Queer Theology

For the second interview in our Angelic Troublemakers series, we had the pleasure of speaking with activist, author, and recent NYU graduate, Edafe Okporo. Edafe was born in Warri, Nigeria. He migrated to the United States in 2016 as an asylum seeker and is now a refugee of the United States. He is a global gay rights activist, the founder of Refuge America, and one of the country’s most visible voices on the issue of displacement. We spoke about the issues of detainment for immigrants in the US, especially difficult for trans people seeking asylum and LGBTQ people. Edafe’s story is inspiring and powerful, reminding us that our work for equality must include marginalized people in the immigrant community. Edafe is the author of the book ASYLUM: A Memoir and Manifesto. He brings a personal commitment to his refugee work and the premise of his book: that home is not where you feel safe and welcome only but also how you make others feel safe and welcome.    Learn more about Edafe: Web: https://www.edafeokporo.com/ Linktree: https://linktr.ee/edafeokporo IG: https://www.instagram.com/edafeokporo Order your copy of ASYLUM, A Memoir & manifesto: https://www.edafeokporo.com/book   To learn more about the immigration detention system in the U.S., click here: https://www.freedomforimmigrants.org/ https://www.refugeamerica.org/ 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.   If you’d like to be featured in future episodes, email your question or Bible passage suggestion to connect@queertheology.com. The post Angelic Troublemakers: Edafe Okporo appeared first on Queer Theology.

In this episode, we get the pleasure of talking with a remarkable and influential Angelic Troublemaker of our time: Rev. Dr. Robert E. Shore Goss. And oh my goodness, y’all. This interview is amazing. Rev. Dr. Shore Goss has been on the frontlines for decades as an activist, teacher, priest, and author. From finding spirituality in sexuality, to activism as a form of prayer, to the Holy Spirit in nature and the imminent need for eco-justice, Rev. Dr. Shore Goss gives us an inspiring interview. He encourages us to offer grace and inclusivity to all, just as Christ would do, and to be moved to action as an expression of prayer. Rev. Dr. Shore Goss was ordained a Catholic Jesuit priest in 1976. He fell in love with another Jesuit, Frank Ring, and resigned from the Society of Jesus. He is an unlaicized Catholic priest (excommunicated) and served from 2004 to 2017 as Senior Pastor/Theologian of MCC United Church of Christ in the Valley. Tune in to hear about his lifetime of experiences, love, and faith.  Grab a copy of Robert’s books: https://amzn.to/3xfisf2 Other book recommendations: The Erotic Contemplative by Michael Bernard Kelly – https://amzn.to/3x9Davg The Erotic Contemplative on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6whUXSbW2v22D_WxPZpCPQ “Come Out My People!” by Wes Howard-Brook – https://amzn.to/3Me7s5B   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.   If you’d like to be featured in future episodes, email your question or Bible passage suggestion to connect@queertheology.com. The post Angelic Troublemakers: Rev. Dr. Robert E. Shore Goss appeared first on Queer Theology.

“Power concedes nothing without demand” Frederick Douglass Happy Pride!! This month our series will focus on Angelic Troublemakers- folks who have been moved by their faith to action. We look at advocacy, activism, and prophecy in the Bible and how even small actions can lead to a big impact. This isn’t just something relevant in the Bible, it is timely and important that we engage in activism today. We will interview two inspiring leaders as part of this series and we’ll end with a reflection on how you can look to examples of people in your life who are engaging in activism and how you might be called to become an Angelic Troublemaker yourself.   Felix Gonzalez-Torres Foundation: https://www.felixgonzalez-torresfoundation.org/works/c/portraits   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. If you’d like to be featured in future episodes, email your question or Bible passage suggestion to connect@queertheology.com.   Photo by Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona The post Angelic Troublemakers: A Pride Series appeared first on Queer Theology.

To close out our Jewish Leaders series, we have an inspiring interview with Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg. We cover a wide range of things; from her roots growing up secular in goth punk culture, finding her calling and faith, spiritual practices, and how queer folks harmed by religion can claim their faith again. As a Scholar in Residence at the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), her work is grounded in activism and we talk about how important it is today to continue to keep people safe and work towards a more just tomorrow. She is also an author with a substack called Life is a Sacred Text, and a new book coming out, On Repentance And Repair: Making Amends in an Unapologetic World. Listen in for Rabbi Ruttenberg’s thoughts on the nature of the Divine and how you can tap into that through spiritual practice.    Learn more about Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg Web: https://danyaruttenberg.net/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheRaDR Get on her Life is a Sacred Text https://lifeisasacredtext.substack.com/ National Council of Jewish Women https://www.ncjw.org/   Pre-order her book On Repentance And Repair here   Book recommendations: Be Still and Get Going by Alan Lew This is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared by Alan Lew   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. If you’d like to be featured in future episodes, email your question or Bible passage suggestion to connect@queertheology.com. Podcast Transcript There is a technical issue with our transcript embed. We are working on resolving the issues as quickly as possible. The post Growing up Suburban Jewish & Finding Your Faith With Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg appeared first on Queer Theology.

For our third episode of our Jewish Leaders series, we are excited to talk with Millie, more well known as Milli Not So Vanilli on social media. She is a 34-year-old Jewish mother and “accidental” TikTok creator. We learn how her grandmother has inspired her to speak out and how she is her greatest source of inspiration; her grandmother had been a Holocaust survivor and her grandfather was a victim of McCarthyism. We discuss how important it is for Christians to learn about their own history, to learn about Jewish history, and why this will help end prevalent misconceptions about Judaism and Jews. She also explains how anti-Semitism is accepted and widespread throughout Christian belief teachings and what Christians can do to unlearn and reframe these damaging beliefs in order to be a good ally for Jews. Millie reminds us how important and relevant this work is today and what you can do now to be a Christian without spreading anti-Semitic rhetoric.    Millie celebrates Jewish diversity and advocates for a more inclusive and accepting Jewish community. She believes in Jewish empowerment through knowledge and awareness of Jewish history and believes a better understanding of Jewish history and who Jews are as a people is the best way to fight antisemitism.   Learn more about Millie at: IG: https://www.instagram.com/milli_not_so_vanilli/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@milli_not_so_vanilli https://linktr.ee/milli_not_so_vanilli   Links from the episode: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/  https://www.rabbisandralawson.com/   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. If you’d like to be featured in future episodes, email your question or Bible passage suggestion to connect@queertheology.com. Podcast Transcript There is a technical issue with our transcript embed. We are working on resolving the issues as quickly as possible. The post Celebrating Jewish Empowerment & Teaching The Masses via TikTok with @milli_not_so_vanilli appeared first on Queer Theology.

For this episode, we chat with Enzi Tanner (he/him/his), a trans, disabled, Black American, Jew living in Minneapolis. Enzi is a community organizer, a consultant, a licensed social worker, and an ICF-certified life coach. He explains what it means for him to be an atheist/agnostic Jew looking at racial justice through the lens of the Torah. As an abolitionist, he talks about what you can do to get started as an individual who wants to step into abolitionist work and the importance of this work. We touch on the undeniable connection between Euro-centric Christianity and our American institutions, especially how slavery and white supremacy have impacted policing and prisons. As a coach, Enzi supports his clients to achieve their goals by embracing their authentic selves. Learn more about Enzi Tanner at: https://www.enzitanner.com/   Book Recommendation: Color of Violence by INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence   Also check out: Movement For Black Lives: https://m4bl.org/   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.   If you’d like to be featured in future episodes, email your question or Bible passage suggestion to connect@queertheology.com. The post Conversations that Change with Enzi Tanner appeared first on Queer Theology.

For the month of May, we are starting a new series in which we interview Jewish Leaders. To kick us off, we have the Mellon Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the American Council of Learned Societies grant awardee, Dr. Amy Jill Levine.  In this episode, Dr. Levine tells us about her concern with the Bible being used to tear people down instead of lifting each other up. We also talk about her advice for anyone who wants to convert to Judaism and the importance of understanding your own faith first before borrowing from others. What’s next for Dr. Levine, her favorite text, and what brings her joy lately? Tune in to find out!  All about Dr. Amy Jill Levine In Spring 2019 she was the first Jew to teach New Testament at Rome’s Pontifical Biblical Institute; in 2021, she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She has held office in the Society of Biblical Literature, the Catholic Biblical Association, and the Association for Jewish Studies.  She served as Alexander Robertson Fellow (University of Glasgow), and the Catholic Biblical Association Scholar to the Philippines. She has given over 500 lectures on the Bible, Christian-Jewish relations, and Religion, Gender, and Sexuality across the globe. Her books include The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus; Short Stories by Jesus: The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi;  The Meaning of the Bible: What the Jewish Scriptures and the Christian Old Testament Can Teach Us (with Douglas Knight; The New Testament, Methods and Meanings (with Warren Carter); and The Gospel of Luke (with Ben Witherington III; the first full-length biblical commentary co-authored by a Jew and an Evangelical). Her most recent book is The Bible With and Without Jesus, co-authored with Marc Z. Brettler. Her children’s books (with Sandy Sasso) include Who Counts? 100 Sheep, 10 Coins and 2 Sons;  The Marvelous Mustard Seed; Who Is My Neighbor?, A Very Big Problem, 100 Sheep: A Counting Parable, and The Good for Nothing Tree. With Marc Brettler, she co-edited The Jewish Annotated New Testament; she is also the editor of the 13-volume Feminist Companions to the New Testament and Early Christian Writings, and The Historical Jesus in Context. Presently she is editing several volumes in the Wisdom Commentary series, and she is the New Testament editor of the new Oxford Biblical Commentary Series. With Joseph Sievers, she co-edited The  Pharisees. Her adult education volumes and videos include the Teaching Company Great Lectures: “Introduction to the Old Testament,” “Great Figures of the Old Testament,” and “Great Figures of the New Testament”; Abingdon adult education: Short Stories by Jesus Study Guide;  Entering the Passion of Jesus: A Beginner’s Guide to Holy Week; Light of the World: A Beginner’s Guide to Advent; Sermon on the Mount: A Beginner’s Guide to the Kingdom of Heaven; The Kingdom of Heaven: 40 Devotionals; The Difficult Words of Jesus: A Beginner’s Guide to HIs Most Perplexing Sayings and Witness at the Cross: A Beginner’s Guide to Holy Friday.   If you want to reach out, contact Dr. Levine at amy-jill.levine@vanderbilt.edu Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063444055133   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. If you’d like to be featured in future episodes, email your question or Bible passage suggestion to connect@queertheology.com. Podcast Transcript There is a technical issue with our transcript embed. We are working on resolving the issues as quickly as possible. The post A Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies Teaches Us About The New Testament with Dr. Amy Jill Levine appeared first on Queer Theology.

Welcome to another Q & A episode for the second quarter of the year 2022. We hope you are enjoying this type of episodes and remember that if you have a burning question, please send them over using the email below and you can also send them in as audio clips! We hope to feature your question in the next episode of Asked and Answered. Questions answered in today’s episode: I’m an enby Christian apart of the Black community and though I’ve been working on my journey in deconstruction, I’m confused on how certain practices and events that take place in my church environment like ‘revivals’ and ‘receiving the spirit’ -or even being able to ‘lay hands’ and heal someone could possibly be used through non-affirming pastors and generally bigoted people. Does that mean these practices are in any case theatrical or faked? Or is it something entirely else I’m missing? I’ve grown up in an environment where these types of practices are considered common as they demonstrate God’s presence, and trying to imagine these levels of bigotry and hate as a mouthpiece is confusing. I’ve been thinking about quitting church service for my health and job but I’ve been hesitant; I have the least amt of time on service but I still find it extremely overwhelming and I feel like I’m letting God down by breaking my commitment for my own purposes. What should I do? Am I just too weak?  How can asexuals/aromantics be a service or help the church? I’m asexual and bi-romantic. I came out to a Christian friend whose response was strange. She said that since I’m asexual, my love for the same sex isn’t as bad because there’s no lust involved. Obviously, that’s wrong, but I’m struggling to put into words why I feel that way, besides the queerphobia that sentiment is loaded with. Might you have any insights or thoughts about this?   Book recommendation: Radical Love: An Introduction to Queer Theology by Patrick S. Cheng   If you’d like to be featured in future episodes, email your question or Bible passage suggestion to connect@queertheology.com. Photo by Jon Tyson The post Asked And Answered With Brian And Shay: May 2022 appeared first on Queer Theology.

The hosts discuss the relationship between the crucifixion and resurrection in Christianity and its relevance to our lives today. They explore the significance of these events in their tradition and the power of reclaiming symbols of oppression. They also delve into the aftermath of Jesus's crucifixion and the role of women in the Gospel of Mark. The podcast emphasizes the call to discipleship and making a new world, free from oppression and division.

In this podcast, Brian and Fr. Shay discuss two healing stories from the Gospel of Mark and explore the concept of healing through a disability lens. They relate these stories to today's systems of oppression. The hosts also emphasize the importance of restoration, inclusivity, and reflection on possible changes. They reflect on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on accessibility and the need for universal healthcare. Additionally, they highlight the significance of imagination in creating beautiful communities and promote a course on queer Bible interpretation.