How Jesus, the Syrophoenician Woman, and LGBTQ Theology Challenge Our Reading of Scripture

Jul 30, 2019

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A deep dive into how interpreting scripture through a 21st-century lens can distort its original context and nuance, using the story of the Syrophoenician woman in Matthew 15 as a prime example. Mike, Bonnie, and Tim engage in a thoughtful and expansive conversation about what happens when modern theological frameworks—particularly around gender, power, and sexuality—are retroactively applied to ancient texts, and what that means for affirming theology, biblical authority, and faithful improvisation in today’s culture wars.

In this powerful episode, the team wrestles with the tension between empathy-fueled transformation and faithful biblical interpretation, and what it means to navigate political outrage, the collapse of evangelical purity culture, and the ongoing conversation around affirming LGBTQ+ theology.

Key Takeaways: • Accurate Exegesis Matters – Why using the Syrophoenician woman as a text to depict Jesus as prejudiced misses the literary, historical, and rabbinical context of the passage. • Formation Over Outcomes – How our political and ethical posture as Christians needs to focus on internal transformation rather than managing public behaviors or outrage quotas. • Spiritual Discernment and New Movement – Exploring the possibility that something new is happening through the Spirit in the LGBTQ+ conversation and the church’s evolving understanding. • Responsible Affirmation – If you're going to become theologically affirming, anchoring your views in sound scriptural interpretation benefits everyone—especially the marginalized communities theology intends to protect. • Purity Culture and Moralism – Reflecting on the demise of 90s-era evangelicalism and why non-redemptive moralism has left a legacy of confusion and trauma in matters of sexuality. • Contextual Wisdom – Why understanding context, genre, and historical nuance is crucial when building a theology rooted in justice and grace.

Resources Mentioned: • Sarah Bessie's Blog – sarahbessey.com • Acts 15 – The Council of Jerusalem and the Spirit’s new movement • Matthew 15:21–28 – The Syrophoenician/Canaanite Woman • Mark 7:24–30 – Alternate account of the same encounter • N.T. Wright – Insights on biblical narrative and improvisation • Joshua Harris – Author of I Kissed Dating Goodbye and the conversation surrounding purity culture • Romans Disarmed by Sylvia Keesmaat & Brian Walsh – [Link to Book] • Faith Improvised Podcast by Tim Gombis – [Link to Podcast]

Guest Highlights: No formal guest, but features robust theological insights from regular co-host Bonnie, particularly her academic background in exegesis and gender studies—offering a masterclass in responsible biblical interpretation.

Listener Call to Action: This episode invites LGBTQ+ Christian listeners and allies to share how faithful biblical engagement has (or hasn’t) felt helpful, liberating, or marginalizing. We’d love to hear from you as we continue building a theological ecosystem rooted in justice, truth, and grace. Subscribe, leave a review, and join the Voxology conversation.

As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Feel free to email in questions to hello@voxpodcast.com, and to engage the conversation on Facebook and Instagram.

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Support the Voxology Podcast on Patreon

🎵 Music in this episode by Timothy John Stafford Instagram & Twitter: @GoneTimothy

As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Feel free to email in questions to hello@voxpodcast.com, and to engage the conversation on Facebook and Instagram.

We're on YouTube (if you're into that kinda thing): VOXOLOGY TV.

Our Merch Store! ETSY

Learn more about the Voxology Podcast

Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify

Support the Voxology Podcast on Patreon

The Voxology Spotify channel can be found here: Voxology Radio

Follow Mike on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mikeerre

Music in this episode by Timothy John Stafford

Instagram & Twitter: @GoneTimothy