Queer Theology

Fr. Shannon is joined this week by author Margot Douaihy (@NeonMargot), and this is very exciting for him since he is a huge fan of her Sister Holiday series! Margot is a professor of creative writing at Emerson College as well as the author of the award-winning, nationally bestselling Sister Holiday series, as well as the poetry collections “Bandit/Queen: The Runaway Story of Belle Starr, Scranton Lace, and Girls Like You.” Her debut mystery, “Scorched Grace,” won The Pinckley Prize in Crime Fiction and was named a Best Crime Novel of the Year by the New York Times, Guardian, and others. In this conversation, Margot reflects on her Maronite Catholic upbringing, her queerness, and how those threads come together in her noir mystery series, which features a devout, tattooed, riot-girl lesbian nun navigating crime, desire, justice, and faith in New Orleans. She discusses subverting the crime genre, queering narratives of law and order, desire and celibacy, found family, and the sacred possibilities of storytelling. There is so much holiness in storytelling, and Margot’s work shows why art and community matter more now than ever.   Resources: Learn more about Margot at https://www.margotdouaihy.com/  Buy her books: https://www.margotdouaihy.com/scorched-grace  Learn more and join the Community at https://www.queertheology.com/community/ The post Lesbian Nuns, Punk Rock, and God with Margot Douaihy appeared first on Queer Theology.

We’re excited to welcome @angelajherrington back to the podcast to talk about her new book and overcoming Christian patriarchy. For over a decade, Angela has helped women break free from the grip of Christian patriarchy and reconnect with the wisdom they were taught to silence. She is a trauma-informed coach, strategist, and author, who has walked alongside thousands through deconstruction, spiritual burnout, and the messy, beautiful work of building a life that feels whole and true. Her work brings together spiritual insight, nervous system awareness, and grounded practices that create lasting change. In this episode, Fr. Shay talks with Angela about her new book, “Embracing the Old Witch in the Woods: Liberating Feminine Wisdom from Christian Patriarchy” and how it is building on her first book about faith deconstruction. Angela explores how Christian patriarchy and nationalism shape our inner lives, limit our sense of self, and disconnect us from embodied wisdom. She discusses archetypal feminine wisdom beyond gender binaries, the power of intuition and embodiment after high-control religion, grief over missed developmental stages, and the healing potential of reconnecting with these feminine archetypes. This conversation offers a compassionate invitation to self-nurturing, wholeness, and reclaiming wisdom that was never meant to be lost. Resources: Learn more about Angela Herrington at https://angelajherrington.com/  Buy Embracing the Old Witch in the Woods: Liberating Feminine Wisdom from Christian Patriarchy by Angela Herrington Learn more and join the Community at https://www.queertheology.com/community/ The post Reclaiming the Wisdom That Christian Patriarchy Tried to Bury with Angela Herrington appeared first on Queer Theology.

It’s a New Year and in this first episode of 2026, we reflect on highlights from 2025. From book releases and big life transitions, to moves, new jobs, and shifting rhythms. What has kept us grounded has been our approach to goals and intentions that have evolved as needed. It’s why we keep saying rituals and intentions are important, y’all! Going into this year we feel that community matters more than ever. We also feel that it’s important to build more meaningful lives and one of the ways to start doing that is by naming our longings and goals. If you want some help with that, we’re bringing back the Queerness Every Day Challenge, a simple, daily practice to help you start the year with greater intention around spirituality, queerness, and connection.   Takeaways Shannon released two books in 2025, marking a significant achievement. Brian also published his first book, focusing on relationships and spirituality. Shannon transitioned to a full-time job, requiring adjustments in her routine. Both hosts emphasize the importance of setting intentions for the new year. They discuss the challenges of maintaining personal well-being amidst professional demands. Brian reflects on the importance of community and local connections. Shannon is focusing on improving her local community involvement in 2026. They explore different approaches to goal setting and personal growth. The conversation highlights the need for intentionality in daily life. The Queerness Every Day Challenge offers a way to reflect on spirituality and identity.   Chapters 00:00 Reflecting on 2025: Personal Highlights 02:27 Navigating New Beginnings: Career Changes and Adjustments 05:30 Intentions for 2026: Setting Goals and Priorities 08:12 Rituals and Reflections: New Year Practices 10:46 Community and Connection: Building Local Relationships 13:32 Creative Pursuits: Balancing Work and Passion 16:31 The Importance of Intentionality: Aligning Goals with Values 19:18 Embracing Change: Acknowledging Longings and Desires 21:59 The Queerness Every Day Challenge: A New Year Initiative 24:56 Looking Ahead: Future Plans and Community Engagement   Resources: Learn more and join the Community at https://www.queertheology.com/community/ The post Building Routines That Actually Serve Us appeared first on Queer Theology.

In this episode, we respond to a listener question about how to challenge harmful uses of the Hebrew Scriptures without falling into anti-Semitism or Christian supersessionism. As Christians, we can’t rely on the New Testament to “fix” or dismiss the Old Testament and we unpack common misunderstandings about Judaism and the Hebrew Bible. We also queer the Ten Commandments by reading this foundational text through lenses of justice, liberation, and community rather than control or exclusion. Despite how we have been taught, the commandments can function as a framework for loving God and loving our neighbor. That doesn’t mean we get to ignore the fact that we need to wrestle honestly with the parts that feel troubling to us in modern times, to engage the text critically, contextually, and faithfully. Rather than discarding the Ten Commandments as outdated or weaponizing them against marginalized people, we show how lingering with the tension can open up richer, more life-giving interpretations that support the queer community flourishing.    Resources: Learn more and join the Community at https://www.queertheology.com/community/   The post Queering the 10 Commandments appeared first on Queer Theology.

This week, we respond to a thoughtful listener question from Tumblr about whether progressive Christians can understand the Bible as uniquely authoritative, or whether it should be treated as inspired work alongside other great works of literature and poetry. We look at how different Christian traditions approach scripture, why “authority” depends on community and context, and how revelation can be understood without requiring inerrancy or literalism. We have to have a more nuanced engagement with scripture that challenges false dichotomies between taking the Bible seriously and reading it critically. In the second half of the episode, we queer Psalm 119:105-112, unpacking how poetry, song, and metaphor function within the Bible. We invite you to consider what it means for God’s word to be “a lamp to our feet and a light for our journey,” not as the path itself, but as something that illuminates the way as we navigate faith, queerness, relationships, and life.   Resources: Our resources have moved! You can find the workshop contents within our free resources at my.queertheology.com The post The Lamp the Light the Path, Psalms 119:105-112 appeared first on Queer Theology.

As we come to the beginning of Hanukkah, Brian invites us to reimagine the Festival of Lights as a celebration of resistance, resilience, and the sacred spark within every queer body. When queering Hanukkah, we can explore how the Hanukkah story itself is rooted in defiance against erasure, and how its rituals can be reclaimed as affirming practices that honor queer joy, creativity, and survival. Resources: Learn more about Rituals for Resistance & Resilience here Join us and be part of Queering Advent! Find more info here. The post Queering Hanukkah  appeared first on Queer Theology.

In this episode, we dig into why leaving harmful churches isn’t enough, you also have to unlearn the bad theology you absorbed along the way.  We talk about how lingering fear, shame, reactivity, or discomfort around sex, Scripture, or Christian community can reveal where old beliefs are still running the show, even for folks who’ve left evangelicalism, Catholicism, or grew up in progressive spaces without learning how to engage the Bible for themselves. We get into what unlearning actually looks like and why arguing on evangelical terms keeps you stuck. You gotta be able to rebuild your faith (or recognize when to walk away from it) with grounding, nuance, and liberation. We also answer listener questions about the 1946 documentary and where to begin when returning to faith after fear. Resources: Join us and be part of Queering Advent! Find more info here. The post Moving Past Terrible Theology appeared first on Queer Theology.

Queering Advent is a guided audio experience for this time of waiting, dreaming, and preparing as we hope for and work toward liberation and salvation. Rituals and liturgical seasons like Advent are invitations for us to re-center on what is most important to us. This winter, journey with us through Advent to deepen your awareness of and commitment to the connections between queerness and faith. Learn more and register at queertheology.com/advent An Advent practices that enriches your December, rather than stresses you out Brian & Shannon will offer a deeper reflection each Sunday of Advent—a mix of teaching, queer insights, and questions to consider. Then, during the week, you’ll get a short audio guide—shorter readings, reflections, prompts, and experiments— delivered right to your podcast app or available in our community hub. So that you move through this season with intentionality and contemplation. Feel steadied and reassured in these trying times. And a greater inspiration for how our faith can speak a good word to your personal life and our communal systems. All for $25 — that’s just one dollar for each day of Advent. Register here: queertheology.com/advent The post Preview: Queering Advent appeared first on Queer Theology.

Father Shannon kicks off the Advent season with a solo episode where he reflects on the meaning of Advent as both a spiritual and practical season of preparation. During this time of rising threats for trans, non-binary folks, and immigrants, uncertainty and fear hangs over us. Fr. Shannon offers some grounding reflections about community, care, safety, resistance, and showing up for one another. You’re encouraged to bring your journal to this one! The Christian story calls us to co-create a more just and compassionate world, and we encourage listeners not only to reflect, but to take action in their communities.    Takeaways: We’re asking this question not out of a sense of doomsday prepper. What do I need to do right now, right where I am? Creating the kind of community I long to live in. Building a world that will protect the most at risk. The importance of personal responsibility in community building. Resilience is key in facing challenges. Safe spaces are essential for vulnerable populations. Community building requires active participation. We must think about our actions in the present moment. Creating supportive environments is a collective effort.   Resources: Join us and be part of Queering Advent! Find more info here. The post An Advent Reflection for Uncertain Times appeared first on Queer Theology.

This episode dives into Matthew Chapters 14-16 and the rich political, communal, and spiritual tensions woven throughout. We unpack the death of John the Baptist, the feeding miracles, Jesus walking on water, debates about purity, the encounter with the Canaanite woman, and Peter’s declaration of Jesus as Messiah. These stories are especially revealing as they challenge Empire, center outsiders, and call followers into risky, justice-oriented solidarity. We get into what treasonous acts we may be called to take up when confronting power, and what it really means to “take up your cross” today.   Resources: Join our online community at  Sanctuary Collective Community 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 Called to Treason, Matthew Chapters 14-16 appeared first on Queer Theology.