Queer Theology

In today’s episode, we talk about very important topics like self-care and mental health as we answer an anonymous question from a listener. The question deals with giving oneself permission to be human, but how does one do that? And what does the Bible say about this problem? We also queer this week’s text from John 14:15-21. We remind everyone to take the time to accept and honor the divinity that is within us. That while it feels like the world is oppressing us, we can be comforted that Jesus is with us and we have our community behind us, rallying with us. So stay tuned and we hope you learn something from this episode. In this episode, we talk about: Life and weather updates from Fr. Shay and Brian [0:41] Shoutout to Zabby Heying who joined 6 months ago [3:55] An anonymous listener question about what does the Bible say about self-care [4:28]  The Bible talks a lot about mental health, but it’s not the only tool available [5:04] Elijah and his depression [6:16] Jesus’ self-care practice [6:54] Join us in Sanctuary Collective [7:52] We queer a text from John 14:15-21 [8:49] There’s more to the scripture: honor the divinity inside of you [10:16] The feeling of being orphaned [11:24]   The assurance of having a comforter in Jesus and in our community [11:53] Fr. Shay hates the gospel of John because… [12:17] The spirit in the queer people [13:07] 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  John 14:15-21 “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 won’t leave you as orphans. I will come to you. Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Because I live, you will live too. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commandments and keeps them loves me. Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.” Photo by Greg Rakozy The post Your Inner Divinity – John 14:15-21 appeared first on Queer Theology.

This episode is filled with so much good stuff and we’re excited for you to dive in. We have a question from Bella about how to talk about your faith without making other people uncomfortable. How do we disconnect sharing our faith from some people’s ideas about evangelising people. We also queer this week’s passage from 1 Peter 2:2-10. We talk about what it means and feels like to be nourished by God’s word and how the experience of queerness and transness can be a touchpoint for the entire church. So stay tuned and enjoy this episode. In this episode, we talk about: Brian talks about learning Danish and cooking [0:00] Fr. Shay talks about cooking monstastic soups [1:26] Shout out to a new Patreon supporter [3:14] A question from Bella about how to talk about your faith [4:04] Fr. Shay talks about the pressure to evangelize that he grew up with [5:11] Brian shares about how progressive folks sometime move too far in the other direction [6:15] Fr. Shay talks about disconnecting sharing from conversion [9:03] Invitation to Sanctuary Collective [10:33] We queer a text from 1 Peter 2:2-10 [11:06] Brian talks about the joy of being nourished by God’s Word [12:45] Fr. Shay talks about what it means to taste that the Lord is good [13:50] Brian delves into the power of learning to trust your body [14:35] Fr. Shay talks about the power of those rejected to build something incredible [15:16] 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   1 Peter 2:2-10 Instead, like a newborn baby, desire the pure milk of the word. Nourished by it, you will grow into salvation, since you have tasted that the Lord is good. Now you are coming to him as to a living stone. Even though this stone was rejected by humans, from God’s perspective it is chosen, valuable. You yourselves are being built like living stones into a spiritual temple. You are being made into a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Thus it is written in scripture, Look! I am laying a cornerstone in Zion, chosen, valuable. The person who believes in him will never be shamed. So God honors you who believe. For those who refuse to believe, though, the stone the builders tossed aside has become the capstone. This is a stone that makes people stumble and a rock that makes them fall. Because they refuse to believe in the word, they stumble. Indeed, this is the end to which they were appointed. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people who are God’s own possession. You have become this people so that you may speak of the wonderful acts of the one who called you out of darkness into his amazing light. Once you weren’t a people, but now you are God’s people. Once you hadn’t received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Photo by Sharon McCutcheon The post Queerness is a Cornerstone – 1 Peter 2:2-10 appeared first on Queer Theology.

This episode is filled with so much good stuff and we’re excited for you to dive in. First off, we have a question from Em about how best to find affirming churches. What are the best resources to use to find a community to be part of especially in areas where religious establishments are often homophobic and transphobic? We also queer this week’s passage from Acts 2:42-47, which is actually one of Brian’s favorites. How the message clearly speaks to us queers and how it simply shows that we are in a very caring community. So stay tuned and enjoy this episode. In this episode, we talk about: Catching up on quarantine [0:00] Shout out to a new Patreon supporter [3:42] A question from Em about finding an affirming church [7:10] Websites you can use to find an affirming church in your area [5:15] Specific tips on how to search online for searches [7:00] Red flags to look out for [7:45] How you can use social media  [9:15] A few recommendations for streaming services and virtual church [11:35] Invitation to Sanctuary Collective [11:53] We queer a text from Acts 2:42-47 [12:35] How Brian experienced this text in his real-life through queerness [13:50] Echoes of this passage from a queer culture in the 80s [15:15] What it means to be “saved” in the context of this passage [17:25] “If someone finds the goodness of God because they are no longer in debt, what a gift that is.” [18:20] What might it mean like to “get back to the root of the Bible”? [19:52] Assignment for you! Yes you, listeners. [20:16] 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  Acts 2:42-47 The believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the community, to their shared meals, and to their prayers. A sense of awe came over everyone. God performed many wonders and signs through the apostles. All the believers were united and shared everything. They would sell pieces of property and possessions and distribute the proceeds to everyone who needed them. Every day, they met together in the temple and ate in their homes. They shared food with gladness and simplicity. They praised God and demonstrated God’s goodness to everyone. The Lord added daily to the community those who were being saved. Photo by Jack Sharp The post Queerness is Caring – Acts 2:42-47 appeared first on Queer Theology.

In today’s episode, we answer a reader question about how certain ideas about what happened on the cross (what theology geeks call “penal substitutionary atonement”) and other harmful interpretation passages can foster shame and decrease a queer person’s self-esteem. “For some reason, this is something I still struggle with, perhaps due to the toxic church environment I grew up in.”  We also queer this week’s passage from Luke 24:13-35. We talk about how beautiful it is for Jesus to have made an impact on his disciples that it allows him to reveal himself through simple gestures: gestures and actions that are somehow recognizable to those closest to him.  In this episode, we talk about: Queering the Bible course update [0:39] Shout out to Kaya Oakes who is our dear friend and has been a supporter ever since [5:50] A reader question about his struggles with the verse about Jesus dying on the cross for our sins [7:10] The atonement [8:04] Queer people were created in God’s image (also) [11:30] Invitation to Sanctuary Collective [15:51] We queer a text from Luke 24:13-35 [16:36] Brian’s view of Jesus [19:01] Things Jesus did that’s recognizable to others [22:40] Breaking the bread moment [24:07] “Recognition that we can find Jesus in these small moments that breakthrough in our daily lives.” [24:26] Remember registration for Queering The Bible is now open and will end on Thursday, April 30, 2020. Learn more about the course to decide if it’s right for you at queertheology.com/queerbible 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  Link(s) mentioned in this episode: Webinar on atonement: Why Did Jesus Die? Luke 24:13-35 On that same day, two disciples were traveling to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking to each other about everything that had happened. While they were discussing these things, Jesus himself arrived and joined them on their journey. They were prevented from recognizing him. He said to them, “What are you talking about as you walk along?” They stopped, their faces downcast. The one named Cleopas replied, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who is unaware of the things that have taken place there over the last few days?” He said to them, “What things?” They said to him, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth. Because of his powerful deeds and words, he was recognized by God and all the people as a prophet. But our chief priests and our leaders handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him. We had hoped he was the one who would redeem Israel. All these things happened three days ago. But there’s more: Some women from our group have left us stunned. They went to the tomb early this morning and didn’t find his body. They came to us saying that they had even seen a vision of angels who told them he is alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women said. They didn’t see him.” Then Jesus said to them, “You foolish people! Your dull minds keep you from believing all that the prophets talked about. Wasn’t it necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” Then he interpreted for them the things written about himself in all the scriptures, starting with Moses and going through all the Prophets. When they came to Emmaus, he acted as if he was going on ahead. But they urged him, saying, “Stay with us. It’s nearly evening, and the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. After he took his seat at the table with them, he took the bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he disappeared from their sight. They said to each other, “Weren’t our hearts on fire when he spoke to us along the road and when he explained the scriptures for us?” They got up right then and returned to Jerusalem. They found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying to each other, “The Lord really has risen! He appeared to Simon!” Then the two disciples described what had happened along the road and how Jesus was made known to them as he broke the bread.   Photo by Debby Hudson The post Breaking the Bread – Luke 24:13-35 appeared first on Queer Theology.

There is so much work that goes into reading the Bible from a queer lens, but why do we do it? We find value in sharing the good news as it is meant to be – for all. We are called to do this work especially now that we are in the midst of a very troubling time.  Today we answer a listener question about feeling separated from Christianity while feeling confident in their sexuality. “I’m settled in my bisexuality and polyamory, but I am still a closeted Christian in a lot of areas in my life. Does anyone have experience or relate to that?” We also queer a text from John 20:19-31, the story about doubting Thomas. We talk about how beautiful this story is and how this has become a transformational tool for both Fr. Shay and Brian. So stay tuned to episode 325. In this episode, we talk about: Life updates [0:39] Shout out to Nate FitzGerald who has been a supporter since this fall [5:12] A reader question that was posted inside of our Sanctuary Collective. We have a channel where we discuss the week’s podcast [5:37 ] Brian leaving Christianity at 19 years old [6:29] “I worry sometimes about  what people’s assumption of my Christianity is…” [9:36] Invitation to Sanctuary Collective [13:24] We queer a text from John 20:19-3 [13:55] Jesus’s Scars & Transgender Bodies [16:09] Fr. Shay’s personal experience with this passage [18:51] This work that we do – queering the Scripture, is valuable [23:44] Remember registration for Queering The Bible is now open. Learn more about the course to decide if it’s right for you at queertheology.com/queerbible 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    Link(s) mentioned in this episode: Jesus’s Scars & Transgender Bodies Jesus Comes Out   John 20:19-31 It was still the first day of the week. That evening, while the disciples were behind closed doors because they were afraid of the Jewish authorities, Jesus came and stood among them. He said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. When the disciples saw the Lord, they were filled with joy. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so I am sending you.” Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; if you don’t forgive them, they aren’t forgiven.” Thomas, the one called Didymus, one of the Twelve, wasn’t with the disciples when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, “We’ve seen the Lord!” But he replied, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands, put my finger in the wounds left by the nails, and put my hand into his side, I won’t believe.” After eight days his disciples were again in a house and Thomas was with them. Even though the doors were locked, Jesus entered and stood among them. He said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here. Look at my hands. Put your hand into my side. No more disbelief. Believe!” Thomas responded to Jesus, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus replied, “Do you believe because you see me? Happy are those who don’t see and yet believe.” Then Jesus did many other miraculous signs in his disciples’ presence, signs that aren’t recorded in this scroll. But these things are written so that you will believe that Jesus is the Christ, God’s Son, and that believing, you will have life in his name. Photo by Hannah Busing The post The Transformational Power of Queering Scripture – John 20:19-31 appeared first on Queer Theology.

Happy Easter, everyone. And while we are celebrating Easter very differently this year, we have hope that we can still see the power in Jesus’ resurrection — and have our own resurrection in the midst of this pandemic. Today we answer a listener question from Jeremy. He wants to clear the confusion he has in his heart regarding Paul — he thinks that Paul condemns homosexuality. Maybe you’ve heard that too? Then, we queer a text from Matthew 28:1-10. It talks about Jesus’ resurrection and how the angel delivered the news to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary at the tomb. We talk about how women were perfectly placed in the center of this scripture and that it’s so beautiful. We also discussed how queerness shows up in the Bible and throughout the scripture. So stay tuned and enjoy the show. Have a blessed Easter. In this episode, we talk about: Easter life updates from Brian and Fr. Shay [0:35] Shout out to Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser who has been joined us over five months ago [5:13] A listener question from Jeremy [5:43] The words gay, queer and transgender didn’t exist during Paul’s time [6:18] The scripture in question is about religious power dynamics and not about queer [7:57] Don’t conclude on what the Bible says right away; check the context [8:58] Invitation to Sanctuary Collective [10:53] We queer a text from Matthew 28:1-10 [11:25] The genealogy of Jesus [12:59] Women at the central place of this story [14:00] Queerness shows up all throughout the Bible [16:43] 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  Link(s) mentioned in this episode: QueerTheology.com/IsItOk QueerTheology.com/DiveDeeper QueerTheology.com/community Queer the Bible Waitlist: queertheology.com/queerbible 7-day IG challenge: QueerTheology.com/challenge Matthew 28:1-10 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the tomb. Look, there was a great earthquake, for an angel from the Lord came down from heaven. Coming to the stone, he rolled it away and sat on it. Now his face was like lightning and his clothes as white as snow. The guards were so terrified of him that they shook with fear and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Don’t be afraid. I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He isn’t here, because he’s been raised from the dead, just as he said. Come, see the place where they laid him. Now hurry, go and tell his disciples, ‘He’s been raised from the dead. He’s going on ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there.’ I’ve given the message to you.” With great fear and excitement, they hurried away from the tomb and ran to tell his disciples. But Jesus met them and greeted them. They came and grabbed his feet and worshipped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Go and tell my brothers that I am going into Galilee. They will see me there.” Photo by Bruno van der Kraan The post Women Take Center Stage – Matthew 28:1-10 appeared first on Queer Theology.

There are times when we are faced with scriptures that don’t really make sense. It’s difficult to put two and two together. But that doesn’t mean that we’ve already failed in understanding it. We have to remember that not being able to discern certain scriptures is perfectly fine. After all, the Bible isn’t always clear.  In today’s episode, we queer a Bible scripture that a listener requested. This is a text from Mark 11:12-14 which briefly talks about Jesus getting angry at a fig tree for bearing no fruits. Mind you that during that time, the fig tree wasn’t in the season to bear fruit. So listen on to hear what we think about this passage and of Jesus’ anger.  In this episode, we talk about: Fr. Shay’s life updates [0:40] Brian’s love for Palm Sunday [2:45] Shout out to Madison Neel [5:48] Holy week update – get excited, we have tons of stuff lined up for you [6:20] A listener passage audio request from Daniel [7:40] We queer a text from Mark 11:12-14 [8:22] A possible cultural context that’s missing? [9:57] Sometimes the Bible is just weird; this might be a case of that [10:24] It’s okay if you don’t understand a scripture [12:11] What is it with us and sanitizing Jesus [13:41] Reminder: 7-day IG challenge [15:05] 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  Link(s) mentioned in this episode: Palm Sunday: What happened and what does it MEAN Queer the Bible Waitlist: queertheology.com/queerbible 7-day IG challenge: QueerTheology.com/challenge Mark 11:12-14 The next day, after leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. From far away, he noticed a fig tree in leaf, so he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing except leaves, since it wasn’t the season for figs. So he said to it, “No one will ever again eat your fruit!” His disciples heard this. Photo by Steve Knutson The post Jesus Gets Hangry – Mark 11:12-14 appeared first on Queer Theology.

In today’s episode, we answer a reader question regarding justifying your romantic or sexual desires through the scripture. Is having a sexual relationship a possibility for someone who wants to live a wholly Christ-centered life? “Doesn’t romance introduce the danger of worshiping your partner instead or as well as God?” We also queer a text from John 11:1-45 that shows us how Jesus is human. That he weeps for the death of a friend. He grieved. But then also shows us the grace of the Lord by waking Lazarus from the dead. It’s also a great reminder for the people around us that they also have the responsibility to make life easier for us – for all of us.  In this episode, we talk about: shout out to Tammy Garner [7:18] a reader question from Ace about justifying romantic pursuits when living a wholly christ-centered life [7:44] the Bible’s role in justifying sex and romance [9:20] worshiping God is communal [12:53] we queer a text from John 11:1-45 [16:55] understanding looking back vs. being in the middle of the midst of suffering  [17:42] gospel of John as Fr. Shay’s least favorite [19:20] Jesus shows His humanity [21:20] 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 Link(s) mentioned in this episode: I Found the Garden of Eden: QueerTheology.com/garden-of-eden Self-Care for LGBTQ Christians:QueerTheology.com/selfcare Queer the Bible Waitlist: queertheology.com/queerbible 7-day IG challenge: QueerTheology.com/challenge John 11:1-45 A certain man, Lazarus, was ill. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (This was the Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped his feet with her hair. Her brother Lazarus was ill.) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, saying, “Lord, the one whom you love is ill.” When he heard this, Jesus said, “This illness isn’t fatal. It’s for the glory of God so that God’s Son can be glorified through it.” Jesus loved Martha, her sister, and Lazarus. When he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed where he was. After two days, he said to his disciples, “Let’s return to Judea again.” The disciples replied, “Rabbi, the Jewish opposition wants to stone you, but you want to go back?” Jesus answered, “Aren’t there twelve hours in the day? Whoever walks in the day doesn’t stumble because they see the light of the world. But whoever walks in the night does stumble because the light isn’t in them.” He continued, “Our friend Lazarus is sleeping, but I am going in order to wake him up.” The disciples said, “Lord, if he’s sleeping, he will get well.” They thought Jesus meant that Lazarus was in a deep sleep, but Jesus had spoken about Lazarus’ death. Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died. For your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there so that you can believe. Let’s go to him.” Then Thomas (the one called Didymus) said to the other disciples, “Let us go too so that we may die with Jesus.” When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Bethany was a little less than two miles from Jerusalem. Many Jews had come to comfort Martha and Mary after their brother’s death. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him, while Mary remained in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died. Even now I know that whatever you ask God, God will give you.” Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha replied, “I know that he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live, even though they die. Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” She replied, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, God’s Son, the one who is coming into the world.” After she said this, she went and spoke privately to her sister Mary, “The teacher is here and he’s calling for you.” When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to Jesus. He hadn’t entered the village but was still in the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who were comforting Mary in the house saw her get up quickly and leave, they followed her. They assumed she was going to mourn at the tomb. When Mary arrived where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.” When Jesus saw her crying and the Jews who had come with her crying also, he was deeply disturbed and troubled. He asked, “Where have you laid him?” They replied, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus began to cry. The Jews said, “See how much he loved him!” But some of them said, “He healed the eyes of the man born blind. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?” Jesus was deeply disturbed again when he came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone covered the entrance. Jesus said, “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said, “Lord, the smell will be awful! He’s been dead four days.” Jesus replied, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believe, you will see God’s glory?” So they removed the stone. Jesus looked up and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. I know you always hear me. I say this for the benefit of the crowd standing here so that they will believe that you sent me.” Having said this, Jesus shouted with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his feet bound and his hands tied, and his face covered with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Untie him and let him go.” Therefore, many of the Jews who came with Mary and saw what Jesus did believed in him. Photo by Neal E. Johnson The post The Humanity of Jesus – John 11:1-45 appeared first on Queer Theology.

Have you ever wondered how Queer Theology started? In today’s episode, we walk down memory lane as we answer a question from Brandon. We take you on a journey on how it all began, what was the main objective when we created Queer Theology. We queer Psalm 23 which is a bonus text. It’s also very meaningful for us because this is the first text that we covered as the first episode of Queer Theology podcast. Moreover, this text is a listener’s request from Morgan, and also a lectionary text for the week. Stay tuned and enjoy today’s podcast. In this episode, we talk about: shout out to Amy who joined 2 months ago [5:10] a listener question from Brandon about how Fr. Shay and Brian started Queer Theology [5:35] how the name Queer Theology and its work started out [7:00] our goals and how they came to be [8:50] “Queer Theology is good news for straight cisgender folks as well.” [11:35] we queer a bonus text — a listener requested text [14:00] US feels like a dark valley [16:33] A caution against reading this text as “we’re saved, but screw everyone else” [18:40] food for thought: this passage is not for everyone all the time [20:00] grace and forgiveness [21:34] 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  Link(s) mentioned in this episode: Introducing Queer Theology’s Weekly Bible Podcast – Psalm 23 Queer the Bible Waitlist: queertheology.com/queerbible Can Straight Peole Queer Theology? QueerTheology.com/community Psalm 23 A psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd.     I lack nothing. He lets me rest in grassy meadows;     he leads me to restful waters;     he keeps me alive. He guides me in proper paths     for the sake of his good name.   Even when I walk through the darkest valley,     I fear no danger because you are with me. Your rod and your staff—     they protect me.   You set a table for me     right in front of my enemies. You bathe my head in oil;     my cup is so full it spills over! Yes, goodness and faithful love     will pursue me all the days of my life,     and I will live in the Lord’s house     as long as I live. Photo by Michael Mouritz The post Walking Through the Dark Valley – Psalm 23 appeared first on Queer Theology.

In today’s episode, we answer a question from Forest on how to handle and cope with Christian friends who are not accepting of your queerness. Forest also asks: “How do I refute their claims that homosexuality is a sin?” We also queered a text from Exodus 17:1-7 where we hear a relatable story of people being afraid to face changes, of people being scared of facing growth and the pain that comes along with it. Listen on and we hope you’ll enjoy today’s show. 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, hello. Welcome back to the Queer Theology podcast. This is the podcast for Sunday, March 15th, 2020 and we are super excited to be back with you again. So Brian, what is new in your world? B: I am serving botched carpenter realness these days. So my good friend who I used to be boyfriends with, who I no longer boyfriends with, and we don’t have a good word for it because we still love each other dearly, Matt. He is an amazing metal worker. He makes artisanal, brass lighting and also, home textures like knobs, hooks, and apron holders. They’re beautiful. He’s got his own study and he sells some staff on Etsy: mattalfordstudios.com. He made my cross and triangle necklace for me. But so he is making me some lamps to go next to my bed that are wood, metal, and rope. That just looks really cool. So yesterday we went to Home Depot to pick out the wood that we’re gonna make the stuff out of. Then cut it up and sand it. I wanna help him but he’s not letting me help him much because he’s afraid I’m gonna mess things up. So I’m providing moral support while he is making this beautiful lamp. So I’m just really excited about it and it feels cool to have — to me it’s gonna be functional, and look pretty, and also be meaningful to me. So that’s sort of been my crafty Nick Offerman weekend. What about you Shay? FS: Yeah, it’s a big submission season for playwriting. I just ended up opening two shows for Uprising Theatre Company. Well, one show for Uprising – a beautiful new piece called “Doctor Voynich and Her Children” by Leanna Keyes and then opened up a show that I was assistant director on at Mix Blood Theatre. It was a trans and queer pop-rock musical, super fun. So now that both of those shows are open and running, I can focus a little bit on my own writing again which feels really good. And it’s submission season which means putting your work out there to a million different places, so you can get told “no” a million different times. So that hopefully, you can get one or two “yeses” in the mix. So I’m doing a lot of that. I also just finished reading a trilogy of books that I wanna shoutout. It’s called The Truly Devious series it’s by Maureen Johnson. It’s a young adult trilogy of novels. And it’s a great, fun, mystery story. But what I love about the series is the most casually inclusive series I think I’ve ever read of different body types, different abilities, and a non-binary character, and queerness, and the main character has panic attacks. It’s all presented so matter-of-factly and doesn’t feel like inclusion for inclusion’s sake. It very much feels like, yeah! This is the world we live in. Some people use canes to walk, and some people use they, them pronouns. It’s not a thing. It’s just presented in the book. So I love this series. The whole series is out now which is great because I did not realize it was a series when I started reading it. And book 1 ends on a cliffhanger and I was like, “You’ve got to be kidding me!” I had to wait a year for the next book and it sucked! Anyway, the whole series is out now, Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson. Get it. Love it. It’s super fun. B: That sounds so awesome. And also Maureen Johnson makes me think of rent.  Before we dive in, this is just a friendly reminder that this podcast is made possible by over 125 supporters on Patreon. FS: Our patrons not only help to keep this show on the air but also support all of the free resources we create over at QueerTheology.com. Articles, videos, PDF guides, courses, and all sorts of stuff. So thank you to all of our Patreon supporters. B: And in keeping with our tradition, we have another Patreon supporter shout out this week. This week our shout out goes out to Emily England who has been a supporter for a couple of months and is also a close friend of Shay’s! Thank you so much, Emily! It’s great to see our name on there. You rock! FS: If you enjoy this show and want to support it, you can that for as little as $2 per month at patreon.com/queertheology. You can learn more about why we need your support and check out the perks, at patreon.com/queertheology. Okay, on to the show! B: Our question today comes from Forest who asked: “How do you cope with your Christian friends not accepting who you are? And how can I refute their claims that homosexuality is a sin?”  Shay, what do you say to that? FS: This is a really tough question because I think there are two different things happening here, right? There’s this question about how can I convince my Christian friends that their views about homosexuality are wrong? So I’m gonna tackle that one first and say, honestly you can’t. If your Christian friends are not in a space where they’re willing to be challenged on their theological beliefs, having that conversation over and over again is actually not gonna be helpful to them or to you. I’ve talked about this before on this podcast about going into the Rob Bell communication workshop. One of the things that people had asked Rob was “How do you convince people who think you’re wrong?” And he’s like, “You don’t. I don’t spend or waste time on them.” I think that’s an important thing to remember. That it’s not our job to convince people, it’s not our responsibility. That work can also really be toxic for us to be stuck in. So my first answer is unhook from that work and stop trying to do that work.  But the coping piece is different. These are people that you care about and that you presumably want to stay in some kind of relationship with. I think that you need to figure out for yourself where your boundaries are around that thing. How close can you actually be with these people if they don’t accept all of who you are? Can you maybe go out to dinner with them and talk about things you all agree with. But if you’re gonna talk about relationships that’s off the table, right? Figuring out for yourself what some of your boundaries are to protect your own heart and soul, I think, is really important when interacting with people who don’t accept all of who you are. Brian, what about you? B: I was gonna say something similar and that the answer to one is, I don’t know. It’s gonna be really hard to cope if you’re constantly trying to convince them that it’s okay to be LGBTQ. Everything that Shay just said about sometimes you have to walk away when you can’t convince people, it’s not our job. We’ve talked about that twice on the podcast: Jesus in two different places or two different gospels in Mark 6 and in Luke 10. Instructing his disciples to go and spread the gospel but then if the people there aren’t willing to hear the news and are closed down to it, then they’re just gonna leave and shake the dust off your sandals as you leave. Figuring that out is so important that some people wanna engage, wanna learn, and wanna grow, and we should absolutely be investing our time and energy in those relationships. And some people are closed down, they don’t care, or they’re asking questions but it’s not in good faith. It’s to trick you or to wear you down. It’s our job to suss out that difference. All the time that we spend running in circles with people who have no interest in actually learning or hearing, is time that we can’t be spending either with people who do genuinely want to learn and grow, or with people who nourish, and feed us, and support us. So that we can grow. So that we can be better equipped to move out into the world. We’ll put links to both of those in the show notes for this episode at QueerTheology.com/320, but figuring out those boundaries is the work. We also have a little mini-series on self-care and figuring out boundaries around people who are unaffirming. So we will put a link to that in the show notes of this episode, again QueerTheology.com/320 or you can pop right to that series at QueerTheology.com/selfcare.  FS: Just a reminder that if you’ve got a question for the podcast, we would love to tackle it. You can send it to connect@queertheology.com. You can either send it as just an email with the question in there. Or if you want to record your question on an audio recorder, you can do it on your phone, you can send us your audio clip and we will put into future podcasts. If you need or want to remain anonymous with your question, just let us know that when you send the email. B: Okay! Let’s open up our Bibles and queer this text. Today we’re taking a look at Exodus 17:1-7. I will read it to you now from the Common English Bible. The whole Israelite community broke camp and set out from the Sin desert to continue their journey, as the Lord commanded. They set up their camp at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. The people argued with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why are you arguing with me? Why are you testing the Lord?” But the people were very thirsty for water there, and they complained to Moses, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt to kill us, our children, and our livestock with thirst?” So Moses cried out to the Lord, “What should I do with this people? They are getting ready to stone me.” The Lord said to Moses, “Go on ahead of the people, and take some of Israel’s elders with you. Take in your hand the shepherd’s rod that you used to strike the Nile River, and go. I’ll be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Hit the rock. Water will come out of it, and the people will be able to drink.” Moses did so while Israel’s elders watched. He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites argued with and tested the Lord, asking, “Is the Lord really with us or not?” Okay, Shay. There’s some stuff in here that I think is really interesting. What do you make of this text and how does queerness inform it? FS: I love this text! I mean I love how snarky and crabby Moses is, pretty much all the time. I especially love this text because here we have, the people of Israel have just spent generations in slavery. Legit slavery. They have been freed and in their very first bits of freedom they are pissy and cranky because it’s hard. From the outside, I’m “What the hell? How can you not understand that you are free now! This is better than what you had just left.” And also, I see some of myself and the queer community in this text as well. We talked a lot in the Faithful Sexuality Course of: it can be really difficult to change, and grow, and confront stuff about yourself that you don’t like. But also grow into a new way of being – that can be a painful process. It can feel the stuckness that you were in is better than the pain of the growth that you are experiencing. So that strikes me about this passage: that this is part of the human condition, is that we would rather stay stuck and miserable, and be familiar with our stuckness and miserableness than we would go through the work and pain of actually growing and getting to the promised land. So that’s the first thing that comes up for me in this text, and sitting with that in myself, and also making that observation about community as well. What about you? B: So I studied Religion in college and in one of the first classes that I took, we looked at the Exodus. My professor was a Rabbi and he said to us something very in passing – about how the Exodus didn’t historically happen. And there was no archaeological evidence to support it, and there was no other corroborating census or historical records. It just – never say never, but almost certainly didn’t historically happen. And I had my mind blown! I was like, “What are you talking about? That’s not true!” His point was it might not be historically true, but there is still truth to this text. I remember being, “You’re a rabbi, you’re supposed to believe this even more. What do you mean?” It blew my mind – stick with me for a second, that I think that I come back to that often and I think it’s important to remember here that there’s one way to read this text: which I think you can get some value out of. By reading it as if it happened or as if you’re a character in the story. To say, “What might I learn from this text as it happened?” Then there’s another way that you can approach it to try and get some more information out of it. To say, “If this is a story, why does this story matter? Why did this community tell this story, and how did this story end up in the Bible? And what then does that tell us about ourselves? And about God?” And sometimes, the answer is the exact same thing, as if it was historically accurate. Sometimes it just sheds new light on this. One of the things that sticks out to me that there is this – when I’m approaching from that second angle, there is this unmistakable truth that God cares about our physical well-being. That God cares about the here and now. And earlier in Exodus, God led Israel out of slavery. And here God is like, you need water… we’re gonna get you some water. The here and the now matters and God is in the business of taking care of our needs. There is something there about Moses’ snarky about this, and they decided to call it this place, but there is something of asking, “Is the Lord really with us or not?” In this text, the Lord’s answer to that question was: “Here’s water. Yes, I am.” So I think that later in a Christian scripture, Jesus talks about – and I always say this, judging the tree by its fruit. That the proof is in the pudding. So as we’re in various communities, it also relates to folks who are in conservative Christian or un-affirming communities. And our question from earlier today, it’s worth asking, “Is the Lord really with us?” What do we see that testifies to sort of the work of God in our communities? Yeah, so I kinda dig that. FS: As we’re getting ready to do a course on queering a Bible, we’ve got a fun five-day challenge coming up. It’s gonna be a really cool interactive photo challenge on Instagram. All of the details are gonna be at QueerTheology.com/challenge. So you can head on over there, find out more about what it is and how to participate. But basically, you’re gonna take a photo each day for five days as part of this challenge. We’re gonna join together as a big community to do this. So it’s gonna be a whole lot of fun. So go to QueerTheology.com/challenge and sign up for that, and get more details in your inbox. B: Looking forward to going through that, and hanging with you on Instagram, 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 talk about: Brian’s handmade lamp made by a special friend [0:41] Fr. Shay’s theater shows and that submission season is coming up [2:17] Truly Devious Series by Maureen Johnson – book recommendation [3:02] shout out to Emily England who is a friend of Fr. Shay and has been a supporter for months now [4:57] a listener question from Forest on handling non-accepting, Christian friends [5:34] you can’t convince people who think you are wrong – stop trying to do that work [6:05] figure out your boundaries when you are around these people [7:14] invest your time and energy in the right relationships [8:45] how being stuck is more favorable than accepting the pains of growth [13:17] God cares about us – even our physical well being [16:13] Instagram photo challenge [17:42] 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  Link(s) mentioned in this episode: Shake It Off – Luke 10:1-11 Shake It Off, Shake It Off – Mark 6:1-13 QueerTheology.com/selfcare Queering the Bible waitlist: queertheology.com/queerbible QueerTheology.com/challenge Exodus 17:1-7 The whole Israelite community broke camp and set out from the Sin desert to continue their journey, as the Lord commanded. They set up their camp at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. The people argued with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink. Moses said to them, “Why are you arguing with me? Why are you testing the Lord?” But the people were very thirsty for water there, and they complained to Moses, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt to kill us, our children, and our livestock with thirst?” So Moses cried out to the Lord, “What should I do with this people? They are getting ready to stone me.” The Lord said to Moses, “Go on ahead of the people, and take some of Israel’s elders with you. Take in your hand the shepherd’s rod that you used to strike the Nile River, and go. I’ll be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Hit the rock. Water will come out of it, and the people will be able to drink.” Moses did so while Israel’s elders watched. He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites argued with and tested the Lord, asking, “Is the Lord really with us or not?” Photo by John Salvino The post Safe in Stuckness – Exodus 17:1-7 appeared first on Queer Theology.