Queer Theology

When our need to help the poor, feed the hungry, and uphold the oppressed is strong, we sometimes forget that it’s okay to slow down a bit. To rest. To take care of one’s self. And this passage from Isaiah reminds us of that. 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. B: Hello, hello, hello. Today is Sunday, August 25th, 2019 or at least that is the day that it is when this episode comes out. Actually, Shay is with me here in Los Angeles for a week so we’re recording a little bit ahead of schedule. It’s really been exciting and fun to have you here for the past week, Shay. FS: It’s been super fun to be here. B: A few days ago, we got together with some podcast listeners, some subscribers of the mailing list, some members of Sanctuary Collective for some park theology instead of pub theology. For an evening of getting to know each other, talking about everything from therapy, to veggie-tales, to Hebrew translations of the Bible, and all points in between. It’s been really a lot of fun. What have been some highlights for you Shay? FS: Yeah, I just love it when we get to meet with people face-to-face and hear more of their stories and find out how they found out about the website and podcast. But really, just to be in community with people and that’s been super fun. It’s been great to think a little bit about what’s next for Queer Theology. To think about how we’re doing things and what we can do better and what we want to do more of that’s been really exciting, too. B: Yeah, we got lots of exciting plans that we’ve been working on. One of them has already come to fruition. We are in the middle of registration for a course on How to Read the Bible. I think this is so important, I know that for me, I grew up reading the Bible, constantly talking with the Bible in church all the time. Really feeling like I knew the ins and outs of the Bible and then when I realize I was queer, having the Bible turn around on me and it becoming like a weapon used against me. Then, spending so many years having to fend myself against the Bible. And then, so feeling like I really knew the Bible, I remember as a closeted teenager and opening the Bible trying to figure out what the passages about homosexuality meant and did it condemn me. What about bisexuality, what about this transgender that I heard of? And then, fast forward years in the future and realizing that being a gay or a bi-sexual Christian wasn’t quite enough as much as I thought I knew the Bible in and out, there was just so much more to learn and reading a lot of books by serious academics has been helpful. Working alongside folks that had seminary education has been very helpful. One of our goals at QueerTheology.com has always been to sort of make all of this juicy stuff that happens in Academia available to everyone so that you don’t have to go hundred thousand dollars into debt and go to spend 3 years in seminary to learn how to read the Bible. Because I think there’s something more to just picking it up and reading like it’s the book in order to get the most out of it. So I’m super excited about this class if you’re interested in learning more, you can go to queertheology.com/biblecourse, with or without a hyphen, it will take you there. Shay, what can we look forward to in this course? FS: Yeah. We’re going to look at a ton of different stuff, we’re gonna a lot about how to read the Bible in context meaning both in what kind of literature it is, but also the historical context and really unpacking that and how knowing that context impacts how we read scripture. We’re gonna look at tools for you to do this work on your own, so that you don’t have to be necessarily beholden to going to seminary. We are just gonna give a hint and a tease of starting to read the Bible through a queer and trans lens. We are going to do an entire course on just that later on, but you’ll get just a hint of that in this course. B: I’m super, super, super excited. So before we jump into this week’s lectionary text, this is something that we don’t really ever do. But if you are a fan of this podcast, it would really mean a lot to us if you could go and leave a review on iTunes, or Stitcher or wherever it is that you listen to this podcast. The more reviews that there are, the more it helps other people find the podcast with the algorithms, and also just having your voice on there gives a sense of what this podcast is about for folks who might be considering it. We do from time to time get anti-LGBTQ Christians leaving one star, hateful reviews on there. So having your voice to counterbalance all of that negativity would be super meaningful. So iTunes, Stitcher, the Google podcast, or wherever you listen to your podcast, go on there and drop a review we would really appreciate it. And now, unto this week’s text. It is Isaiah 58:9-14 I will read it to you now. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and God will say, “I’m here.” If you remove the yoke from among you, the finger-pointing, the wicked speech; if you open your heart to the hungry, and provide abundantly for those who are afflicted, your light will shine in the darkness, and your gloom will be like the noon. The Lord will guide you continually and provide for you, even in parched places. He will rescue your bones. You will be like a watered garden, like a spring of water that won’t run dry. They will rebuild ancient ruins on your account; the foundations of generations past you will restore. You will be called Mender of Broken Walls, Restorer of Livable Streets. If you stop trampling the Sabbath, stop doing whatever you want on my holy day, and consider the Sabbath a delight, sacred to the Lord, honored, and honor it instead of doing things your way, seeking what you want and doing business as usual, then you will take delight in the Lord. I will let you ride on the heights of the earth; I will sustain you with the heritage of your ancestor Jacob. The mouth of the Lord has spoken. Amen. Shay, I know you really love this passage, why is that? FS: I do. I love the poetry of it for one, but I also love how it really turns so much of what I was taught as a kid on its head. I remember growing up and being told that the reason that America was in such bad shape, the reason that there were abortion and mass shootings was because we had taken prayer out of public school. B: Right! FS: I remember Carmen, God bless…. B: Carmen the life coach? FS: Yes …had this entire monologue about putting God back in America again. Quoted all these statistics that said that the rise, the violence happened exactly when they took God out of schools, whatever. But I love that this passage talks so clearly about when you call, the Lord will answer, but it’s if you remove the yoke from among you, if you open your heart to the hungry and provide abundantly for those who are afflicted. Then, your light will shine in the darkness. Again, when we talk about the fact that social justice is baked into scripture, that it’s all throughout, that this idea of caring for the poor and those who are marginalized is at the heart of what it means to follow God. We are talking about through all of these passages. I think that this is a passage that’s so clear. It’s also a passage that it isn’t like if you berate your neighbors for their religious beliefs, or lack of religious beliefs. If you make sure that you fly the American flat, if you protest the abortion clinics, and your light will shine in the darkness. No. You take care of the poor and hungry. And to me, my favorite is this, they would rebuild ancient ruins on your account, you will be called mender of broken walls and restorer of livable streets. I think that’s such a beautiful image and it’s so powerful to think about: that could be the legacy that we’re living. This legacy of mending broken walls and restoring livable streets, and that’s the work to be done. B: Yeah. What sticks out for me in this passage, or I guess what comes to mind is: sometimes I think that the prosperity gospel, and God that wants you to be uber rich, and just name and then claim it, which the secular version of that is the law of attraction or whatever. Gets put in conflict with social justice, Christianity. And somehow, social justice, Christianity, in the popular conception gets translated into, God wants you to suffer or that suffering is noble, or that abundance is bad. What I see here is for this marrying of both of those. Not that we should be excessively wealthy, or if you donate to your millionaire pastor’s church and God will pay your rent. But rather, this idea of removing the yoke and taking care of the hungry goes hand-in-hand with also resting on the Sabbath, and not being ground down. No one wins under capitalism. We’re all grinding, and grinding, and grinding, and grinding. The goal of the Hebrew prophets and what I see in Jesus and what I see in my atheist, social justice friends is not that we are constantly miserable, right? But there is enough and we can take care of each other and still rest. Take care of ourselves, our family and the stranger. I think that is an important message for the world today. FS: Just a reminder, if you want to take this Bible course, it starts really soon. We are going to start it right in the beginning of September. You can sign up for that at queertheology.com/biblecourse. We would love to see you there. It’s going to be a really rich and powerful time together. [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) This episode talks about: A recap of the LA meetup Why Fr. Shay loves this passage so much The work that needs to be done and the legacy that we can live behind Respecting the Sabbath day The importance of resting, and finding a balance between helping others and taking care of yourself The How to Read the Bible course is now open for registration. We are going to start the course on September 15. If this is something you’re interested in, you can sign up for that at queertheology.com/biblecourse. Isaiah 58:9-14 Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and God will say, “I’m here.” If you remove the yoke from among you, the finger-pointing, the wicked speech; if you open your heart to the hungry, and provide abundantly for those who are afflicted, your light will shine in the darkness, and your gloom will be like the noon. The Lord will guide you continually and provide for you, even in parched places. He will rescue your bones. You will be like a watered garden, like a spring of water that won’t run dry. They will rebuild ancient ruins on your account; the foundations of generations past you will restore. You will be called Mender of Broken Walls, Restorer of Livable Streets. If you stop trampling the Sabbath, stop doing whatever you want on my holy day, and consider the Sabbath a delight, sacred to the Lord, honored, and honor it instead of doing things your way, seeking what you want and doing business as usual, then you will take delight in the Lord. I will let you ride on the heights of the earth; I will sustain you with the heritage of your ancestor Jacob. The mouth of the Lord has spoken. Photo by Helena Lopes The post Take Care – Isaiah 58:9-14 appeared first on Queer Theology.

It’s easy to misinterpret the scriptures, and even our so-called traditions and traditional ways of doing things can hinder proper understanding of the text. This episode highlights the importance of knowing historical and political context in order to truly understand the Bible. Download the transcript (PDF) Episode Transcript Brian: 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. B: Hello, hello, hello. Today is Sunday, August 18th we are going to take a look at Hebrews 11:29-12:2 I will read it to you now. By faith they crossed the Red Sea as if they were on dry land, but when the Egyptians tried it, they were drowned. By faith Jericho’s walls fell after the people marched around them for seven days. By faith Rahab the prostitute wasn’t killed with the disobedient because she welcomed the spies in peace. What more can I say? I would run out of time if I told you about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets. Through faith they conquered kingdoms, brought about justice, realized promises, shut the mouths of lions, put out raging fires, escaped from the edge of the sword, found strength in weakness, were mighty in war, and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured and refused to be released so they could gain a better resurrection. But others experienced public shame by being taunted and whipped; they were even put in chains and in prison. They were stoned to death, they were cut in two, and they died by being murdered with swords. They went around wearing the skins of sheep and goats, needy, oppressed, and mistreated. The world didn’t deserve them. They wandered around in deserts, mountains, caves, and holes in the ground. All these people didn’t receive what was promised, though they were given approval for their faith. God provided something better for us so they wouldn’t be made perfect without us. So then, with endurance, let’s also run the race that is laid out in front of us, since we have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us. Let’s throw off any extra baggage, get rid of the sin that trips us up, and fix our eyes on Jesus, faith’s pioneer and perfecter. He endured the cross, ignoring the shame, for the sake of the joy that was laid out in front of him, and sat down at the right side of God’s throne. B: Shay, there’s a lot of stuff in here. Where do we begin to make sense of this passage? FS: I mean one of the things that sticks out to me first off is this way that the author of this passage is reinterpreting their own texts and stories for a new context and a new community. By telling all of these older stories, the author is saying, “Look! This is our tradition, this is what we are part of, this is what we are doing, and this is how we can change it and understand it now and continue at forward.” This idea that scripture tells only one story is really false. In here, we have this narrative of how these things get repackaged and reframed and retaught. I think that that’s what we’re still doing today, and it’s really important that we use this as an instructive way of how to read scripture, through scripture. That’s the first thing that sticks out to me, what about you? B: What I notice in this passage is that, some churches that I’ve been to, the idea that you needed Jesus and the Christian writings in order to really understand the Hebrew bible. That almost the New Testament is like this secret key that unlocks the hidden meaning of the Hebrew scriptures. Even like Jonah and the whale being about Jesus and all of this stuff. But what I’m realizing is that this passage makes clear is that actually you need the Hebrew scriptures in order to understand the Christian ones. You need to understand the captivity of the Hebrew people, and their escape, and exile. You need to understand all of these about Jericho and Rahab, this forms the foundation of what the Christian authors are talking about. Then, they take it a step forward and repackage it and make new meaning out of it. But if you don’t understand the foundation, you’re not going to get sturdy walls, my guess is. What I would say. There’s this need to not just take everything at face value and think like, “I can just flip open to any page of the bible and read it, and that’s all that i need to know in order to understand this.” Or that being alive is all that you need to do to make sense of this ancient text. FS: Yeah. And we’re gonna be launching a course really soon here about how to read the bible and how to really understand it. You know, I went to seminary and spent years, and years, and years studying the scripture. I think that that was a fantastic experience and also, I think that there’s a lot of things that you can learn by being in community with other people. By dipping into resources that exist, and dipping into the resources that we are going to provide. That will help you get a really much sense of how to read the bible even without going to seminary. So we are super excited to be launching that course really soon. B: Yeah. So if you’re interested in that, you can hop on the waitlist, be the first to find out about it at queertheology.com/biblewaitlist. And Shay, can you just give us one example, from this passage, what you might learn in this course would help you understand this passage a little bit better. FS: I mean, you were talking earlier about needing to understand like exile. I think that that’s one of the big things that we’re gonna talk about in this course about how the political experiences of the Hebrew people, and also of the early Jesus followers. The historical context that they were living in drastically shaped their understanding of themselves, of their communities, of their approach to the divine. You have to understand those historical realities in order to really get at some of the things that people are talking about. So when we talk about Jericho or the time of the prophets, you really have to understand what’s happening historically and politically in those times to understand the spiritual implications. B: So I’m super excited that that course is starting very soon. Again, you can find out more and be the first to find out how to sign up at queertheology.com/biblewaitlist. [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. This episode’s highlights: The importance of understanding historical and political experiences of Hebrew authors Learning how to read and understand the Bible (join our course, coming soon!) How knowing and learning the context of the text builds a stronger foundation in understanding the scriptures We are launching a How to Read the Bible course, really soon. Be the first to know about it, including special discount, by hopping on the waitlist at queertheology.com/biblewaitlist. Hebrews 11:29-12:2 By faith they crossed the Red Sea as if they were on dry land, but when the Egyptians tried it, they were drowned. By faith Jericho’s walls fell after the people marched around them for seven days. By faith Rahab the prostitute wasn’t killed with the disobedient because she welcomed the spies in peace. What more can I say? I would run out of time if I told you about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets. Through faith they conquered kingdoms, brought about justice, realized promises, shut the mouths of lions, put out raging fires, escaped from the edge of the sword, found strength in weakness, were mighty in war, and routed foreign armies.  Women received back their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured and refused to be released so they could gain a better resurrection. But others experienced public shame by being taunted and whipped; they were even put in chains and in prison. They were stoned to death, they were cut in two, and they died by being murdered with swords. They went around wearing the skins of sheep and goats, needy, oppressed, and mistreated. The world didn’t deserve them. They wandered around in deserts, mountains, caves, and holes in the ground. All these people didn’t receive what was promised, though they were given approval for their faith. God provided something better for us so they wouldn’t be made perfect without us. So then, with endurance, let’s also run the race that is laid out in front of us, since we have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us. Let’s throw off any extra baggage, get rid of the sin that trips us up, and fix our eyes on Jesus, faith’s pioneer and perfecter. He endured the cross, ignoring the shame, for the sake of the joy that was laid out in front of him, and sat down at the right side of God’s throne. Photo by Nicole Honeywill The post Context Matters – Hebrews 11:29-12:2 appeared first on Queer Theology.

Fr. Shay is away on a writer’s retreat so we’re taking another listen to one of our all-time most popular episodes. Everything we talk about is critical to understanding the Bible and that makes it particularly timely as we are getting ready to open up registration for an online course + group discussion on how to read the Bible. You can hop on the waitlist for that here (we’ll give you first dibs at joining since we’ve sold out these types of courses in the past AND you’ll get a special discount) Episode Transcript Brian: 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. B: Hello, hello, hello. Today is Sunday, August 11th and we are doing something a little different and a little special. If you haven’t already picked up on it, it’s just me right now. Shay is on a queer writer’s retreat and we got our dates mixed up and realized that we don’t have a podcast episode planned out for today. So I dug into our archives and found one of our most popular episodes of all time. It’s from a few years ago so you may not have heard it yet, so I’m excited to share that with you today. In this episode, we really get into it. We take a look at how there’s more to the story than meets the eye sometimes. We get into gender and sexual scandal, and how God is found in the margins. All of that is critical to understanding the Bible. So I’m excited to dig into this episode with you again today.  I also have a special announcement, you’re one of the firsts to hear if you’re listening to this podcast. We are very, very soon – within the next week or two, we are going to be opening up registration for an online group course and discussion on how to read the Bible. If you’re inspired by this episode and you want to learn how to do that even better, you can go to  queertheology.com/biblewaitlist. To learn more, get on the waitlist. You’ll be the first to hear about it. We’ve sold out these types of things in the past, and you’ll also be able to grab a discount for registering early. I think like as folks, that some of us have grown up as Christians our whole lives and are familiar reading the Bible. And for those of us queer, have been attack by the Bible it can feel like we’ve gotten a master class in reading the Bible. And while that’s partly true, there’s also so much more that goes into how the Bible is created, how the Bible was intended, how the Bible has been used over time, and how much more you can get out of the BIble if you have just a little bit more knowledge and background, and sort of more formalized training. So we are excited to really share this with you. Again, you can hop on the waitlist at  queertheology.com/biblewaitlist you’ll be the first to find out. And without further ado, let’s jump into this week’s episode.   It’s the story of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman by the well. If you’re not familiar with that story, head on over to QueerTheology.com/171 to read it, and then come back.    “He came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, which was near the land Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there. Jesus was tired from his journey, so he sat down at the well. It was about noon. A Samaritan woman came to the well to draw water. Jesus said to her, ‘Give me some water to drink.’ His disciples had gone into the city to buy him some food.   “The Samaritan woman asked, ‘Why do you, a Jewish man, ask for something to drink from me, a Samaritan woman?’ (Jews and Samaritans didn’t associate with each other.)   “Jesus responded, ‘If you recognized God’s gift and who is saying to you, “Give me some water to drink,” you would be asking him and he would give you living water.’   “The woman said to him, ‘Sir, you don’t have a bucket and the well is deep. Where would you get this living water? You aren’t greater than our father Jacob, are you? He gave this well to us, and he drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.’   “Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks from the water that I will give will never be thirsty again. The water that I give will become in those who drink it a spring of water that bubbles up into eternal life.’   “The woman said to him, ‘Sir, give me this water, so that I will never be thirsty and will never need to come here to draw water!’ Jesus said to her, ‘Go, get your husband, and come back here.’   “The woman replied, ‘I don’t have a husband.’   “‘You are right to say, “I don’t have a husband,”’ Jesus answered. ‘You’ve had five husbands, and the man you are with now isn’t your husband. You’ve spoken the truth.’   “The woman said, ‘Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain, but you and your people say that it is necessary to worship in Jerusalem.’   “Jesus said to her, ‘Believe me, woman, the time is coming when you and your people will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You and your people worship what you don’t know; we worship what we know because salvation is from the Jews. But the time is coming—and is here!—when true worshippers will worship in spirit and truth. The Father looks for those who worship him this way. God is spirit, and it is necessary to worship God in spirit and truth.’   “The woman said, ‘I know that the Messiah is coming, the one who is called the Christ. When he comes, he will teach everything to us.’   “Jesus said to her, ‘I Am—the one who speaks with you.’ Just then, Jesus’ disciples arrived and were shocked that he was talking with a woman. But no one asked, ‘What do you want?’ or ‘Why are you talking with her?’ The woman put down her water jar and went into the city. She said to the people, ‘Come and see a man who has told me everything I’ve done! Could this man be the Christ?’ They left the city and were on their way to see Jesus.   “In the meantime the disciples spoke to Jesus, saying, ‘Rabbi, eat.’ Jesus said to them, ‘I have food to eat that you don’t know about.’   “The disciples asked each other, ‘Has someone brought him food?’   “Jesus said to them, ‘I am fed by doing the will of the one who sent me and by completing his work. Don’t you have a saying, “Four more months and then it’s time for harvest”? Look, I tell you: open your eyes and notice that the fields are already ripe for the harvest. Those who harvest are receiving their pay and gathering fruit for eternal life so that those who sow and those who harvest can celebrate together. This is a true saying, that one sows and another harvests. I have sent you to harvest what you didn’t work hard for; others worked hard, and you will share in their hard work.’   “Many Samaritans in that city believed in Jesus because of the woman’s word when she testified, ‘He told me everything I’ve ever done.’ So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. Many more believed because of his word, and they said to the woman, ‘We no longer believe because of what you said, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this one is truly the savior of the world.’”   So Shay, what are your thoughts on this passage? FS: This is one of those really famous and great passages. One of the things I think is important: any time women show up in the Bible, we should pay attention, because it doesn’t happen very often. Again, we have a woman who is not named, which is super disappointing, but serves as a really interesting character within Jesus’s narrative and within the narrative of the gospel. This woman who, again, has some scandal in her life, as a lot of the women mentioned in the Bible seem to. Jesus treats her with compassion and love, which I think is beautiful and awesome. It’s interesting, too, that at the end of this passage, this woman becomes a missionary and an apostle for Jesus. She ends up being the one to convert her entire town. We see, again, an example throughout the gospels of women stepping up into this role when the men around them are kind of feckless and [laughs] not doing anything helpful. Which is a pretty awesome thing to see, especially because in this time women were not trusted. Their word wasn’t valid. Their word didn’t count in court, they weren’t trusted witnesses. So the fact that she then becomes the one to tell her town about Jesus and they believe her, is saying something really incredible. What about you?    B: Yeah, you know I’m struck by this passage where she says “I have no husband,” and Jesus says “You’re right when you say you have no husband; the fact is you have had five husband and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” You know, that is something that, if that happened today, religious leaders would have all sorts of snide, judgy things to say about it. That’s not what happens here. She goes on to be sort of a missionary. We say this over and over again: queer people have more to offer than what we’re not, God is in the margins. We say that God is embodied in Jesus, and he’s hanging out with this woman and befriending her and inviting her into ministry with him – and not judging her. It’s not just that it’s okay to be gay, it’s not just that you can be LGBTQ and Christian, it’s that we’re central to this story. Queer people and women and immigrants and people who are HIV positive and folks living with disabilities, we’re central to this story of God that we see throughout the Hebrew Bible and Christian scriptures. That’s just a cool reminder that that’s where God is.   [outro music plays]   B: So that was our episode. Thank you for joining us for another week of the QueerTheology Lectionary Bible Podcast. We would love to hear what you think. Find us on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook. Let us know what you thought about the episode. Also, before you go, a quick reminder: remember to signup on the waitlist for this How to Read the Bible course that is coming up. You can get on that at queertheology.com/biblewaitlist, you’ll be the first to know. Make sure you get a spot before it sells out, get a discount, and all that good stuff.    Shay is going to be with me in Los Angeles next week. We are going to be hanging out, planning, working, recording podcast episodes. So two things: 1. If you are in the Los Angeles area and you would like to meet up with us, we are going to be hosting an LA area meetup, email us at connect@queertheology.com. To let us know you wanna meet up and we’ll give you the details. Or you can find us on social media and let us know. And if you have a question you would like answer on the podcast, you can email us again that’s connect@queertheology.com. You can ask any question that you would like answered or suggest a particular passage that you’d like us to take a look at and we will get to that. That is all for now, and we will see you next week. Download the transcript (PDF) Today’s episode we talk about: The importance of women in the Bible The way Jesus handles sexual scandal How and why queer people can see themselves in this passage How God can be seen as part of the margins John 4:5-42 “He came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, which was near the land Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there. Jesus was tired from his journey, so he sat down at the well. It was about noon. A Samaritan woman came to the well to draw water. Jesus said to her, ‘Give me some water to drink.’ His disciples had gone into the city to buy him some food. “The Samaritan woman asked, ‘Why do you, a Jewish man, ask for something to drink from me, a Samaritan woman?’ (Jews and Samaritans didn’t associate with each other.) “Jesus responded, ‘If you recognized God’s gift and who is saying to you, “Give me some water to drink,” you would be asking him and he would give you living water.’ “The woman said to him, ‘Sir, you don’t have a bucket and the well is deep. Where would you get this living water? You aren’t greater than our father Jacob, are you? He gave this well to us, and he drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.’ “Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks from the water that I will give will never be thirsty again. The water that I give will become in those who drink it a spring of water that bubbles up into eternal life.’ “The woman said to him, ‘Sir, give me this water, so that I will never be thirsty and will never need to come here to draw water!’ Jesus said to her, ‘Go, get your husband, and come back here.’ “The woman replied, ‘I don’t have a husband.’ “‘You are right to say, “I don’t have a husband,”’ Jesus answered. ‘You’ve had five husbands, and the man you are with now isn’t your husband. You’ve spoken the truth.’ “The woman said, ‘Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain, but you and your people say that it is necessary to worship in Jerusalem.’ “Jesus said to her, ‘Believe me, woman, the time is coming when you and your people will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You and your people worship what you don’t know; we worship what we know because salvation is from the Jews. But the time is coming—and is here!—when true worshippers will worship in spirit and truth. The Father looks for those who worship him this way. God is spirit, and it is necessary to worship God in spirit and truth.’ “The woman said, ‘I know that the Messiah is coming, the one who is called the Christ. When he comes, he will teach everything to us.’ “Jesus said to her, ‘I Am—the one who speaks with you.’ Just then, Jesus’ disciples arrived and were shocked that he was talking with a woman. But no one asked, ‘What do you want?’ or ‘Why are you talking with her?’ The woman put down her water jar and went into the city. She said to the people, ‘Come and see a man who has told me everything I’ve done! Could this man be the Christ?’ They left the city and were on their way to see Jesus. “In the meantime the disciples spoke to Jesus, saying, ‘Rabbi, eat.’ Jesus said to them, ‘I have food to eat that you don’t know about.’ “The disciples asked each other, ‘Has someone brought him food?’ “Jesus said to them, ‘I am fed by doing the will of the one who sent me and by completing his work. Don’t you have a saying, “Four more months and then it’s time for harvest”? Look, I tell you: open your eyes and notice that the fields are already ripe for the harvest. Those who harvest are receiving their pay and gathering fruit for eternal life so that those who sow and those who harvest can celebrate together. This is a true saying, that one sows and another harvests. I have sent you to harvest what you didn’t work hard for; others worked hard, and you will share in their hard work.’ “Many Samaritans in that city believed in Jesus because of the woman’s word when she testified, ‘He told me everything I’ve ever done.’ So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. Many more believed because of his word, and they said to the woman, ‘We no longer believe because of what you said, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this one is truly the savior of the world.’” Photo by Sabine van Straaten The post God is in the Margins – John 4:5-42 appeared first on Queer Theology.

As far back as we can remember, we were taught to read the Bible in a way that doesn’t always line up with what the passage actually says. Sometimes, people stop reading when they think that a particular part of the passage is enough to fit their “needs”. What’s worse is that some may take full advantage of this and use it against LGBTQ folks. Take a look at this passage and see what we think. 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. B: Good morning! Today is Sunday, August 4th, 2019. We are going to be looking at Colossians 3:1-11, if you wanna read along we will put the texts in the show notes for this episode which you can find at QueerTheology.com/288. You can also find notes for everything we talk about over there, but I will also read it for you now. This is from the Common English Bible. Therefore, if you were raised with Christ, look for the things that are above where Christ is sitting at God’s right side. Think about the things above and not things on earth. You died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory. So put to death the parts of your life that belong to the earth, such as sexual immorality, moral corruption, lust, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). The wrath of God is coming upon disobedient people because of these things. You used to live this way, when you were alive to these things. But now set aside these things, such as anger, rage, malice, slander, and obscene language. Don’t lie to each other. Take off the old human nature with its practices and put on the new nature, which is renewed in knowledge by conforming to the image of the one who created it. In this image there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all things and in all people. Shay, this has so much going on here and I can not wait to hear your LGBTQ Christian take on this passage, so hit me with it. FS: Yeah, I feel like this is one of those passages that people read one verse, and then stop. Right? “…put to death the parts of your life that belong to the earth, such as sexual immorality, moral corruption, lust, evil desire…” and then they stop there. B: They stop even before they even get to greed! FS: Yeah! And then they say, see you, gay people, the wrath of God is coming upon you. Okay, so, first of all, ya’ll left out greed which is called idolatry, I mean that’s huge. Also, you’re leaving aside anger, rage, malice, slander and obscene language and lying. This indicts all of us in some way. It’s lazy reading to make this passage about gay people. I also think there’s somebody that said about Paul and his clear issues about sex. I want to get Paul a really great therapist so that he can work out whatever angst he has around sex and sexuality. Because I feel like he is writing out his own stuff unto other people and again, I think we’ve talked about this before, I’m pretty sure Paul would be horrified to know that his letters to specific church communities became scripture. I don’t think that that was he was doing here, and I think that he’d be like, “Oh shit! I maybe should’ve reign some of that in.” Also, the fact is I think lots of people pull out these sections and use Paul’s own angst about sexuality to create their own angst about sexuality and to be anxious about everyone’s sexuality. Which I don’t think that’s what this is about. That’s like my first rant about this passage. I do think that part of what Paul is saying here is that what it means to be a follower of Jesus is to try to imitate Jesus and Jesus’ life. Part of that is figuring out how to live in the world in a just way. In a way that is kind to other people. In a way that puts the Kingdom of God first. I think that he gets at it better at the end when he talks about, “In this image there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, but Christ is all things and in all people.” But he took a weird turn to get there. I think that that’s more about Paul and less about God. So for me, when I’m reading this passage from a queer perspective, I’m not reading it from a sense of like don’t have sex, but about what is it mean to imitate Christ? What does that look like? And not in some kind of hippy-dippy kind of way, but in concrete ways. What does it mean to follow in the path of Jesus, here and now, and in my life? I think that those are really challenging questions and those are vital and valid questions to sit with. What does this passage do for you? B: Amen! A few times recently, we’ve talked how it’s important to recognize what is in the text and who should be bringing to the text. I remember when I came out, I was 18/19 and one of my friends from church, I don’t know how she asked me but she basically, “If I gave you some passages to consider, would you read them and consider them about me being gay.” I was like, “I probably already read them, but sure.” So she sent me a letter that have 25+ passages on it. One of them was this Colossians passage, and actually most of the passages where like this where it talked about sexual immorality, or moral corruption, or lust and these are things that only mean homosexuality if you come to the table with that in mind. In fact, it only means premarital sex, or kinky sex or non-monogamy if you bring that to the table with you. I think Paul very clearly wanted no one to have sex at all, so that’s just something we have to own, and name, and deal with. Also, we recognize that we’re not doing that. I think that what you said earlier was so important to remember that when you look at this whole passage it indicts all of us. No one escapes this. As much as I try and be a kind, mindful person, I get angry. I’ve probably thrown into a rage before even. There’s just like no way to escape this, so starting there is an important thing to remember. I also just can’t help but notice all the ways the anti-LGBTQ Christians lie and manipulate the truth in order to try and condemn queer people, women and their bodies, and unfortunately, immigrants, right? Often times, slander us. In condemning queer people, Christians are often violating the very text that they are claiming to uphold, and it’s just like “ugh”. It makes me so, so angry, but I also think that this idea of “…put the parts of your life that belong to the earth, such as sexual immorality, moral corruption, lust, evil desire, and greed.” I can get behind that. What does this look like to actually ask people of faith who can not stand for rape culture, for sexual assault, for embezzlement, for objectifying people, for hoarding wealth? That is what this passage could inspire us to do, and instead, it’s just like, “Don’t masturbate and don’t be gay.” What a terrible corruption of this text. [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) This episode’s highlights include: How others intentionally misinterpret this passage and use it against queer folks The use of this passage against queer people, when it actually talks about everyone who sins Paul’s personal issues with sex and how it is reflected in this passage Reading this passage wrongly is easy especially if you’ve already made up your mind (anti-LGBTQ thoughts) The challenge to use this passage to protect the oppressed than to castrate queer folks Colossians 3:1-11 Therefore, if you were raised with Christ, look for the things that are above where Christ is sitting at God’s right side. Think about the things above and not things on earth. You died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory. So put to death the parts of your life that belong to the earth, such as sexual immorality, moral corruption, lust, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). The wrath of God is coming upon disobedient people because of these things. You used to live this way, when you were alive to these things. But now set aside these things, such as anger, rage, malice, slander, and obscene language. Don’t lie to each other. Take off the old human nature with its practices and put on the new nature, which is renewed in knowledge by conforming to the image of the one who created it.  In this image there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all things and in all people. Photo by Richard Jaimes The post Sexual Immorality – Colossians 3:1-11 appeared first on Queer Theology.

Sodom and Gomorrah is one of the six or seven clobber verses that is commonly used to condemn homosexuality. We talk about what the verse really represents and how it is not about LGBTQ issues. When read using the correct lenses, it focuses on the injustice and oppression that is currently occurring in today’s world. It also pushes us to find ways to help the needy, the poor and the innocent. 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 and welcome back to the Queer Theology podcast. This is Sunday, July 28th and we are going to look at a doozy of a passage today, Genesis 18:20-32. You can find that in the show notes at QueerTheology.com/287, but I’m also going to go ahead and read it for us now. So this is Genesis 18:20-32. Then the Lord said, “The cries of injustice from Sodom and Gomorrah are countless, and their sin is very serious! I will go down now to examine the cries of injustice that have reached me. Have they really done all this? If not, I want to know.” The men turned away and walked toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing in front of the Lord. Abraham approached and said, “Will you really sweep away the innocent with the guilty? What if there are fifty innocent people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not save the place for the sake of the fifty innocent people in it? It’s not like you to do this, killing the innocent with the guilty as if there were no difference. It’s not like you! Will the judge of all the earth not act justly?” The Lord said, “If I find fifty innocent people in the city of Sodom, I will save it because of them.” Abraham responded, “Since I’ve already decided to speak with my Lord, even though I’m just soil and ash, what if there are five fewer innocent people than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city over just five?” The Lord said, “If I find forty-five there, I won’t destroy it.” Once again Abraham spoke, “What if forty are there?” The Lord said, “For the sake of forty, I will do nothing.” He said, “Don’t be angry with me, my Lord, but let me speak. What if thirty are there?” The Lord said, “I won’t do it if I find thirty there.” Abraham said, “Since I’ve already decided to speak with my Lord, what if twenty are there?” The Lord said, “I won’t do it, for the sake of twenty.” Abraham said, “Don’t be angry with me, my Lord, but let me speak just once more. What if there are ten?” And the Lord said, “I will not destroy it because of those ten.” B: I’m so excited!!! FS: Yes! What do you make of this? What do you do with this? B: Yeah! So obviously, this is the start of the story of Sodom & Gomorrah which LGBTQ people are intimately aware with, and honestly, at this point probably, most people are aware of it because it’s just become so ingrained in our culture. Sodomy is a word that has come to mean: non-PIV sex right? It derives from this story and I think there are all sorts of takes on why that’s maybe not accurate and we will perhaps get into some of that today. But what struck me today, and I think I said this last week, I just love coming back to texts over and over again because each time you see something different. And so, when we picked this text I was, “Oh! We’re gonna talk Sodom & Gomorrah. We are going to talk about homosexuality in the Bible. And we’re gonna talk about how you can know it’s okay and this doesn’t really say what people say that it says.” All that definitely happening. Today prisons came up, particularly the death penalty, but prisons in general, and so often we need to punish people for their crimes and what about innocent folks who get swept up in this. Here God is saying, let’s just assume for the sake of this argument that all of the city of Sodom really is terrible people. God is like, I’m not gonna destroy that. I’m gonna let go and pardon an entire city full of terrible people just so that I don’t destroy ten innocent people. And I think what would our approach to criminal justice, incarceration, and in particular, the death penalty look like if we were like: just one person is too many to be punished? And what does a graceful approach to crime and punishment look like? I think, obviously, the story ends with Sodom & Gomorrah being destroyed, so not a perfect analogy. But at least for me, it prompts a moment of introspection around that. In the past, we’ve talked about how prison-justice is both a queer issue and a Christian issue, and you can learn more about that at QueerTheology.com/prisons, but that’s like my prison and crime and punishment weird aside on Sodom & Gomorrah. Shay, what comes up for you in this passage? FS: Yeah, it’s funny because you started off by saying that this is a passage that people know really intimately. I think there’s a yes-and there, right? We have this sense that we know the passage, but every time I read it, I find new things. I find things that we don’t talk about when we talk about these passages. Even this passage, the very first sentence says, “The cries of injustice from Sodom and Gomorrah are countless…” and I think that there was a lot of butt sex in Sodom and Gomorrah and I’m pissed. The injustice is so serious that I have to do something about it. That’s the first takeaway.  The other takeaway is that this passage is really funny, right? This back and forth between Abraham and the Lord is hysterical to me because Abraham is doing this fake deference thing and God is like playing into it. The two of them are going back and forth and Abraham is like, well, if I got him to agree to 50, maybe I can get him to agree to 45. It’s like this barter. And again, we see this sense of a God who is willing to change God’s mind, willing to be badgered down to ten people, willing to not smite the person who is arguing. I think that we often have this sense, especially, people talk about the old testament God and we have pushed back about that in hundreds of other podcasts. So we won’t do that again here. The sense here is that God is wanting to be compassionate and also, unwilling for injustice to continue to exist. I think that’s an important piece of this story. God is wanting to protect the innocent, wanting to take care of them, and also is not willing to let oppressors go free and do their thing. And so, I think that this story should be terrifying, not to queer folks, but to people who are invested in systems of power. And really, I’ll speak for myself as a white American, that’s me and I think all of us who are in the systems where oppression and injustice is still occurring. To me, that’s the message of this story. You recorded this great video talking about how you are a sodomite and I think that’s huge, that’s a great video and it’s important to pay attention to that, and we’ll put that in the show notes. I think that’s the message that this story continues to speak and it’s more important that we grapple with that and less important than we say, well Sodom & Gomorrah wasn’t really about gay people — it wasn’t. And also, it’s more important that we do the work about where’s the injustice in our world and how are we being a part of the change than it is to do linguistic things around homosexuality in the Bible. B: Yeah! I am a sodomite, but it’s not because I like to suck dick and have butt-sex, but because I like, participate, in the injustice in the world. I think that this idea of justice and injustice is so central to our understanding of this, and as people who, Christianity is this dominant religion in America and in much of the world, especially for folks that grew up in a church which are surrounded by Bible stories and church stories. And so, it’s really easy like you were saying to think that we know what it means.  It’s really important on approaching a text to be paying attention to what is actually here and what isn’t. The injustice happening in Sodom & Gomorrah is only about gay people if you bring that prejudice and bias to the text. But if you look at how the Hebrew and the Christian Bibles: what does God call injustice or what did God’s people call injustice? It’s very clear that it’s political abuse, by hoarding of wealth, neglecting poor folks, mistreating women, not taking care of immigrants, right? The Bible makes clear what injustice is and even Ezekiel talks about specifically Sodom & Gomorrah, saying: the sin your sister Sodom they were arrogant, overfed, unconcerned. They did not help the poor and needy, right? This passage is convicting, but not in the ways that it’s been used against us in the past. If you still have lingering questions about is it okay to be LGBTQ Christian, we put together a 7-day email series that walks you through all of that. You can get that at QueerTheology.com/is-it-ok. We will start sending those over to you. [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) Today’s episode talks about: How the passage is already ingrained in the culture of most Christians The relationship between prison and the death penalty to today’s passage Sodom & Gomorrah is NOT about homosexuality Focusing on injustice and what we should do about it God’s willingness to change God’s mind Look into this video about sodomy If you wish to receive our 7-day email series about whether or not it’s okay to be an LGBTQ Christian, check this one out: QueerTheology.com/is-it-ok Genesis 18:20-32 Then the Lord said, “The cries of injustice from Sodom and Gomorrah are countless, and their sin is very serious! I will go down now to examine the cries of injustice that have reached me. Have they really done all this? If not, I want to know.” The men turned away and walked toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing in front of the Lord. Abraham approached and said, “Will you really sweep away the innocent with the guilty? What if there are fifty innocent people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not save the place for the sake of the fifty innocent people in it? It’s not like you to do this, killing the innocent with the guilty as if there were no difference. It’s not like you! Will the judge of all the earth not act justly?” The Lord said, “If I find fifty innocent people in the city of Sodom, I will save it because of them.” Abraham responded, “Since I’ve already decided to speak with my Lord, even though I’m just soil and ash, what if there are five fewer innocent people than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city over just five?” The Lord said, “If I find forty-five there, I won’t destroy it.” Once again Abraham spoke, “What if forty are there?” The Lord said, “For the sake of forty, I will do nothing.” He said, “Don’t be angry with me, my Lord, but let me speak. What if thirty are there?” The Lord said, “I won’t do it if I find thirty there.” Abraham said, “Since I’ve already decided to speak with my Lord, what if twenty are there?” The Lord said, “I won’t do it, for the sake of twenty.” Abraham said, “Don’t be angry with me, my Lord, but let me speak just once more. What if there are ten?” And the Lord said, “I will not destroy it because of those ten.” Photo by Daniele Levis Pelusi The post Sodom & Gomorrah – Genesis 18:20-32 appeared first on Queer Theology.

People often call for the separation of state and religion, but in reality, we tread in the middle especially for LGBTQ+ Christians, every day. The scripture today calls for us to strengthen our faith while fighting for those who are oppressed. It calls for us to question the system and the politics that continue to undervalue those who are having trouble supporting themselves. 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, and welcome to the QueerTheology podcast. It’s Sunday, July 21st and this week we are going to take a look at Amos 1-12, I’m gonna go ahead and read it for us. It will also be on the show notes, you can access those at QueerTheology.com/286, but again, Amos 1-12. B: And that’s Amos 8:1-12 FS: Yes, thank you. This is what the Lord God showed me: a basket of summer fruit. He said, “Amos, what do you see?” I said, “A basket of summer fruit.” Then the Lord said to me, “The end has come upon my people Israel; I will never again forgive them. On that day, the people will wail the temple songs,” says the Lord God; “there will be many corpses, thrown about everywhere. Silence.” Judgment on oppressors and hypocrites Hear this, you who trample on the needy and destroy the poor of the land, 5 saying, “When will the new moon be over so that we may sell grain, and the Sabbath so that we may offer wheat for sale, make the ephah smaller, enlarge the shekel, and deceive with false balances, in order to buy the needy for silver and the helpless for sandals, and sell garbage as grain?” The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob: Surely I will never forget what they have done. Will not the land tremble on this account, and all who live in it mourn, as it rises and overflows like the Nile, and then falls again, like the River of Egypt? On that day, says the Lord God, I will make the sun go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in broad daylight. I will turn your feasts into sad affairs and all your singing into a funeral song; I will make people wear mourning clothes and shave their heads; I will make it like the loss of an only child, and the end of it like a bitter day. The days are surely coming, says the Lord God, when I will send hunger and thirst on the land; neither a hunger for bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the Lord ’s words. They will wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they will roam all around, seeking the Lord’s word, but they won’t find it. Yeah! What do we do with this? B: So, I am obsessed with Amos. One of my favorite passages in the Bible of all time is in Amos. Amos 5:18-24 which I will put links to in the show notes for this episode which you can get at QueerTheology.com/286. But Amos is just like most, if not all of the Hebrew prophets, does not mince words and has some harsh things to say. What struck me about reading the text this time, I love this process of going through the lectionary and sort of revisiting text over and over again, and sort of uncover new meaning each time. This is actually the first time doing this passage on this podcast, but what struck at me this time while reading this passage that right here at the beginning it says: The Lord said to me, “The end has come upon my people Israel; I will never again forgive them.” It’s kind of like fun to see an angsty God here, because we just know that that is not true, right? So either God is an unreliable person, thing, being that changes God’s mind or sort of makes empty threats. And/or, the people recording their accounts of the Bible run their experience of God through their own personal lens and narrative and experience and it shifts by the context at their end. And/or God really never is going to forgive us ever again. So, that is something that sticks out at me. This reminds me of a passage recently that we did or a few passages recently that we talked about depression and seeing overwhelmed and despair in scripture. I think can be really powerful especially for folks that have been taught to always be positive, and positive thinking, and daily affirmations, and just like law of attraction, prosperity gospe: if you just believe good things like life can be great. So it’s interesting to see this overwhelmed and despair reflected in scripture I think that that’s very human and understandable and as queer people, something that we can definitely relate to. What about you Shay? FS: I love all of that that you just said because I think it’s important that we look at how God changes throughout scripture right? Also, that we look at how people’s understandings of God shift and that they’re trying to make sense of it and that’s what scripture is: it’s that people are trying to make sense of what’s going on and what’s happening. I love too that this to me feels so relevant to now and this section on oppressors and hypocrites and those who trample the needy and destroy the poor of the land. Who make measures smaller, but money worth less, right? This feels to me like America in 2019. I’m always struck by the folks who come to churches or who aren’t in churches and are like, “Churches shouldn’t be political. Get the politics out of it.” And I’m like do you not read scripture?  B: Right? FS: You can’t read this text and not talk about politics. You can’t read this text and can’t talk about the way in which systems exist that oppress people and that God is pissed about that, right?  B: Yup! FS: It’s here and it’s all over scripture. It’s not like just one or two text, it’s everywhere. And so I think it’s really important that we grapple with that and that we talk about the fact that our faith and what we believe about God does in fact, impact our politics and it should, right? This isn’t a situation where we should be compartmentalizing these things and I think we can talk about the fact that you can have a separation of state and religion, that is possible. But you can not divorce your politics from your spiritual values, and that comes out in the ways that you live, and move and work through the world. And so I think it’s really vital that we talk about that, and that we grapple with that, and that we deal with that. So this passage is a reminder to me do that work, to continue to do that work, and to continue to figure out how my faith informs my politics, what it looks like and what that means. And to call in to question the ways in which I’m participating in systems that are oppressing poor people and needy people. And I think that’s it’s really vital and ongoing work. B: Amen! We’ve done a handful of other podcast, written some articles and made a video or two about faith and politics. In particular, the politics of Jesus. So if you want to dive more into how our faith and our politics interplay, you can go to QueerTheology.com/politics to check all of those out and again, we will put all of these links in the show notes to this episode which you can get at QueerTheology.com/286. If you are interested in this stuff, and want to dive deeper, and rustle with it and be in a community of folks that are also going through life and figuring this out together, sanctuary collective might be a great thing for you. It’s an international community of folks, LGBTQ christians and straight cisgender supporters from all over the world. We’ve got subtopics so you can discuss each episode of the podcast as it comes out, to talk about sex and bodies, to talk about how it’s okay to be LGBTQ, a place for prayer requests and getting support. And then just a place to talk about life, and faith, and our joys, and our sorrows. You also get access to a growing library of resources, so you can learn more about that and join at QueerTheology.com/community. We would love to have you in there! If you have any questions, shoot us an email connect@queertheology.com or send us a message on any of the social medias that you are connected to us on. [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 Highlights for today’s episode: The scripture talking about depression and despair is very relatable Importance of looking at God’s changes throughout the scripture Politics and religion intertwine — whether you like it or not, here’s another episode about faith and politics Listen to Brian’s favorite passage here If you are interested to learn more and dive deeper, here are a few links to help you: QueerTheology.com/resources QueerTheology.com/politics QueerTheology.com/community Amos 8:1-12 This is what the Lord God showed me: a basket of summer fruit. He said, “Amos, what do you see?” I said, “A basket of summer fruit.” Then the Lord said to me, “The end has come upon my people Israel; I will never again forgive them. On that day, the people will wail the temple songs,” says the Lord God; “there will be many corpses, thrown about everywhere. Silence.” Judgment on oppressors and hypocrites Hear this, you who trample on the needy and destroy the poor of the land, 5 saying, “When will the new moon be over so that we may sell grain, and the Sabbath so that we may offer wheat for sale, make the ephah smaller, enlarge the shekel, and deceive with false balances, in order to buy the needy for silver and the helpless for sandals, and sell garbage as grain?” The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob: Surely I will never forget what they have done. Will not the land tremble on this account, and all who live in it mourn, as it rises and overflows like the Nile, and then falls again, like the River of Egypt?[b] On that day, says the Lord God, I will make the sun go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in broad daylight. I will turn your feasts into sad affairs and all your singing into a funeral song; I will make people wear mourning clothes and shave their heads; I will make it like the loss of an only child, and the end of it like a bitter day. The days are surely coming, says the Lord God, when I will send hunger and thirst on the land; neither a hunger for bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the Lord ’s words. They will wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they will roam all around, seeking the Lord’s word, but they won’t find it. Photo by Marco Oriolesi The post God Gets Pissed at Our Politics – Amos 8:1-12 appeared first on Queer Theology.

Remember how we were taught in church that in order for us to be good followers of God we simply need to follow what our priest or pastor tells us? That we need to do things exactly as what tradition dictates in order for us to be good in the eyes of our creator? In today’s episode, we learn that by simply trusting ourselves, we are able to follow the commandment of God. That the commandment is reachable and is already in our hearts and mouth. Tune in to today’s episode to learn more about it. 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. Good morning! Today is Sunday, July 14th and we are going to be looking at Deuteronomy 30:9-14. I will read to you now. It’s also in the show notes for this episode which you can find at QueerTheology.com/285. Here we go. This is from the Common English Bible. The Lord your God will help you succeed in everything you do—in your own fertility, your livestock’s offspring, and your land’s produce—everything will be great! Because the Lord will once again enjoy doing good things for you just as he enjoyed doing them for your ancestors, and because you will be obeying the Lord your God’s voice, keeping his commandments and his regulations that are written in this Instruction scroll, and because you will have returned to the Lord your God with all your heart and all your being. This commandment that I’m giving you right now is definitely not too difficult for you. It isn’t unreachable. It isn’t up in heaven somewhere so that you have to ask, “Who will go up for us to heaven and get it for us that we can hear it and do it?” Nor is it across the ocean somewhere so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the ocean for us and get it for us that we can hear it and do it?” Not at all! The word is very close to you. It’s in your mouth and in your heart, waiting for you to do it. Shay, I love this so much! FS: [Laughs] Me too! B: Give me your queer take on Deuteronomy. FS: Yeah! I think the thing that resonates with me about this passage is that so often, you and I get emails from folks from all over who are saying to us, “Tell me how I can know it’s okay to be LGBTQ and Christian.” or “Tell me how I know I can do XYZ sexually.” or “Tell me how I know…” all of these things. B: Which BTW, we have answers to all those questions at QueerTheology.com/resources, so check them out. FS: Yes! And I think that like as someone who grew up fundamentalist, or evangelical, or conservative, I understand that impulse because we were taught that we had to find the right way to do things. And usually, it was: we just have to listen to what the pastor tells us to do and then do it, and then God will like us, and we will be good to go. What I love about this passage is that here we have a commandment that’s given to the people. Then they are also told that you don’t have to go searching for it. It’s in your mouth and your heart waiting for you to do it. I think that this passage is telling us: you know what’s right. You can trust your heart. You can trust your gut. You can trust your sense of your relationship with God. You don’t have to go looking for the right answers. You can trust yourself. The challenge then becomes — for those of us who grew up in traditions that we were taught not to trust ourselves and we were taught that our desires were bad and evil and that what we want is wrong — the real test isn’t to go out and find answers; the real test is to learn how to trust ourselves again, to trust our bodies, to trust our guts, and to trust our souls. That to me is the larger message from this passage. Frankly, it’s harder. It’s a lot easier to say, “Okay tell me what to do and I’ll do it.” Than it is to say, “What is it that I want? Who am I? What are my values? What do I think my relationship with the divine should look like?” It’s harder work but I think it’s more fulfilling work. B: Oh amen! In my hometown church at the Sunday school classes and even for adult Sunday school classes, they would give you a handout to take notes on. And it wasn’t like a space for free-form notes. It would be almost like fill-in-the-blank notes that the pastor or the teacher would give you the correct answer. I have a complicated and nuanced understanding of God and what God is and isn’t, and what I love about this passage is so often, Christians or Christians who have been raised in certain churches are taught that the answers are outside of ourselves. The answers are, like this passage says, up in heaven or I have to read this book, or this hermeneutics or that analysis. What I love about this is that it’s like the word is very close to you, it’s in your mouth and in your heart waiting for you. The commandment is already inside of you. That’s such a beautiful, profound message that queer people, in particular, need to hear. At some point in the past 6 years, we did an episode where you talked about you don’t always have to make it so hard and sometimes it can just be easy. I’ll dig up that episode and put it in the show notes. That passage pairs nicely with this passage. It’s not always this long, complicated thing. You don’t always have to read a textbook or have just the perfect argument. You can know it in your heart and in your body. It’s so profound and important. FS: Yeah and I do want to reiterate again, you mentioned this earlier, but we do have tons of articles and worksheets and resources at QueerTheology.com/resources that look about how to do this work and how to develop your own sense of trust in yourself and I really recommend that you check those things out. B: Yeah. I know for me, oftentimes I’m looking for the top 7 tips for this or if I just watch this YouTube video everything will click into place. You know sometimes, you’ll read something that’s super educational or inspiring, and that’ll be really helpful. But what I found in the decade-plus of doing this work is that it also does take some work and introspection, and looking inside of yourself, finding that commandment in your mouth and in your heart, and wrestling with that and how that commandment gets lived out in the world. It’s not as sexy and flashy, but I think that work is so important, so we encourage you to dive into that. On our website, you’ll find a bunch of stuff and if you have any specific questions you can always send us a tweet on Twitter or DM on Facebook or Instagram. We would love to chat more with you. [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 today’s episode, we talked about: Our queer take on the passage The commandment that was given to us and that we shouldn’t go looking elsewhere Challenging the old teaching of not trusting our gut feel How we should start trusting ourselves and our personal relationship with God How finding the commandment takes a lot of work and deep introspection If you need help with finding your way into trusting yourself, as an LGBTQ+ Christian, we have tons of articles and worksheets available at QueerTheology.com/resources. Deuteronomy 30:9-14 The Lord your God will help you succeed in everything you do—in your own fertility, your livestock’s offspring, and your land’s produce—everything will be great! Because the Lord will once again enjoy doing good things for you just as he enjoyed doing them for your ancestors, and because you will be obeying the Lord your God’s voice, keeping his commandments and his regulations that are written in this Instruction scroll, and because you will have returned to the Lord your God with all your heart and all your being. This commandment that I’m giving you right now is definitely not too difficult for you. It isn’t unreachable. It isn’t up in heaven somewhere so that you have to ask, “Who will go up for us to heaven and get it for us that we can hear it and do it?” Nor is it across the ocean somewhere so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the ocean for us and get it for us that we can hear it and do it?” Not at all! The word is very close to you. It’s in your mouth and in your heart, waiting for you to do it. Photo by Joshua Earle The post Trust Yourself – Deuteronomy 30:9-14 appeared first on Queer Theology.

Have you ever felt exhausted and that the work that you do feels like it’s going nowhere? Or the things that you sacrifice don’t get the appreciation that you think it deserves? Yup, same here! But Galatians 6:1-16 reminds us that these efforts will pay off, if not today. It might sometimes feel like a long and difficult journey, but let’s be reminded that if we do everything with pure intention and love in our hearts, then that’s what really matters. 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. Good morning!!! Today is Sunday, July 7th, 2019. We are going to be looking at Galatians 6:1-16, I will read it to you now. Brothers and sisters, if a person is caught doing something wrong, you who are spiritual should restore someone like this with a spirit of gentleness. Watch out for yourselves so you won’t be tempted too. Carry each other’s burdens and so you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks they are important when they aren’t, they’re fooling themselves. Each person should test their own work and be happy with doing a good job and not compare themselves with others. Each person will have to carry their own load. Those who are taught the word should share all good things with their teacher. Make no mistake, God is not mocked. A person will harvest what they plant. Those who plant only for their own benefit will harvest devastation from their selfishness, but those who plant for the benefit of the Spirit will harvest eternal life from the Spirit. Let’s not get tired of doing good, because in time we’ll have a harvest if we don’t give up. So then, let’s work for the good of all whenever we have an opportunity, and especially for those in the household of faith. Look at the large letters I’m making with my own handwriting! Whoever wants to look good by human standards will try to get you to be circumcised, but only so they won’t be harassed for the cross of Christ. Those who are circumcised don’t observe the Law themselves, but they want you to be circumcised, so they can boast about your physical body. But as for me, God forbid that I should boast about anything except for the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. The world has been crucified to me through him, and I have been crucified to the world. Being circumcised or not being circumcised doesn’t mean anything. What matters is a new creation. May peace and mercy be on whoever follows this rule and on God’s Israel. Okay, Shay. Seems like there’s a little bit of beef that’s going on here. What do you make of this passage and what does it say for LGBTQ Christian folks. FS: Oh, Paul! B: I know right? FS: Or whoever wrote this, but probably Paul. I just, it just makes me laugh sometimes. B: Also like, gurl you’re boasting! FS: Oh always! Always, always, always. The thing that really jumped out at me this time was verses 7 through 10, this idea of harvesting what you plant. And particularly this: let’s not get tired of doing good because, in time, we’ll have a harvest if we don’t give up. I don’t know about you, but I’ve just been feeling exhausted lately. My body has been telling me that I’m exhausted with back pain and sickness. Some of that might be aging, but I think some of it is just the world that we live in. Right? And holding myself tense. So I’ve been thinking a lot about what is the work that I can do? What is it that I need to be planting right now? Where am I investing my time and energy? Where do I need to shake the dust off my feet and say, “I’m not doing that anymore.”? I think it’s been a helpful practice to just admit that you can not do everything. But also, just because you can’t do everything doesn’t mean that you are off the hook and you just get to do nothing. And so I think that this thinking, especially about planting and that the seeds that you are planting may not look like much right now, but that they will eventually create some kind of harvest. I think a lot about like it’s really important to again remember the context. This again is being written to a group of people who were marginalized and oppressed. Who were able to maybe just plant small things. And so I think sometimes, I want to say to straight, cis, white Christians: you might be exhausted too, but you don’t get off the hook at all. Because you have to be taking down the privilege and the world that you live in so that the people who are extra crushed under the weight of all of this can survive and can live. I’m seeing a lot of folks with a ton of privilege also talking about being exhausted which I hear, and I think is really valid. But also, they’re really protected from a lot of the things that are shit in the world. So I need folks to read this with a lens of like where you’re sitting in the spectrum of privilege, right? The work that you might be called to do might be more exhausting and we might need you to do that work so that folks that are being really ground down can have a respite for a couple of days. So that was I feel really rambling but like part of what’s coming up for me in this passage. B: I have two wildly different thoughts about this passage. There’s this whole bit about circumcision which I sort of love and want to get to. But this idea of planting and harvesting I think also really resonates with me and also, my little spidey senses go up a little bit. I’m worried that it could be twisted into this law of attraction or prosperity gospel: if you just do this, then this will happen. That God or the universe, in my experience, doesn’t really work that way. I think there’s something to leap and it will appear; build it and it will come; if you believe it you can achieve it. There is something there, but it’s not like a transaction. It’s not like a formula or an equation. And so, finding that balance between doing this work because you think it’s important and you trust that good will come of it. Sometimes, that sort of trust that you’re planting seeds that will be harvested in the future is what keeps you going, right? But how do you do that without falling into this: well, I’m only doing this because of that and the universe owes me. So I don’t know quite what to do there. Also, at the same time, this work that we do, we make no money from it or very, very little and we’ve been doing it for seven, eight years now. Sometimes, it’s just exhausting. We get hate mail constantly, and then in between that also, we get like people who are really struggling and going through it. It’s beautiful that we can walk alongside them and support them. I mean the number of LGBTQ teenagers who are living in closeted places, in anti-gay places that reach out to us and say that this has been a lifeline for me is staggering. It’s like a holy, beautiful responsibility and it takes work, and I’m happy to do it and I’m grateful for it. And also, sometimes people write and say, this thing that you wrote or this video that you made, or this thing that you posted years ago — I just found today and that helps me get up today. There is something true, we are planting seeds and sometimes we see the results right away. Like people will respond to the podcast the day it goes out, and sometimes people will years later say: I heard this and it made a difference. That definitely keeps me going. When the work is hard and the pay is not great, and I don’t have or I have terrible health insurance, at least we’re trying to build the kingdom of God together, so that’s cool! [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) Today’s highlights: How the things that we do today, will reap a bountiful harvest in the future That it’s okay to feel exhausted and accept that we can’t do EVERYTHING Father Shay encourages us to look at this passage from where you are sitting in the spectrum of privilege. That while you are protected with this privilege, take advantage of it, so that those who don’t enjoy the same privilege as you do will get to survive. How “planting seeds and harvesting” relates to what Brian and Shay do in their day-to-day ongoings at QueerTheology Continue working on what you think you do best and know that someone out there is able to “deal” with life because of you Galatians 6:1-16 Brothers and sisters, if a person is caught doing something wrong, you who are spiritual should restore someone like this with a spirit of gentleness. Watch out for yourselves so you won’t be tempted too. Carry each other’s burdens and so you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks they are important when they aren’t, they’re fooling themselves. Each person should test their own work and be happy with doing a good job and not compare themselves with others. Each person will have to carry their own load. Those who are taught the word should share all good things with their teacher. Make no mistake, God is not mocked. A person will harvest what they plant. Those who plant only for their own benefit will harvest devastation from their selfishness, but those who plant for the benefit of the Spirit will harvest eternal life from the Spirit. Let’s not get tired of doing good, because in time we’ll have a harvest if we don’t give up. So then, let’s work for the good of all whenever we have an opportunity, and especially for those in the household of faith. Look at the large letters I’m making with my own handwriting! Whoever wants to look good by human standards will try to get you to be circumcised, but only so they won’t be harassed for the cross of Christ. Those who are circumcised don’t observe the Law themselves, but they want you to be circumcised, so they can boast about your physical body. But as for me, God forbid that I should boast about anything except for the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. The world has been crucified to me through him, and I have been crucified to the world. Being circumcised or not being circumcised doesn’t mean anything. What matters is a new creation. May peace and mercy be on whoever follows this rule and on God’s Israel. Photo by Benjamin Davies The post What really matters – Galatians 6:1-16 appeared first on Queer Theology.

This year’s Pride celebration is such an important one for queer people. Not only are we still fighting the good fight, but we are also remembering the Stonewall Riots that happened 50 years ago. We honor the strong and courageous queer folks behind that uprising and continue the work that they have started 5 decades ago. 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. Good morning and happy Pride! Today is Sunday, June 30th, 2019. It is Pride in New York City — World Pride. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. It’s a big weekend for queer people. It’s also my first Pride away from New York city in 11 years. I’ve been a queer man living in New York City for 11 years and so, Pride, in particular, and The Village and Stonewall all feels deeply personal to me. I’m excited to spend the morning talking about LGBTQ Pride and how that intersects with our lives and faith as queer Christians. So Shay, what do you have to say about this? FS: Yeah, it’s so interesting. I still feel like, you know, I always reflect on the fact that growing up, Pride was considered the worst of the sins. And then, coming out, I really had to grapple with what it meant to be proud of my identity and who I am. It seemed like the double sin, right? Because not only was I queer and trans — which was definitely not okay in the church that I grew up in. But also, I was gonna be proud about being queer and trans? Which just felt like a flaunting that was just more than people can handle. And over the years, I’ve come to really love this sense of being proud. Particularly proud of something that so many other folks denigrate and say, shouldn’t exist. I find a lot of strength in being proud of my identity and a lot of strength in this sense of pride as resistance. Especially moved, this year reflecting on the fact that it’s been 50 years since Stonewall. And that Stonewall wasn’t a parade, it was a riot, and it was an uprising. It was a group of poor and people of color, sex workers and trans-women of color who finally said: “No!” We are not gonna let you harass us anymore. We are not gonna let you shake us down for money. We are not gonna let you kick us out of this space that we have, that we love and that’s safe. We’re gonna fight back. It’s so beautiful that that’s what started this movement for rights and I’m glad that people are reflecting more about the fact that it wasn’t white cis-gays that started Stonewall and that it was trans-woman of color. I’m seeing that more in the narrative now which I think is really beautiful. And I am also reflecting about how much work there’s still is to be done. I went to this orchestra event the other night. It was a Pride event, so they were playing works by composers who were LGBT. And I was struck by 2 things: 1) they only had one trans composer in the program and they left her out of the program, but it was an accident, you know, air quotes. But I was just really struck by the fact that seriously, the one person that you are going to leave out is a trans woman. And then the night ended with a white cis-man, I’m assuming, doing this “Aren’t we so happy about marriage, equality. I couldn’t have even dream that as a kid. Happy Pride!” And I was sitting in the audience and they had a trans flag on stage which I was really moved by. But like, in the past month, multiple trans-man of color have been murdered. There have been multiple rollbacks for trans-protection from the current administration. And I felt like, how tone deaf do you need to be, to get on stage and say the fight’s been won. So I’m approaching this anniversary with both this sense of joy, of yes, how far we’ve come, and also there’s a shit ton of work still to do. So, let’s get on it and start doing the work. B: Yeah. So, so much work! You know, I’m really lucky that I’m surrounded by queer people all of the time. Almost all of my friends are queer, a significant number of my co-workers are queer. I grew up in the suburbs and was surrounded by all straight people, but since graduating college, I’ve lived in New York City and now Los Angeles. And so I take for granted that I’m around queer people all the time and that’s not true for everyone. So I think that Pride celebrations, especially in places outside big cities like New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago, are really a time where you can be amongst our people. I think that there’s something holy and sacred there. I think you were talking about how Pride was seen as this bad sin and you shouldn’t take pride in being queer. And I am so thankful that I’m queer and I find so much pride in my community. And I think that as a cis-white-bi-sexual, in a lot of ways, things are really good for me. There’s still a lot of shit in my world that I have to go through as a queer person still, and as a polyamorous person, right? But in general, I’m living my life. I think that our lives are enriched by our relationship and by people that have different experiences and bring different perspectives back to the table. So, I as a cis, white, bisexual, when I see folks who have been left out of the Pride narrative for too long and being put back into it and sort of being able to claim their place — that makes me happy because I think that our community is richer when we can see the full scope of history and depth and brilliance of our community. And just like here in QueerTheology we talk a lot about the importance of reading the Bible in its context. If you don’t read the Bible with an eye to the communities: who it was written by and for, and the socio-religious-political context of its time. You might miss some really important things. I think the same thing is true about the queer movement and the queer community. That you have to take us all in context: our historical context and the community context. We are so much richer and powerful when we see ourselves for who we are and embrace all parts of the community and work in solidarity for justice and freedom. FS: If you are interested in more of our takes around Pride and the different things we have done to cover pride over the years, we will put a link to all of those in the show notes. You can find that in the queertheology.com/283. [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) This episode talks about: The deep and personal meaning of Pride to both Brian and Father Shay Remembering how the Stonewall riots changed the history of queer people Mad respect for the people of color and trans women of color who sacrificed a lot for the uprising 50 years ago The magnitude of work that still needs to be done for the rights and protection of queer people The importance of having a supportive community as a queer person How all this relates to reading the Bible in its context Here are some articles where we talk about Pride, our thoughts, and personal experience. Podcast: Pride is a virtue Podcast: Pride 2017 Spit & Spirit: Pride and Shame My First Pride Photo by Mercedes Mehling The post 50 Years of Stonewall – Pride 2019 appeared first on Queer Theology.

Depression is a difficult topic to discuss; while folks are (thankfully) talking about mental health more and more, there is still stigma even to this day. So it feels great to be able to see these issues explored in scripture. What’s better is that Psalm 42-43 tells us that we have the power to do something about it instead of the usual “suck it up”. Stay tuned to hear more about what we think about today’s passage. 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: Welcome to the Queer Theology podcast. It is Sunday, June 23rd and today, we are going to look at Psalm 42 and 43. Which is one of the texts for today, and I’m gonna go ahead and read it before we jump in. Just like a deer that craves streams of water, my whole being craves you, God. My whole being thirsts for God, for the living God. When will I come and see God’s face? My tears have been my food both day and night, as people constantly questioned me, “Where’s your God now?” But I remember these things as I bare my soul: how I made my way to the mighty one’s abode, to God’s own house, with joyous shouts and thanksgiving songs— a huge crowd celebrating the festival! Why, I ask myself, are you so depressed? Why are you so upset inside? Hope in God! Because I will again give him thanks, my saving presence and my God. My whole being is depressed. That’s why I remember you from the land of Jordan and Hermon, from Mount Mizar. Deep called to deep at the noise of your waterfalls; all your massive waves surged over me. By day the Lord commands his faithful love; by night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life. I will say to God, my solid rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why do I have to walk around, sad, oppressed by enemies?” With my bones crushed, my foes make fun of me, constantly questioning me: “Where’s your God now?” Why, I ask myself, are you so depressed? Why are you so upset inside? Hope in God! Because I will again give him thanks, my saving presence and my God. Establish justice for me, God! Argue my case against ungodly people! Rescue me from the dishonest and unjust! Because you are my God, my protective fortress! Why have you rejected me? Why do I have to walk around, sad, oppressed by enemies? Send your light and truth—those will guide me! Let them bring me to your holy mountain, to your dwelling place. Let me come to God’s altar— let me come to God, my joy, my delight— then I will give you thanks with the lyre, God, my God! Why, I ask myself, are you so depressed? Why are you so upset inside? Hope in God! Because I will again give him thanks, my saving presence and my God. B: Ooohhh!! FS: Yeah! B: Yeah! I am so thankful for this passage. As someone who suffers from depression, it’s so beautiful and amazing to see the word depressed in scripture. And to see someone, that sort of saying, “My whole being is depressed. Why are you so depressed?” I relate to this. FS: Yeah! B: Yeah! This is real! The Bible is real! FS: And I also think about the fact that this is probably a worship song. Especially with that refrain that echoes over and over again. What would it have meant to me as a depressed teenager, in particular, to have gotten to sing a song like this on Sunday mornings instead of the if-you’re-not-happy-your-faith-must-not-that-strong-enough worship songs of my youth. B: Like you’re so great. Everything is great. I’m great. You’re amazing. Everything is wonderful. This is so great! FS: Yeah! And if it isn’t, Jesus is gonna fix it in a second — so be happy! B: Yeah, absolutely! And I think this pairs well with the passage that we were talking about last week — suffering. Last week we were talking about suffering under empire, and there’s some sort of suffering under — it might be some sort of chemical depression, sometimes bad shit happens in the world that causes you to be depressed. Sometimes your depression or anxiety is a completely rational and understandable response to the world around you. And we see some of that here, also and what I appreciate about it is it’s not like, “Oh well, like life is hard, but I’ll just lay here and take it because that’s what God wants for me.” Right? There’s this questioning — I ask myself, why are you depressed? Why are you so upset? Hope in God. But then in 43, it transitions to “Okay! If I’m going to hope in God then some shit is going to change.”Right?  Establish justice for me, God! Argue my case against ungodly people! Rescue me from the dishonest and unjust! Protect me. Send your light and truth. The physical circumstances have to change as well. It’s just not enough to be content in your suffering or say, pray and hope that something magical, internal thing happens — if that does happen for you, that’s amazing. But I appreciate here that this author is putting their hope in God, but also, saying that we gotta do this together and stuff around me has got to change. What about you Shay? FS: I love the deep sense of honesty in all of this and the humanity in it. Like you said, the sense that it’s not just — pray and hope in God, or pray more. It’s like I have hope in God even though the world is completely messed up. And also, I’m trusting that God is gonna fight my enemies and do something about this oppression that I’m feeling that is making me depressed. But I also like this question of “Why I ask myself why are you so depressed?” Because I think so many of us have asked ourselves that question in the midst of depression, especially when we’ve been in a space where external surroundings maybe don’t lead — it’s nothing is necessarily going wrong in our lives, we have people that love us, we have a safe place to live and something still isn’t right, and so we are asking that question. And I appreciate that this sense is like, it isn’t just why are you so depressed — get over it. It’s asking the question and not really answering it, and I appreciate that. Because I think that often, the responses that we get to depression are just suck it up and deal; or get over it; or you don’t have the right to feel that way. I feel that this passage let’s us sit in it in a way that is maybe helpful and healthy. B: Yeah! Totally! I’ve sometimes been depressed because my family was not great, was actually pretty bad when I came out as queer. But also, I have to go to therapy and see a psychiatrist and be on medication because sometimes I don’t know what’s wrong. I’m just depressed and I can’t just fix it. Both of those are okay, too. Both of those are reflected here. It’s so comforting to see like: Oh! I’m not alone in my clinical depression here. A few years ago, we looked at another lectionary text from this Sunday: 1st Kings. It’s about depression also, a depressed prophet, Elijah. You can listen to that at QueerTheology.com/186. [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 today’s episode, we talk about: Depression in the Bible How queer folks experience depression Scripture encouraging us to actually do something to make things better How we are not alone in feeling depressed; that there are others out there who are also going through tough times A year ago, we talked about how Elijah – a depressed prophet. You can listen to that episode over at QueerTheology.com/186 Psalm 42-43 Just like a deer that craves streams of water, my whole being craves you, God. My whole being thirsts for God, for the living God. When will I come and see God’s face? My tears have been my food both day and night, as people constantly questioned me, “Where’s your God now?” But I remember these things as I bare my soul: how I made my way to the mighty one’s abode, to God’s own house, with joyous shouts and thanksgiving songs— a huge crowd celebrating the festival! Why, I ask myself, are you so depressed? Why are you so upset inside? Hope in God! Because I will again give him thanks, my saving presence and my God. My whole being is depressed. That’s why I remember you from the land of Jordan and Hermon, from Mount Mizar. Deep called to deep at the noise of your waterfalls; all your massive waves surged over me. By day the Lord commands his faithful love; by night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life. I will say to God, my solid rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why do I have to walk around, sad, oppressed by enemies?” With my bones crushed, my foes make fun of me, constantly questioning me: “Where’s your God now?” Why, I ask myself, are you so depressed? Why are you so upset inside? Hope in God! Because I will again give him thanks, my saving presence and my God. Establish justice for me, God! Argue my case against ungodly people! Rescue me from the dishonest and unjust! Because you are my God, my protective fortress! Why have you rejected me? Why do I have to walk around, sad, oppressed by enemies? Send your light and truth—those will guide me! Let them bring me to your holy mountain, to your dwelling place. Let me come to God’s altar— let me come to God, my joy, my delight— then I will give you thanks with the lyre, God, my God! Why, I ask myself, are you so depressed? Why are you so upset inside? Hope in God! Because I will again give him thanks, my saving presence and my God. Photo by Ian Espinosa The post Depressed – Psalm 42-43 appeared first on Queer Theology.