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: 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     The post Living Your Liberation with Madison Morrigan 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: 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 The post The Heart Of A Scholar with John Dominic Crossan 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: 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 The post Centering Black Trans Experience with J Mase III 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 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. The post BONUS Episode: Special Update! 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: 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 The post Wrestling and Dancing With the Big Questions with Rob Bell 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 @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 The post The Power of Story with Claire Willet 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: 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 The post Vulnerable Storytelling with Adil Mansoor 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 & 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 & 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 The post I Followed Jesus Out with Tamice Spencer-Helms appeared first on Queer Theology.

It was such an honor and privilege for Shay to sit down with the creators of “Somebody Somewhere”, Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen, to talk about this groundbreaking show. Not gonna lie, Shay is a HUGE fan and was so excited to get the chance to watch the new season before anyone else PLUS get the inside scoop from two fantastic writers!  Hannah and Paul are best friends, writers, actors, and both grew up in the midwest. Paul talks about growing up in rural Minnesota and Hannah about the suburbs of Chicago. They explain how art and theater are something that gave them a sense of self during their teen years and the beauty of chosen family.  The show is unique in that it is unabashedly queer, but also takes seriously rural life, family, and religion and much of this comes from the intention of Hannah and Paul to showcase the joy in the silence. If you want to check out the trailer for the second season of “Somebody Somewhere”, you can visit queertheology.com/trailer. Or watch the show if you haven’t already.. Both seasons.. You won’t regret it.. (note: this interview was recorded before the 2023 Writers Strike)   Somebody Somewhere https://www.hbo.com/somebody-somewhere  The Debate Society http://www.thedebatesociety.org/  Hannah Bos https://www.hannahbos.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 The post Joy In The Silence with Hannah Bos & Paul Thureen appeared first on Queer Theology.

Rev. Solomon Missouri’s bio is succinct: Twitter pastor, play cousin, problem, and preeminent marriage counselor to wayward athletes. His ministry focuses on sexuality and spirituality outside and beyond church walls, which is where we have been following him on Twitter for some time now. His humor and commitment to inclusion is evident in the work he does and the message he brings. This interview has moments of gravity and moments of hilarity (you gotta hear what is bringing him joy lately )  Shay talks with Rev. Solomon about the importance of centering marginalized voices, building constructive and healthy communities, and the importance of using humor in this second episode of our Summer Guest Series.    Resources: Rev. Solomon Missouri Website Senior Pastor @ Invitation AME Zio Social: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube Support Rev. Solomon Missouri on Patreon Dr. John Sprung  Unprotected Texts by Jennifer Wright Knust  Dr. Rita Weems Sex Nerd Sandra   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 Cultivating Healthy Communities with Rev. Solomon Missouri appeared first on Queer Theology.