Queer Theology

In this episode we look at… LGBTQ Christians are told that our sexuality is dirty and defiling — Jesus disagrees Brian makes a blowjob joke What this passage might say about whether we should stay in unaffirming churches to try to “fix” them Matthew 10:14: “ If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.” What if you offend people who don’t affirm LGBTQ people? How to work in solidarity with trans people Read the transcript (PDF) Matthew 15:10-20 Jesus called the crowd near and said to them, “Listen and understand. It’s not what goes into the mouth that contaminates a person in God’s sight. It’s what comes out of the mouth that contaminates the person.” Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended by what you just said?” Jesus replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father didn’t plant will be pulled up. Leave the Pharisees alone. They are blind people who are guides to blind people. But if a blind person leads another blind person, they will both fall into a ditch.” Then Peter spoke up, “Explain this riddle to us.” Jesus said, “Don’t you understand yet? Don’t you know that everything that goes into the mouth enters the stomach and goes out into the sewer? But what goes out of the mouth comes from the heart. And that’s what contaminates a person in God’s sight. Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adultery, sexual sins, thefts, false testimonies, and insults. These contaminate a person in God’s sight. But eating without washing hands doesn’t contaminate in God’s sight.” The post Is gay sex defiling? – Matthew 15:10-20 appeared first on Queer Theology.

In this episode, we talk about… the temptation to look for big signs from God how Elijah is going through a depressive episode in this passage, how that’s not often talked about, and how that contradicts what some of us our taught about faith & mental health the taxing demands of justice work (and how to deal with them in healthy, helpful ways) the importance of talking about LGBTQ people in sermons outside of ones that are about sex, gender, and relationships our summer fundraising campaign to support this podcast and the work of Queer Theology (queertheology.com/support) Read the transcript (PDF) 1 Kings 19:9-14 There [Elijah] went into a cave and spent the night. The Lord’s word came to him and said, “Why are you here, Elijah?” Elijah replied, “I’ve been very passionate for the Lord God of heavenly forces because the Israelites have abandoned your covenant. They have torn down your altars, and they have murdered your prophets with the sword. I’m the only one left, and now they want to take my life too!” The Lord said, “Go out and stand at the mountain before the Lord. The Lord is passing by.” A very strong wind tore through the mountains and broke apart the stones before the Lord. But the Lord wasn’t in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake. But the Lord wasn’t in the earthquake. After the earthquake, there was a fire. But the Lord wasn’t in the fire. After the fire, there was a sound. Thin. Quiet. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his coat. He went out and stood at the cave’s entrance. A voice came to him and said, “Why are you here, Elijah?” He said, “I’ve been very passionate for the Lord God of heavenly forces because the Israelites have abandoned your covenant. They have torn down your altars, and they have murdered your prophets with the sword. I’m the only one left, and now they want to take my life too.” The post A Depressed Prophet – 1 Kings 19:9-14 appeared first on Queer Theology.

In this episode, we talk about… How Jacob wrestling with God can open the door to questions about sexuality, gender, and faith A “hierarchy of control” that Shay learned from his conservative church (and how this passage challenges that) Scripture gives us permission to question our faith! the audacity of making demands of God parallels between Jacob’s risks & wounds and the LGBTQ experience, a lesson Shay learned from Queer Virtue, which we’re about to start reading in the Sanctuary Collective book club the “biblical definition of marriage” Don’t forget! We need your help to keep this podcast — and all the rest of Queer Theology — running. You can learn more and give some support (even if you can’t contribute financially) over at queertheology.com/support Read the transcript (PDF) Genesis 32:22-31 Jacob got up during the night, took his two wives, his two women servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed the Jabbok River’s shallow water. He took them and everything that belonged to him, and he helped them cross the river. But Jacob stayed apart by himself, and a man wrestled with him until dawn broke. When the man saw that he couldn’t defeat Jacob, he grabbed Jacob’s thigh and tore a muscle in Jacob’s thigh as he wrestled with him. The man said, “Let me go because the dawn is breaking.” But Jacob said, “I won’t let you go until you bless me.” He said to Jacob, “What’s your name?” and he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then he said, “Your name won’t be Jacob any longer, but Israel, because you struggled with God and with men and won.” Jacob also asked and said, “Tell me your name.” But he said, “Why do you ask for my name?” and he blessed Jacob there. Jacob named the place Peniel, “because I’ve seen God face-to-face, and my life has been saved.” The sun rose as Jacob passed Penuel, limping because of his thigh. Photo by bratmandeux The post Wrestling with God – Genesis 32:22-31 appeared first on Queer Theology.

In this episode, we look at what the Kingdom of Heaven is like, according to Jesus’s parables how these parables can help us judge whether anti-LGBTQ theology is of God or not Jesus’s audience in his parables (and what that means for us today) what to make of the bit about “burning furnaces” that follows these verses what anti-LGBTQ people must go through to experience God’s kingdom Read transcript (PDF) Matthew 13:44-46 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure that somebody hid in a field, which someone else found and covered up. Full of joy, the finder sold everything and bought that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. When he found one very precious pearl, he went and sold all that he owned and bought it. The post The Kingdom of Heaven is like… – Matthew 13:44-46 appeared first on Queer Theology.

In this episode, we catch up on… what the Wild Goose Festival is how (un)affirming Wild Goose was in its first year and how things have changed since moving folks from unaffirming to being advocates for LGBTQ justice our workshop on “Queering the Gospel” Click here to get the worksheet Read the transcript (PDF) The post Wild Goose 2017 appeared first on Queer Theology.

In this episode we talk about… We’re heading to Wild Goose Festival in Hot Springs, NC.  If you’ll be there, come to our session “Queering The Gospel” at 10am on Saturday in The Landing. Session info here: wildgoosefestival.org/sessions17-78 Our theme for the month is “Reading the Bible Queerly” — look at for articles, a webinar, and more on this topic! The short story of Shay’s long and winding relationship to the Bible The ways in which exalting (a certain interpretation of) the Bible above all else can fail us — and dishonor the Bible DAILY QUIET TIMES! Reading & Teaching the Bible to find “the right answer” vs reading & teaching the Bible to engage the text Brian’s story of trying to figure out if it’s ok to be gay and Christian Moving beyond isolated verses to see the complete story of God in the Bible Tune in next week for the “brass tacks” of how to tell your story — recorded live at Wild Goose Contribute to Queer Theology’s summer fundraising campaign: www.queertheology.com/support Read the transcript (PDF) The post Why you should read the Bible queerly appeared first on Queer Theology.

In this episode we look at… LGBTQ “Welcoming” churches who is responsible for making churches welcoming for LGBTQ people queer people are prophets! the divine right that all LGBTQ people have Read the transcript (PDF) Matthew 10:40-42 “Those who receive you are also receiving me, and those who receive me are receiving the one who sent me. Those who receive a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. Those who receive a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. I assure you that everybody who gives even a cup of cold water to these little ones because they are my disciples will certainly be rewarded.” The post Welcoming Churches – Matthew 10:40-42 appeared first on Queer Theology.

In this episode we look at all things Pride! Shay’s struggles with LGBTQ Pride and Pride celebrations how “anti-pride” religious messages and internalized shame can get in the way of pride the lack of trans inclusion in many pride celebrations the resilience of LGBTQ+ people the history of police & pride parallels between Christianity and the queer community the PRIDE (SHAME) issue of Spit & Spirit Read the transcript (PDF) What about you? What does LGBTQ+ Pride mean to you? Let us know in the comments or sound off on Twitter using the #QueerTheology hashtag. Photo by Michael Kazarnowicz The post Pride Month 2017 appeared first on Queer Theology.

In this episode, we talk about… how perseverance and hope can take on special meaning for queer and trans people the anniversary of the shooting at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida the resilience of the LGBTQ community — we’ve been persecuted for so long but we are still here the tension between suffering producing character and also suffering not being something God wants for us how it’s not your duty to suffer how God & Christ love you even in your imperfections Read the transcript (PDF) Romans 5:1-8 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. The post LGBTQ Suffering & Pulse Shooting, one year later – Romans 5:1-8 appeared first on Queer Theology.

In this episode we talk about… why the creation stories are a pet peeve of Brian’s how this passage sets the tone and expectations for the rest of the Bible (and what that means for queer Christians) How God uses language to create the importance of sabbath and rest how queer people are made in God’s image wrestling with the binary gendered language in this text Read the transcript (PDF) Genesis 1:1 – 2:4 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day. And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day. And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day. And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day. And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”     So God created mankind in his own image,     in the image of God he created them;     male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. Photo by framedbythomas   The post LGBTQ People Are Made In God’s Image – Genesis 1:1 – 2:4 appeared first on Queer Theology.