Queer Theology

We’re on summer vacation! The Queer Theology podcast has been “on air” for 4 years and over 200 episodes. All summer long, we’re releasing a throwback episode that looks at the upcoming week’s lectionary. Stay connected with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and inside of Sanctuary Collective. We’ll see you with new episodes in September! Jesus gets a little snarky in this week’s Gospel reading and Brian and Fr. Shay respond. What happens when Jesus makes demands of the people following him? What does that have to do with us today? In this podcast we talk about solidarity, living on the margins, and more. Read the transcript (PDF) John 6:60-69 Many of his disciples who heard this said, “This message is harsh. Who can hear it?” Jesus knew that the disciples were grumbling about this and he said to them, “Does this offend you? What if you were to see the Human One going up where he was before? The Spirit is the one who gives life and the flesh doesn’t help at all. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. Yet some of you don’t believe.” Jesus knew from the beginning who wouldn’t believe and the one who would betray him. He said, “For this reason I said to you that none can come to me unless the Father enables them to do so.” At this, many of his disciples turned away and no longer accompanied him. Jesus asked the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?” Simon Peter answered, “Lord, where would we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are God’s holy one.” The post Does this offend you? John 6:60-69 #throwback appeared first on Queer Theology.

We’re on summer vacation! The Queer Theology podcast has been “on air” for 4 years and over 200 episodes. All summer long, we’re releasing a throwback episode that looks at the upcoming week’s lectionary. Stay connected with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and inside of Sanctuary Collective. We’ll see you with new episodes in September! Why does it matter that Wisdom is personified as a woman? What can we learn from this passage? Who have been the people who have spoken wisdom into your life? Brian and Fr. Shay talk about all of this and more. Read the transcript (PDF) Proverbs 9:1-6 Wisdom built her house; she has carved out her seven pillars. She slaughtered her animals, mixed her wine, and set her table. She sends out her female servants; she issues an invitation from the top of the city heights: “Whoever is naive turn aside here,” she says to those who lack sense. “Come, eat my food, and drink the wine I have mixed. Abandon your simplistic ways and live; walk in the way of understanding.” The post Wisdom is a Woman – Proverbs 9:1-6 #throwback appeared first on Queer Theology.

We’re on summer vacation! The Queer Theology podcast has been “on air” for 4 years and over 200 episodes. All summer long, we’re releasing a throwback episode that looks at the upcoming week’s lectionary. Stay connected with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and inside of Sanctuary Collective. We’ll see you with new episodes in September! In this week’s passage Brian and Fr. Shay talk about admitting that you’re not okay and what it means to take care of yourself. What does self care look like? What are the messages we’ve been taught in our churches about mental health and depression? All that and more in this week’s podcast. Read the transcript (PDF) 1 Kings 19:4-8 He himself went farther on into the desert a day’s journey. He finally sat down under a solitary broom bush. He longed for his own death: “It’s more than enough, Lord! Take my life because I’m no better than my ancestors.” He lay down and slept under the solitary broom bush. Then suddenly a messenger tapped him and said to him, “Get up! Eat something!” Elijah opened his eyes and saw flatbread baked on glowing coals and a jar of water right by his head. He ate and drank, and then went back to sleep. The Lord’s messenger returned a second time and tapped him. “Get up!” the messenger said. “Eat something, because you have a difficult road ahead of you.” Elijah got up, ate and drank, and went refreshed by that food for forty days and nights until he arrived at Horeb, God’s mountain. The post It’s Okay to Not be Okay – 1 Kings 19:4-8 #throwback appeared first on Queer Theology.

We’re on summer vacation! The Queer Theology podcast has been “on air” for 4 years and over 200 episodes. All summer long, we’re releasing a throwback episode that looks at the upcoming week’s lectionary. Stay connected with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and inside of Sanctuary Collective. We’ll see you with new episodes in September! What have you been taught about the things you like to do? About the ways to stand up for justice? Have you been discouraged or feeling like you have to be someone you are not? Then this is the podcast for you. Brian and Fr. Shay talk about using your gifts and doing what you love. Read the transcript (PDF) Ephesians 4:1-16 Therefore, as a prisoner for the Lord, I encourage you to live as people worthy of the call you received from God. Conduct yourselves with all humility, gentleness, and patience. Accept each other with love, and make an effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit with the peace that ties you together. You are one body and one spirit, just as God also called you in one hope. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all, who is over all, through all, and in all. God has given his grace to each one of us measured out by the gift that is given by Christ. That’s why scripture says, When he climbed up to the heights, he captured prisoners, and he gave gifts to people. What does the phrase “he climbed up” mean if it doesn’t mean that he had first gone down into the lower regions, the earth? 10 The one who went down is the same one who climbed up above all the heavens so that he might fill everything. He gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. His purpose was to equip God’s people for the work of serving and building up the body of Christ until we all reach the unity of faith and knowledge of God’s Son. God’s goal is for us to become mature adults—to be fully grown, measured by the standard of the fullness of Christ. As a result, we aren’t supposed to be infants any longer who can be tossed and blown around by every wind that comes from teaching with deceitful scheming and the tricks people play to deliberately mislead others. Instead, by speaking the truth with love, let’s grow in every way into Christ, who is the head. The whole body grows from him, as it is joined and held together by all the supporting ligaments. The body makes itself grow in that it builds itself up with love as each one does its part. The post Use Your Gifts – Ephesians 4:1-16 #throwback appeared first on Queer Theology.

We’re on summer vacation! The Queer Theology podcast has been “on air” for 4 years and over 200 episodes. All summer long, we’re releasing a throwback episode that looks at the upcoming week’s lectionary. Stay connected with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and inside of Sanctuary Collective. We’ll see you with new episodes in September! Brian and Shay take a look at the story of Naaman and explore how it compares to the queer experience. Why do we sometimes believe we have to make things hard on ourselves? What would it look like if we simply decided to do the easy thing instead. Read the transcript (PDF) 2 Kings 5:1-15 Naaman, a general for the king of Aram, was a great man and highly regarded by his master, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. This man was a mighty warrior, but he had a skin disease. Now Aramean raiding parties had gone out and captured a young girl from the land of Israel. She served Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, “I wish that my master could come before the prophet who lives in Samaria. He would cure him of his skin disease.” 4 So Naaman went and told his master what the young girl from the land of Israel had said. Then Aram’s king said, “Go ahead. I will send a letter to Israel’s king.” So Naaman left. He took along ten kikkars of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. He brought the letter to Israel’s king. It read, “Along with this letter I’m sending you my servant Naaman so you can cure him of his skin disease.” When the king of Israel read the letter, he ripped his clothes. He said, “What? Am I God to hand out death and life? But this king writes me, asking me to cure someone of his skin disease! You must realize that he wants to start a fight with me.” When Elisha the man of God heard that Israel’s king had ripped his clothes, he sent word to the king: “Why did you rip your clothes? Let the man come to me. Then he’ll know that there’s a prophet in Israel.” Naaman arrived with his horses and chariots. He stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. Elisha sent out a messenger who said, “Go and wash seven times in the Jordan River. Then your skin will be restored and become clean.” But Naaman went away in anger. He said, “I thought for sure that he’d come out, stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the bad spot, and cure the skin disease. Aren’t the rivers in Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than all Israel’s waters? Couldn’t I wash in them and get clean?” So he turned away and proceeded to leave in anger. Naaman’s servants came up to him and spoke to him: “Our father, if the prophet had told you to do something difficult, wouldn’t you have done it? All he said to you was, ‘Wash and become clean.’” So Naaman went down and bathed in the Jordan seven times, just as the man of God had said. His skin was restored like that of a young boy, and he became clean. He returned to the man of God with all his attendants. He came and stood before Elisha, saying, “Now I know for certain that there’s no God anywhere on earth except in Israel. Please accept a gift from your servant.” The post Do the Easy Thing – 2 Kings 5:1-15 #throwback appeared first on Queer Theology.

We’re on summer vacation! The Queer Theology podcast has been “on air” for 4 years and over 200 episodes. All summer long, we’re releasing a throwback episode that looks at the upcoming week’s lectionary. Stay connected with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and inside of Sanctuary Collective. We’ll see you with new episodes in September! In this week’s podcast Brian and Fr. Shay talk about the resonance of the phrase “with his body he broke down the barrier of the hatred that divided us.” Why does this phrase have so much meaning? What does it mean to break down the barriers with our bodies? Listen in now! Read the transcript (PDF) Ephesians 2:11-22 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)—remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. The post With His Body – Ephesians 2:11-22 #throwback appeared first on Queer Theology.

We’re on summer vacation! The Queer Theology podcast has been “on air” for 4 years and over 200 episodes. All summer long, we’re releasing a throwback episode that looks at the upcoming week’s lectionary. Here’s your first one! This week Brian and Fr. Shay tackle a short (and rather random) passage from the book of Amos. What does Amos’s response to being called a prophet have to teach us today? What does it mean to be a prophet in our own communities? All this and more on this week’s podcast. Read the transcript (PDF) Amos 7:12-15 Amaziah said to Amos, “You who see things, go, run away to the land of Judah, eat your bread there, and prophesy there; but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king’s holy place and his royal house.” Amos answered Amaziah, “I am not a prophet, nor am I a prophet’s son; but I am a shepherd, and a trimmer of sycamore trees. But the Lord took me from shepherding the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’ The post I Am Not A Prophet – Amos 7:12-15 #Throwback appeared first on Queer Theology.

This passage, where Jesus tells his followers to leave and shake the dust of their sandals if they encounter towns unwilling to listen to their message is one that we’ve talked about a few times in podcasts episodes and articles over the years. But there’s still new insight to be found which is why we’re talking about it again! In this episode, we explore the impulse folks have to stay in churches, communities, and families that don’t affirm and won’t listen to them… where that comes from, can we be helpful if we stay, what happens if we leave, who benefits? Read the transcript (PDF) Referenced in this episode: Episode looking at Mark 1 where John the Baptist also says to “change your heart and life” “Shake It Off, Shake It Off” — our first time looking at this passage The post Leaving Can Be Good For You & Them – Mark 6:1-13 appeared first on Queer Theology.

Read the transcript (PDF) Referenced in the ep: Queer Theology resources 3-part video series on self-care even more self-care resources Psalm 130 I cry out to you from the depths, Lord— my Lord, listen to my voice! Let your ears pay close attention to my request for mercy! If you kept track of sins, Lord— my Lord, who would stand a chance? But forgiveness is with you— that’s why you are honored. I hope, Lord. My whole being hopes, and I wait for God’s promise. My whole being waits for my Lord— more than the night watch waits for morning; yes, more than the night watch waits for morning! Israel, wait for the Lord! Because faithful love is with the Lord; because great redemption is with our God! He is the one who will redeem Israel from all its sin. The post Forgiveness is with you – Psalm 130 appeared first on Queer Theology.

This week, we’re featuring another throwback episode. Today’s episode originally aired in 2015. What do the parables of Jesus about the Kingdom of God have to do with queer and trans organizing for justice? Brian and Fr. Shay talk about activism, patience, and justice work in this week’s podcast. Read the transcript (PDF) No matter when you listen to this episode, you can see what’s happening right now with us by checking out queertheology.com/now Mark 4:26-34 Then Jesus said, “This is what God’s kingdom is like. It’s as though someone scatters seed on the ground, then sleeps and wakes night and day. The seed sprouts and grows, but the farmer doesn’t know how. The earth produces crops all by itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full head of grain. Whenever the crop is ready, the farmer goes out to cut the grain because it’s harvesttime.” He continued, “What’s a good image for God’s kingdom? What parable can I use to explain it? Consider a mustard seed. When scattered on the ground, it’s the smallest of all the seeds on the earth; but when it’s planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all vegetable plants. It produces such large branches that the birds in the sky are able to nest in its shade.” With many such parables he continued to give them the word, as much as they were able to hear. He spoke to them only in parables, then explained everything to his disciples when he was alone with them. The post Bringing About The Kingdom: Mark 4:26-34 appeared first on Queer Theology.