Lord said, “If I find forty-five there, I won’t destroy it.” Once again Abraham spoke, “What if forty are there?” The Lord said, “For the sake of forty, I will do nothing.” He said, “Don’t be angry with me, my Lord, but let me speak. What if thirty are there?” The Lord said, “I won’t do it if I find thirty there.” Abraham said, “Since I’ve already decided to speak with my Lord, what if twenty are there?” The Lord said, “I won’t do it, for the sake of twenty.” Abraham said, “Don’t be angry with me, my Lord, but let me speak just once more. What if there are ten?” And the Lord said, “I will not destroy it because of those ten.” Photo by Daniele Levis Pelusi The post Sodom &amp; Gomorrah – Genesis 18:20-32 appeared first on Queer Theology.

Sodom and Gomorrah is one of the six or seven clobber verses that is commonly used to condemn homosexuality. We talk about what the verse really represents and how it is not about LGBTQ issues. When read using the correct lenses, it focuses on the injustice and oppression that is currently occurring in today’s world. It also pushes us to find ways to help the needy, the poor and the innocent. <h3>Episode Transcript</h3>Brian: Welcome to the Queer Theology podcast! Fr. Shay: Where each episode, we take a queer look at the week’s lectionary readings. We’re the co-founders of <a href="http://QueerTheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">QueerTheology.com</a> and the hosts for this podcast. I’m Father Shay Kearns  B: And I’m Brian G. Murphy. FS: Hello and welcome back to the Queer Theology podcast. This is Sunday, July 28th and we are going to look at a doozy of a passage today, Genesis 18:20-32. You can find that in the show notes at <a href="http://QueerTheology.com/287" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">QueerTheology.com/287</a>, but I’m also going to go ahead and read it for us now. So this is Genesis 18:20-32. Then the Lord said, “The cries of injustice from Sodom and Gomorrah are countless, and their sin is very serious! I will go down now to examine the cries of injustice that have reached me. Have they really done all this? If not, I want to know.” The men turned away and walked toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing in front of the Lord. Abraham approached and said, “Will you really sweep away the innocent with the guilty? What if there are fifty innocent people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not save the place for the sake of the fifty innocent people in it? It’s not like you to do this, killing the innocent with the guilty as if there were no difference. It’s not like you! Will the judge of all the earth not act justly?” The Lord said, “If I find fifty innocent people in the city of Sodom, I will save it because of them.” Abraham responded, “Since I’ve already decided to speak with my Lord, even though I’m just soil and ash, what if there are five fewer innocent people than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city over just five?” The Lord said, “If I find forty-five there, I won’t destroy it.” Once again Abraham spoke, “What if forty are there?” The Lord said, “For the sake of forty, I will do nothing.” He said, “Don’t be angry with me, my Lord, but let me speak. What if thirty are there?” The Lord said, “I won’t do it if I find thirty there.” Abraham said, “Since I’ve already decided to speak with my Lord, what if twenty are there?” The Lord said, “I won’t do it, for the sake of twenty.” Abraham said, “Don’t be angry with me, my Lord, but let me speak just once more. What if there are ten?” And the Lord said, “I will not destroy it because of those ten.” B: I’m so excited!!! FS: Yes! What do you make of this? What do you do with this? B: Yeah! So obviously, this is the start of the story of Sodom &amp; Gomorrah which LGBTQ people are intimately aware with, and honestly, at this point probably, most people are aware of it because it’s just become so ingrained in our culture. Sodomy is a word that has come to mean: non-PIV sex right? It derives from this story and I think there are all sorts of takes on why that’s maybe not accurate and we will perhaps get into some of that today. But what struck me today, and I think I said this last week, I just love coming back to texts over and over again because each time you see something different. And so, when we picked this text I was, “Oh! We’re gonna talk Sodom &amp; Gomorrah. We are going to talk about homosexuality in the Bible. And we’re gonna talk about how you can know it’s okay and this doesn’t really say what people say that it says.” All that definitely happening. Today prisons came up, particularly the death penalty, but prisons in general, and so often we need to punish people for their crimes and what about innocent folks who get swept up in this. Here God is saying, let’s just assume for the sake of this argument that all of the city of Sodom really is terrible people. God is like, I’m not gonna destroy that. I’m gonna let go and pardon an entire city full of terrible people just so that I don’t destroy ten innocent people. And I think what would our approach to criminal justice, incarceration, and in particular, the death penalty look like if we were like: just one person is too many to be punished? And what does a graceful approach to crime and punishment look like? I think, obviously, the story ends with Sodom &amp; Gomorrah being destroyed, so not a perfect analogy. But at least for me, it prompts a moment of introspection around that. In the past, we’ve talked about how prison-justice is both a queer issue and a Christian issue, and you can learn more about that at <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/prisons/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">QueerTheology.com/prisons</a>, but that’s like my prison and crime and punishment weird aside on Sodom &amp; Gomorrah. Shay, what comes up for you in this passage? FS: Yeah, it’s funny because you started off by saying that this is a passage that people know really intimately. I think there’s a yes-and there, right? We have this sense that we know the passage, but every time I read it, I find new things. I find things that we don’t talk about when we talk about these passages. Even this passage, the very first sentence says, “The cries of injustice from Sodom and Gomorrah are countless…” and I think that there was a lot of butt sex in Sodom and Gomorrah and I’m pissed. The injustice is so serious that I have to do something about it. That’s the first takeaway.  The other takeaway is that this passage is really funny, right? This back and forth between Abraham and the Lord is hysterical to me because Abraham is doing this fake deference thing and God is like playing into it. The two of them are going back and forth and Abraham is like, well, if I got him to agree to 50, maybe I can get him to agree to 45. It’s like this barter. And again, we see this sense of a God who is willing to change God’s mind, willing to be badgered down to ten people, willing to not smite the person who is arguing. I think that we often have this sense, especially, people talk about the old testament God and we have pushed back about that in hundreds of other podcasts. So we won’t do that again here. The sense here is that God is wanting to be compassionate and also, unwilling for injustice to continue to exist. I think that’s an important piece of this story. God is wanting to protect the innocent, wanting to take care of them, and also is not willing to let oppressors go free and do their thing. And so, I think that this story should be terrifying, not to queer folks, but to people who are invested in systems of power. And really, I’ll speak for myself as a white American, that’s me and I think all of us who are in the systems where oppression and injustice is still occurring. To me, that’s the message of this story. You recorded this great video talking about how you are a sodomite and I think that’s huge, that’s a great video and it’s important to pay attention to that, and we’ll put that in the show notes. I think that’s the message that this story continues to speak and it’s more important that we grapple with that and less important than we say, well Sodom &amp; Gomorrah wasn’t really about gay people — it wasn’t. And also, it’s more important that we do the work about where’s the injustice in our world and how are we being a part of the change than it is to do linguistic things around homosexuality in the Bible. B: Yeah! I am a sodomite, but it’s not because I like to suck dick and have butt-sex, but because I like, participate, in the injustice in the world. I think that this idea of justice and injustice is so central to our understanding of this, and as people who, Christianity is this dominant religion in America and in much of the world, especially for folks that grew up in a church which are surrounded by Bible stories and church stories. And so, it’s really easy like you were saying to think that we know what it means.  It’s really important on approaching a text to be paying attention to what is actually here and what isn’t. The injustice happening in Sodom &amp; Gomorrah is only about gay people if you bring that prejudice and bias to the text. But if you look at how the Hebrew and the Christian Bibles: what does God call injustice or what did God’s people call injustice? It’s very clear that it’s political abuse, by hoarding of wealth, neglecting poor folks, mistreating women, not taking care of immigrants, right? The Bible makes clear what injustice is and even Ezekiel talks about specifically Sodom &amp; Gomorrah, saying: the sin your sister Sodom they were arrogant, overfed, unconcerned. They did not help the poor and needy, right? This passage is convicting, but not in the ways that it’s been used against us in the past. If you still have lingering questions about is it okay to be LGBTQ Christian, we put together a 7-day email series that walks you through all of that. You can get that at <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/is-it-ok" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">QueerTheology.com/is-it-ok</a>. We will start sending those over to you. [outro music plays] B: The Queer Theology podcast is just one of many things that we do at <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">QueerTheology.com</a> which provides resources, community, and inspiration for LGBTQ Christians and straight cisgender supporters.  FS: To dive into more of the action, visit us at <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">QueerTheology.com</a>. You can also connect with us online: on Facebook, Tumbler, Twitter, and Instagram. B: We’ll see you next week. <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Queer-Theology-Podcast-287-72819.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Download the transcript (PDF)</a> Today’s episode talks about: <ul> <li>How the passage is already ingrained in the culture of most Christians</li> <li>The relationship between prison and the death penalty to today’s passage</li> <li>Sodom &amp; Gomorrah is NOT about homosexuality</li> <li>Focusing on injustice and what we should do about it</li> <li>God’s willingness to change God’s mind</li> <li>Look into this <a href="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VoNXPw1qMvc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">video</a> about sodomy</li> </ul> If you wish to receive our 7-day email series about whether or not it’s okay to be an LGBTQ Christian, check this one out: <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/is-it-ok" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">QueerTheology.com/is-it-ok</a> <h2>Genesis 18:20-32</h2> <blockquote>Then the Lord said, “The cries of injustice from Sodom and Gomorrah are countless, and their sin is very serious! I will go down now to examine the cries of injustice that have reached me. Have they really done all this? If not, I want to know.” The men turned away and walked toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing in front of the Lord. Abraham approached and said, “Will you really sweep away the innocent with the guilty? What if there are fifty innocent people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not save the place for the sake of the fifty innocent people in it? It’s not like you to do this, killing the innocent with the guilty as if there were no difference. It’s not like you! Will the judge of all the earth not act justly?” The Lord said, “If I find fifty innocent people in the city of Sodom, I will save it because of them.” Abraham responded, “Since I’ve already decided to speak with my Lord, even though I’m just soil and ash, what if there are five fewer innocent people than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city over just five?” The Lord said, “If I find forty-five there, I won’t destroy it.” Once again Abraham spoke, “What if forty are there?” The Lord said, “For the sake of forty, I will do nothing.” He said, “Don’t be angry with me, my Lord, but let me speak. What if thirty are there?” The Lord said, “I won’t do it if I find thirty there.” Abraham said, “Since I’ve already decided to speak with my Lord, what if twenty are there?” The Lord said, “I won’t do it, for the sake of twenty.” Abraham said, “Don’t be angry with me, my Lord, but let me speak just once more. What if there are ten?” And the Lord said, “I will not destroy it because of those ten.”</blockquote> Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/jTknOGI18us" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Daniele Levis Pelusi</a> The post <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/podcast/sodom-gomorrah-genesis-1820-32/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sodom &amp; Gomorrah – Genesis 18:20-32</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.queertheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Queer Theology</a>.

Sodom & Gomorrah – Genesis 18:20-32

Sarah Ngu

This week, we have a special episode of the Queer Theology podcast: our first ever live episode! Brian was at the Q Christian Fellowship Conference in Chicago, IL a few weeks ago to speak about polyamory on a panel about Christian sexual ethics (the very first openly polyamorous speaker at QCF and the first time polyamory was addressed from during an official workshop!) He was also invited to record Queer Theology live from the first-ever Brian M. Eckstein Podcast Stage. Sarah Ngu joined to discuss queerness, how we understand faith and the Bible, how we approach conversations of “is it OK to be LGBTQ?,” race and culture, implications queerness has on our faith journeys, one of Sarah’s favorite Bible passages, and so much more. Learn more about Church Clarity and their work to score churches on their clarity around actively enforced policies regarding LGBTQ people and women in leadership at churchclarity.org. If you want to connect with Sarah or Church Clarity, email sarah@churchclarity.org. Acts 17:26-27  From one ancestor he made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him—though indeed he is not far from each one of us.              var podscribeEmbedVars = {         epGuid: 'https://www.queertheology.com/?p=5725',         rssUrl: 'https://www.queertheology.com/feed/podcast/?wpmfeedkey=1%3B803a7377a32346e6c2e9dad2350c33b1',         backgroundColor: 'white',         font: undefined,         fontColor: undefined,         speakerFontColor: undefined,         height: '600px',         showEditButton: false,         showSpeakers: true,         showTimestamps: true       };        The post LIVE from Q Christian Fellowship Conference with Sarah Ngu of Church Clarity – Acts 17:26-27 appeared first on Queer Theology.

This week, we have a special episode of the Queer Theology podcast: our first ever live episode! Brian was at the Q Christian Fellowship Conference in Chicago, IL a few weeks ago to speak about polyamory on a panel about Christian sexual ethics (the very first openly polyamorous speaker at QCF and the first time polyamory was addressed from during an official workshop!) He was also invited to record Queer Theology live from the first-ever Brian M. Eckstein Podcast Stage. Sarah Ngu joined to discuss queerness, how we understand faith and the Bible, how we approach conversations of “is it OK to be LGBTQ?,” race and culture, implications queerness has on our faith journeys, one of Sarah’s favorite Bible passages, and so much more. Learn more about Church Clarity and their work to score churches on their clarity around actively enforced policies regarding LGBTQ people and women in leadership at <a href="https://www.churchclarity.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">churchclarity.org</a>. If you want to connect with Sarah or Church Clarity, email sarah@churchclarity.org. <h3>Acts 17:26-27</h3> <blockquote> From one ancestor he made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him—though indeed he is not far from each one of us. </blockquote> var podscribeEmbedVars = { epGuid: '<a href="https://www.queertheology.com/?p=5725'" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.queertheology.com/?p=5725'</a>, rssUrl: '<a href="https://www.queertheology.com/feed/podcast/?wpmfeedkey=1%3B803a7377a32346e6c2e9dad2350c33b1'" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.queertheology.com/feed/podcast/?wpmfeedkey=1%3B803a7377a32346e6c2e9dad2350c33b1'</a>, backgroundColor: 'white', font: undefined, fontColor: undefined, speakerFontColor: undefined, height: '600px', showEditButton: false, showSpeakers: true, showTimestamps: true }; The post <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/podcast/qcf-live-sarah-ngu-church-clarity-acts-17/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">LIVE from Q Christian Fellowship Conference with Sarah Ngu of Church Clarity – Acts 17:26-27</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.queertheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Queer Theology</a>.

LIVE from Q Christian Fellowship Conference with Sarah Ngu of Church Clarity – Acts 17:26-27

In this passage, Paul is convinced that the world is ending within his lifetime and—spoiler alert—it doesn’t. Sometimes the writers of the Bible get things completely wrong. In this episode, we explore the implications of that for our faith and lives. 1 Corinthians 15:51-58 Listen, I’m telling you a secret: All of us won’t die, but we will all be changed—in an instant, in the blink of an eye, at the final trumpet. The trumpet will blast, and the dead will be raised with bodies that won’t decay, and we will be changed. It’s necessary for this rotting body to be clothed with what can’t decay, and for the body that is dying to be clothed in what can’t die. And when the rotting body has been clothed in what can’t decay, and the dying body has been clothed in what can’t die, then this statement in scripture will happen: Death has been swallowed up by a victory. Where is your victory, Death? Where is your sting, Death? (Death’s sting is sin, and the power of sin is the Law.) Thanks be to God, who gives us this victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! As a result of all this, my loved brothers and sisters, you must stand firm, unshakable, excelling in the work of the Lord as always, because you know that your labor isn’t going to be for nothing in the Lord.             var podscribeEmbedVars = {         epGuid: 'https://www.queertheology.com/?p=5794',         rssUrl: 'https://www.queertheology.com/feed/podcast/?wpmfeedkey=1%3B803a7377a32346e6c2e9dad2350c33b1',         backgroundColor: 'white',         font: undefined,         fontColor: undefined,         speakerFontColor: undefined,         height: '600px',         showEditButton: false,         showSpeakers: true,         showTimestamps: true       };        Photo by Dean Maddocks The post Sometimes the Bible is wrong – 1 Corinthians 15:51-58 appeared first on Queer Theology.

In this passage, Paul is convinced that the world is ending within his lifetime and—spoiler alert—it doesn’t. Sometimes the writers of the Bible get things completely wrong. In this episode, we explore the implications of that for our faith and lives. <h3>1 Corinthians 15:51-58</h3> <blockquote>Listen, I’m telling you a secret: All of us won’t die, but we will all be changed—in an instant, in the blink of an eye, at the final trumpet. The trumpet will blast, and the dead will be raised with bodies that won’t decay, and we will be changed. It’s necessary for this rotting body to be clothed with what can’t decay, and for the body that is dying to be clothed in what can’t die. And when the rotting body has been clothed in what can’t decay, and the dying body has been clothed in what can’t die, then this statement in scripture will happen: Death has been swallowed up by a victory. Where is your victory, Death? Where is your sting, Death? (Death’s sting is sin, and the power of sin is the Law.) Thanks be to God, who gives us this victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! As a result of all this, my loved brothers and sisters, you must stand firm, unshakable, excelling in the work of the Lord as always, because you know that your labor isn’t going to be for nothing in the Lord.</blockquote> var podscribeEmbedVars = { epGuid: '<a href="https://www.queertheology.com/?p=5794'" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.queertheology.com/?p=5794'</a>, rssUrl: '<a href="https://www.queertheology.com/feed/podcast/?wpmfeedkey=1%3B803a7377a32346e6c2e9dad2350c33b1'" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.queertheology.com/feed/podcast/?wpmfeedkey=1%3B803a7377a32346e6c2e9dad2350c33b1'</a>, backgroundColor: 'white', font: undefined, fontColor: undefined, speakerFontColor: undefined, height: '600px', showEditButton: false, showSpeakers: true, showTimestamps: true }; Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/dQWtvAdlJ_8?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dean Maddocks</a> The post <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/podcast/sometimes-the-bible-is-wrong-1-corinthians-1551-58/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sometimes the Bible is wrong – 1 Corinthians 15:51-58</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.queertheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Queer Theology</a>.

Sometimes the Bible is wrong – 1 Corinthians 15:51-58

Referenced in this episode  Picking a word of the year Setting spiritual resolutions Christianity &amp; Polyamory resources Christianity &amp; Polyamory course will reopen in early 2019 You can support this podcast on Patreon Brian will be speaking at the Q Christian Fellowship Conference – use discount code PODCAST19 for $10 off If there are any topics you’d like us to cover, resources that would be helpful, or questions you’d like answered, email connect@queertheology.com  The post Getting Personal + 2019 Preview appeared first on Queer Theology.

<h3>Referenced in this episode</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.queertheology.com/word-year/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Picking a word of the year</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.queertheology.com/spiritual-resolutions/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Setting spiritual resolutions</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.queertheology.com/polyamory/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Christianity &amp; Polyamory resources</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.queertheology.com/polyamory/course/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Christianity &amp; Polyamory course will reopen in early 2019</a></li> <li>You can support this podcast on <a href="https://www.patreon.com/queertheology" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon</a></li> <li>Brian will be speaking at the <a href="https://www.qchristian.org/conference/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Q Christian Fellowship Conference</a> – use discount code PODCAST19 for $10 off</li> <li>If there are any topics you’d like us to cover, resources that would be helpful, or questions you’d like answered, email <a href="mailto:connect@queertheology.com">connect@queertheology.com</a></li> </ul> The post <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/podcast/getting-personal-2019-preview/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Getting Personal + 2019 Preview</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.queertheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Queer Theology</a>.

Getting Personal + 2019 Preview

This week’s passage picks up where last week’s left off. We talk about the process of learning and growing and what it can be like to people and places from our past — how they can hold us back and how we can even end up holding them back. Read the transcript (PDF) Luke 4:21-30 He began to explain to them, “Today, this scripture has been fulfilled just as you heard it.” Everyone was raving about Jesus, so impressed were they by the gracious words flowing from his lips. They said, “This is Joseph’s son, isn’t it?” Then Jesus said to them, “Undoubtedly, you will quote this saying to me: ‘Doctor, heal yourself. Do here in your hometown what we’ve heard you did in Capernaum.’” He said, “I assure you that no prophet is welcome in the prophet’s hometown. And I can assure you that there were many widows in Israel during Elijah’s time, when it didn’t rain for three and a half years and there was a great food shortage in the land. Yet Elijah was sent to none of them but only to a widow in the city of Zarephath in the region of Sidon. There were also many persons with skin diseases in Israel during the time of the prophet Elisha, but none of them were cleansed. Instead, Naaman the Syrian was cleansed.” When they heard this, everyone in the synagogue was filled with anger. They rose up and ran him out of town. They led him to the crest of the hill on which their town had been built so that they could throw him off the cliff. But he passed through the crowd and went on his way. Photo by rawpixel The post How to be a more effective prophet – Luke 4:21-30 appeared first on Queer Theology.

This week’s passage picks up where <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/luke-1-4/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">last week’s</a> left off. We talk about the process of learning and growing and what it can be like to people and places from our past — how they can hold us back and how we can even end up holding them back. <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Queer-Theology-Podcast-Feb-3-2019.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Read the transcript (PDF)</a> <h3>Luke 4:21-30</h3> <blockquote>He began to explain to them, “Today, this scripture has been fulfilled just as you heard it.” Everyone was raving about Jesus, so impressed were they by the gracious words flowing from his lips. They said, “This is Joseph’s son, isn’t it?” Then Jesus said to them, “Undoubtedly, you will quote this saying to me: ‘Doctor, heal yourself. Do here in your hometown what we’ve heard you did in Capernaum.’” He said, “I assure you that no prophet is welcome in the prophet’s hometown. And I can assure you that there were many widows in Israel during Elijah’s time, when it didn’t rain for three and a half years and there was a great food shortage in the land. Yet Elijah was sent to none of them but only to a widow in the city of Zarephath in the region of Sidon. There were also many persons with skin diseases in Israel during the time of the prophet Elisha, but none of them were cleansed. Instead, Naaman the Syrian was cleansed.” When they heard this, everyone in the synagogue was filled with anger. They rose up and ran him out of town. They led him to the crest of the hill on which their town had been built so that they could throw him off the cliff. But he passed through the crowd and went on his way.</blockquote> Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/yoJmKBKP7Xk?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">rawpixel</a> The post <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/podcast/how-to-be-a-more-effective-prophet-luke-421-30/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">How to be a more effective prophet – Luke 4:21-30</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.queertheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Queer Theology</a>.

How to be a more effective prophet – Luke 4:21-30

The gospel is often perceived to tackle mostly spiritual or religious topics, but for today’s reading, it actually deals with real-life issues: slavery and economic justice. We love how this verse focuses a lot on the human side of the disciples of Jesus. That even those who were closest to Jesus, are still, human — and therefore, can be annoyed. Read the transcript (PDF) This episode’s highlights:  We focused on a different aspect of this passage when we covered it five years ago here What freedom might look like for others The antisemitism in some parts of Christianity The real meaning of salvation (read more here) How the gospel deals with issues of the actual, physical world and not just the religious aspects of our lives How people easily provide spiritualized responses to direct questions  Acts 16:16-34 One day, when we were on the way to the place for prayer, we met a slave woman. She had a spirit that enabled her to predict the future. She made a lot of money for her owners through fortune-telling. She began following Paul and us, shouting, “These people are servants of the Most High God! They are proclaiming a way of salvation to you!” She did this for many days. This annoyed Paul so much that he finally turned and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you to leave her!” It left her at that very moment. Her owners realized that their hope for making money was gone. They grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the officials in the city center. When her owners approached the legal authorities, they said, “These people are causing an uproar in our city. They are Jews who promote customs that we Romans can’t accept or practice.” The crowd joined in the attacks against Paul and Silas, so the authorities ordered that they be stripped of their clothes and beaten with a rod. When Paul and Silas had been severely beaten, the authorities threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to secure them with great care. When he received these instructions, he threw them into the innermost cell and secured their feet in stocks. Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. All at once there was such a violent earthquake that it shook the prison’s foundations. The doors flew open and everyone’s chains came loose. When the jailer awoke and saw the open doors of the prison, he thought the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul shouted loudly, “Don’t harm yourself! We’re all here!” The jailer called for some lights, rushed in, and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He led them outside and asked, “Honorable masters, what must I do to be rescued?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your entire household.” They spoke the Lord’s word to him and everyone else in his house. Right then, in the middle of the night, the jailer welcomed them and washed their wounds. He and everyone in his household were immediately baptized. He brought them into his home and gave them a meal. He was overjoyed because he and everyone in his household had come to believe in God. Photo by Dev Asangbam The post What Does it Mean to be Saved?  – Acts 16:16-34 appeared first on Queer Theology.

The gospel is often perceived to tackle mostly spiritual or religious topics, but for today’s reading, it actually deals with real-life issues: slavery and economic justice. We love how this verse focuses a lot on the human side of the disciples of Jesus. That even those who were closest to Jesus, are still, human — and therefore, can be annoyed. <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Queer-Theology-Podcast-279-6219.pdf" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Read the transcript (PDF)</a> This episode’s highlights: <ul> <li>We focused on a different aspect of this passage when we covered it five years ago <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/faith-in-action-costly-conversion-acts-1616-34/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a></li> <li>What freedom might look like for others</li> <li>The antisemitism in some parts of Christianity</li> <li>The real meaning of salvation (<a href="https://www.queertheology.com/christianity-heaven/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">read more here</a>)</li> <li>How the gospel deals with issues of the actual, physical world and not just the religious aspects of our lives</li> <li>How people easily provide spiritualized responses to direct questions</li> </ul> <h3>Acts 16:16-34</h3> <blockquote>One day, when we were on the way to the place for prayer, we met a slave woman. She had a spirit that enabled her to predict the future. She made a lot of money for her owners through fortune-telling. She began following Paul and us, shouting, “These people are servants of the Most High God! They are proclaiming a way of salvation to you!” She did this for many days. This annoyed Paul so much that he finally turned and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you to leave her!” It left her at that very moment. Her owners realized that their hope for making money was gone. They grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the officials in the city center. When her owners approached the legal authorities, they said, “These people are causing an uproar in our city. They are Jews who promote customs that we Romans can’t accept or practice.” The crowd joined in the attacks against Paul and Silas, so the authorities ordered that they be stripped of their clothes and beaten with a rod. When Paul and Silas had been severely beaten, the authorities threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to secure them with great care. When he received these instructions, he threw them into the innermost cell and secured their feet in stocks. Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. All at once there was such a violent earthquake that it shook the prison’s foundations. The doors flew open and everyone’s chains came loose. When the jailer awoke and saw the open doors of the prison, he thought the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul shouted loudly, “Don’t harm yourself! We’re all here!” The jailer called for some lights, rushed in, and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He led them outside and asked, “Honorable masters, what must I do to be rescued?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your entire household.” They spoke the Lord’s word to him and everyone else in his house. Right then, in the middle of the night, the jailer welcomed them and washed their wounds. He and everyone in his household were immediately baptized. He brought them into his home and gave them a meal. He was overjoyed because he and everyone in his household had come to believe in God.</blockquote> Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/YVIN8qGqBRk?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Dev Asangbam</a> The post <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/podcast/what-does-it-mean-to-be-saved-acts-1616-34/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">What Does it Mean to be Saved? – Acts 16:16-34</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.queertheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Queer Theology</a>.

What Does it Mean to be Saved?  – Acts 16:16-34

We are doing a special Q&amp;A episode about Easter &amp; Holy Week. Submit a question! Send it as an email to connect@queertheology.com or record an audio message here (or from the sidebar of any page on our website, including this one!). What happens when we re-encounter stories that we heard with different interpretations growing up? What if we understood God as extravagantly loving instead of always waiting for us to mess up so God could smite us? How would that change how we move through the world? How does this text teach us about family acceptance and queer families? All this and more in this week’s podcast! Mentioned in this episode  You don’t have to reconcile your faith and identity Fire Island as a queer sacred site  Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Then Jesus told them this parable: Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 2For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’” Photo by Tim Marshall The post The Extravagant Love of God – Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 appeared first on Queer Theology.

We are doing a special Q&amp;A episode about Easter &amp; Holy Week. Submit a question! Send it as an email to <a href="mailto:connect@queertheology.com">connect@queertheology.com</a> or record an audio message <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/lgbt-bible-podcast/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a> (or from the sidebar of any page on our website, including this one!). What happens when we re-encounter stories that we heard with different interpretations growing up? What if we understood God as extravagantly loving instead of always waiting for us to mess up so God could smite us? How would that change how we move through the world? How does this text teach us about family acceptance and queer families? All this and more in this week’s podcast! <h3>Mentioned in this episode</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.queertheology.com/how-do-you-reconcile-your-trans-identity-with-your-religion/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">You don’t have to reconcile your faith and identity</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXD_ouIo8RE" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Fire Island as a queer sacred site</a></li> </ul> <h3>Luke 15:1-3, 11-32</h3> <blockquote>Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Then Jesus told them this parable: Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 2For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”</blockquote> Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/cAtzHUz7Z8g?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tim Marshall</a> The post <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/podcast/the-extravagant-love-of-god-luke-151-3-11-32/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Extravagant Love of God – Luke 15:1-3, 11-32</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.queertheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Queer Theology</a>.

The Extravagant Love of God – Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

Marriage as a metaphor for God’s relationship to us shows up again in this week’s lectionary reading from Isaiah. In this episode, we talk about the intersections of faith and sexuality, and how that plays out when it comes to marginalized people. In this episode  Jesus is polyamorous (video) We expand on “What is it that is bigger than ourselves that we call God?” in this Skeptics Guide series How to read the Bible Queer Sex is Sacred queertheology.com/resources  Isaiah 62:1-5 Jerusalem, I will speak up for your good. I will never be silent till you are safe and secure, sparkling like a flame. Your great victory will be seen by every nation and king; the Lord will even give you a new name. You will be a glorious crown, a royal headband, for the Lord your God. Your name will no longer be “Deserted and Childless,” but “Happily Married.” You will please the Lord; your country will be his bride. Your people will take the land, just as a young man takes a bride. The Lord will be pleased because of you, just as a husband is pleased with his bride.             var podscribeEmbedVars = {         epGuid: 'https://www.queertheology.com/?p=5698',         rssUrl: 'https://www.queertheology.com/feed/podcast/?wpmfeedkey=1%3B803a7377a32346e6c2e9dad2350c33b1',         backgroundColor: 'white',         font: undefined,         fontColor: undefined,         speakerFontColor: undefined,         height: '600px',         showEditButton: false,         showSpeakers: true,         showTimestamps: true       };        Photo by Caroline Veronez  The post Marriage Metaphors – Isaiah 62:1-5 appeared first on Queer Theology.

Marriage as a metaphor for God’s relationship to us shows up again in this week’s lectionary reading from Isaiah. In this episode, we talk about the intersections of faith and sexuality, and how that plays out when it comes to marginalized people. <h3>In this episode</h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/qtheology/videos/2234834956762783/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jesus is polyamorous (video)</a></li> <li>We expand on “What is it that is bigger than ourselves that we call God?” in this <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/skeptics/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Skeptics Guide series</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.queertheology.com/resources/#basics" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">How to read the Bible</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/qtheology/photos/a.538784362829805/2749472511760968/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Queer Sex is Sacred</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.queertheology.com/resources/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">queertheology.com/resources</a></li> </ul> <h3>Isaiah 62:1-5</h3> <blockquote>Jerusalem, I will speak up for your good. I will never be silent till you are safe and secure, sparkling like a flame. Your great victory will be seen by every nation and king; the Lord will even give you a new name. You will be a glorious crown, a royal headband, for the Lord your God. Your name will no longer be “Deserted and Childless,” but “Happily Married.” You will please the Lord; your country will be his bride. Your people will take the land, just as a young man takes a bride. The Lord will be pleased because of you, just as a husband is pleased with his bride.</blockquote> var podscribeEmbedVars = { epGuid: '<a href="https://www.queertheology.com/?p=5698'" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.queertheology.com/?p=5698'</a>, rssUrl: '<a href="https://www.queertheology.com/feed/podcast/?wpmfeedkey=1%3B803a7377a32346e6c2e9dad2350c33b1'" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.queertheology.com/feed/podcast/?wpmfeedkey=1%3B803a7377a32346e6c2e9dad2350c33b1'</a>, backgroundColor: 'white', font: undefined, fontColor: undefined, speakerFontColor: undefined, height: '600px', showEditButton: false, showSpeakers: true, showTimestamps: true }; Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/DKvEEokVhWg?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Caroline Veronez</a> The post <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/podcast/marriage-metaphors-isaiah-621-5/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Marriage Metaphors – Isaiah 62:1-5</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.queertheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Queer Theology</a>.

Marriage Metaphors – Isaiah 62:1-5

Some Christians have misinterpreted that Jesus is the “new” God who will rule out the “Old Testament God.” That’s not what is happening here. But this gospel tells us that Jesus is the image of God and that we see God through Jesus… and Jesus brought receipts! In this episode, we explore what his message means for us today, too. Read the transcript (PDF) Today we talk about:  Skepticism about God, Jesus or Christianity How we need to take action and be a community to answer the call of Christian faith The Holy Spirit and how it is continuously moving. More of that here Jesus calling unto his followers to do bigger and better things How LGBTQ Christians and Christians in general, are sometimes afraid to do the wrong thing and what Jesus has comforted us with  John 14:8-17, 25-27 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father; that will be enough for us. Jesus replied, “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been with you all this time? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I have spoken to you I don’t speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me does his works. Trust me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or at least believe on account of the works themselves. I assure you that whoever believes in me will do the works that I do. They will do even greater works than these because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask for in my name, so that the Father can be glorified in the Son. When you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it. “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. I will ask the Father, and he will send another Companion, who will be with you forever. This Companion is the Spirit of Truth, whom the world can’t receive because it neither sees him nor recognizes him. You know him, because he lives with you and will be with you. “I have spoken these things to you while I am with you. The Companion, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I told you. “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give you. I give to you not as the world gives. Don’t be troubled or afraid.” Photo by Patrick Tomasso The post Jesus Brought Receipts, You Can Too – John 14:8-17, 25-27 appeared first on Queer Theology.

Some Christians have misinterpreted that Jesus is the “new” God who will rule out the “Old Testament God.” That’s not what is happening here. But this gospel tells us that Jesus is the image of God and that we see God through Jesus… and Jesus brought receipts! In this episode, we explore what his message means for us today, too. <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/queer-theology-podcast-280-6919/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Read the transcript (PDF)</a> Today we talk about: <ul> <li>Skepticism about God, Jesus or Christianity</li> <li>How we need to take action and be a community to answer the call of Christian faith</li> <li>The Holy Spirit and how it is continuously moving. More of that <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/acts-11-1-18/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">here</a></li> <li>Jesus calling unto his followers to do bigger and better things</li> <li>How LGBTQ Christians and Christians in general, are sometimes afraid to do the wrong thing and what Jesus has comforted us with</li> </ul> <h2>John 14:8-17, 25-27</h2> <blockquote>Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father; that will be enough for us. Jesus replied, “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been with you all this time? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I have spoken to you I don’t speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me does his works. Trust me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or at least believe on account of the works themselves. I assure you that whoever believes in me will do the works that I do. They will do even greater works than these because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask for in my name, so that the Father can be glorified in the Son. When you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it. “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. I will ask the Father, and he will send another Companion, who will be with you forever. This Companion is the Spirit of Truth, whom the world can’t receive because it neither sees him nor recognizes him. You know him, because he lives with you and will be with you. “I have spoken these things to you while I am with you. The Companion, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I told you. “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give you. I give to you not as the world gives. Don’t be troubled or afraid.”</blockquote> Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/Oaqk7qqNh_c?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Patrick Tomasso</a> The post <a href="https://www.queertheology.com/podcast/jesus-brought-receipts-you-can-too-john-148-17-25-27/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jesus Brought Receipts, You Can Too – John 14:8-17, 25-27</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.queertheology.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Queer Theology</a>.

Jesus Brought Receipts, You Can Too – John 14:8-17, 25-27

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