Queer Theology Podcast

What happens when we re-encounter stories that we heard with different interpretations growing up? What if we understood God as extravagantly loving instead of always waiting for us to mess up so God could smite us? How would that change how we move through the world? How does this text teach us about family acceptance and queer families? All this and more in this week's podcast!   Mentioned in th...

If it feels like we've talked about this passage before ... we haven't! It's just that social justice, taking care of people's immediate needs, shows up over and over and over again in the Bible. If you've ever heard that you're not really a Christian or that you're "doing" Christianity "wrong" because of your progressive convictions, this passage is a helpful reminder that taking care of each oth...

The Church, where faith should thrive, too often kills — sometimes spiritually, sometimes literally — the very people working to keep the faith. LGBTQ, women, young people, people of color and others know this well. In this week's episode, we explore Jesus's thoughts on the relationship between prophets and religious centers. Referenced in this episode: Rift in the United Methodist Church the poli...

This passage is the story of God's people and how they relate to God. We see that they are instructed to start by remembering where they came from. It's a reminder that all the writers of scripture had a place and a time and a family and a context. What were theirs? How is God moving among them? And then... what is ours? And how does Scripture speak to us? What does God have to say to us? Deuteron...

In this passage, Paul is convinced that the world is ending within his lifetime and— spoiler alert —it doesn't. Sometimes the writers of the Bible get things completely wrong. In this episode, we explore the implications of that for our faith and lives. 1 Corinthians 15:51-58 Listen, I'm telling you a secret: All of us won't die, but we will all be changed—in an instant, in the blink of an eye, at...

"Turn the other cheek" is suuuch a "well known" passage but it's so often quoted out of context. What else might Jesus be trying to teach us that we haven't seen before? In this episode, Fr. Shay and Brian explore how this passage might inform activist work and even interpersonal dynamics. Referenced in this episode Jesus & Nonviolence: A Third Way by Walter Wink The Good Place Live episode with S...

This passage is a reminder that God has an agenda — Jesus and the prophets proclaim a comforting message for some and a challenging message for others. In this episode, we peel back the flowery language that sometimes surrounds Jesus's words and look at the heart of what he's saying. Luke 6:17-26 Jesus and his apostles went down from the mountain and came to some flat, level ground. Many other dis...

This week, we have a special episode of the Queer Theology podcast: our first ever live episode! Brian was at the Q Christian Fellowship Conference in Chicago, IL a few weeks ago to speak about polyamory on a panel about Christian sexual ethics (the very first openly polyamorous speaker at QCF and the first time polyamory was addressed from during an official workshop!) He was also invited to reco...

This week's passage picks up where last week's left off. We talk about the process of learning and growing and what it can be like to people and places from our past — how they can hold us back and how we can even end up holding them back. Read the transcript (PDF) Luke 4:21-30 He began to explain to them, "Today, this scripture has been fulfilled just as you heard it." Everyone was raving about J...

This week's Gospel reading opens with, "Many people have tried to tell the story of what God has done among us." In this episode, we dig into what the Bible, what it is (and is not) trying to do, what Scripture meant in the time it was written, and what it might mean for us today. Mentioned in this episode How to read the Bible A new more in-depth course on how to read the Bible is coming later th...

Marriage as a metaphor for God's relationship to us shows up again in this week's lectionary reading from Isaiah. In this episode, we talk about the intersections of faith and sexuality, and how that plays out when it comes to marginalized people.   In this episode Jesus is polyamorous (video) We expand on "What is it that is bigger than ourselves that we call God?" in this Skeptics Guide series H...

Referenced in this episode Picking a word of the year Setting spiritual resolutions Christianity & Polyamory resources Christianity & Polyamory course will reopen in early 2019 You can support this podcast on Patreon Brian will be speaking at the Q Christian Fellowship Conference - use discount code PODCAST19 for $10 off If there are any topics you'd like us to cover, resources that would be helpf...

In this passage, the wise people encounter the baby Jesus and are so transformed by their encounter, that they return another way. In this episode, we explore how queerness can mirror that experience and how each can inform the other. Referenced in this episode: Brian's article on LGBTQ activism + the wise people meeting Jesus Is Christianity all about saying a prayer and getting into heaven? Tran...

Another year is coming to a close and in this episode we share some of our end of year practices and how we prepare for a new year. Referenced in this episode How to pick a "Word of the Year"

The Bible has a few accounts of Jesus's birth and the differences in the stories, plus the context in which they were originally told, can tell us some important things about the life, ministry, and legacy of Jesus. In this episode, we explore the story of Jesus's birth then and what it means for our lives today.

Taking care of one another and acting kindly isn't secondary to the gospel — it's a central part of what it means to be baptized and "escape angry judgement." We explore what that means for us as Christians and as LGBTQ people.  If you want some support in your faith journey, you are invited to join Sanctuary Collective , our online community of LGBTQ+ Christians and straight, cisgender supporters...

When considering how LGBTQ people fit into Christianity, it's tempting to fall back on questions of "Is it ok?" and get stuck in arguments of hermeneutics and exegesis (which are important!) but in doing so miss the forest for the trees.  This passage offers us some guidance on how we might discern God's will and what is right and righteous. This isn't about picking whatever we want or disregardin...

Advent is starting and we share with you some ways that you can observe the season, even if you aren't connected to a church or faith community. We also get into how Advent might be particularly resonant with LGBTQ folks and what the queer experience can add to the season. If you're looking for a supportive, spiritual community, we would love to welcome you to Sanctuary Collective. Learn more at q...

This Sunday is "Christ the King" Sunday or "Reign of Christ" Sunday, depending on your church, and in today's episode, we are talking about the "king" and "Lord" language used throughout the Christian scriptures and tradition to talk about Jesus. Why do we do that? What is it's significant? And what are the political implications of that language? Two of the passages for this week's lectionary are...

Transgender Day of Remembrance is a week away and in this podcast episode, we focus on three areas for LGBTQ Christians and straight, cisgender supporters (and churches as a body!) to get involved. We look at: What your church can do  What you can do as an individual  If you're a pastor, what can be in your sermon this Sunday [powerpress] What will you do for this year's Transgender Day of Remembr...

This passage reminds us that God has a particular care for people who are marginalized, vulnerable, disenfranchised, and oppressed. In this episode we dig into why that's important and what that means for our lives and relationships.    Jeremiah 31:7-9 This is what the Lord says: "Sing with joy for Jacob; shout for the foremost of the nations. Make your praises heard, and say, 'Lord, save your peo...

This passage is a sultry seduction and we do scripture a disservice when we try to "clean it up" and make it chaste. But it's not necessarily fun and carefree. In this episode, we take a close look at sex and seduction.    Ruth 3:1-5, 4:13-17 Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, "My daughter, shouldn't I seek security for you, so that things might go well for you? Now isn't Boaz, whose young women...

This episode is for the lectionary from October 21 — after recording this episode, Brian had a death in the family and was unable to publish it on schedule but we wanted you to hear it.  Scripture is filled with folks wrestling with their place in their universe and their relationship with each other and that which is bigger than themselves. We are hungry to find meaning. In this episode, we explo...

In these two passages, we see that the "Old Testament God" and the "New Testament God" are one and the same. In Mark, Jesus is in conversation with his sacred text, the Hebrew Bible. Take a listen for some new insights that emerge when these passages are read together. Deuteronomy 6:1-9 Now these are the commandments, the regulations, and the case laws that the Lord your God commanded me to teach...

Referenced in this episode: Polyamory & Christianity webinar happening this Sunday, October 14! Register at queertheology.com/polyamory How to read the Bible Jesus positions himself in the context of John the Baptist who came before him and was influenced by his mother Mary Hebrews 4:12-16 because God's word is living, active, and sharper than any two-edged sword. It penetrates to the point that i...