Queer Theology

One of the things that comes up the most often in our work with people is that they have this feeling of loneliness, a feeling of not being connected to others or able to find a community. We very strongly feel that it’s important to be connected to a community, but what happens when you outgrow a community before finding a new one? We’re dedicating this episode to talking about making new friends and the importance of friendship and spiritual supporters! We got some practical tips for finding friends, deepening your friendships, and avoiding a few pitfalls in the process.    Join the community at Sanctuary Collective.    If you want to support the Patreon and help keep the podcast up and running, you can learn more and pledge your support at patreon.com/queertheology. EPISODE TRANSCRIPT The post Find Your People (And Change Your Life) appeared first on Queer Theology.

Thinking about your religion as only a personal relationship with God is dangerous to you and to others. There are so many ways claiming a personal connection to God can be powerful and life-giving, but you have to really examine if minimizing religions and rituals that come with other religions are actually a way to minimize communities and avoid accountability. In this episode, we talk about how important it is to have a personal connection to the Divine, but also how important it is to recognize the beauty of community that can come with religion and ritual practices.    Resources: Podcast series on rituals: Ep. 445: Rituals for Resistance and Resilience  Ep. 447: The Surprising Meaning Behind What We Have Ep. 448: You Might Have More Rituals Than You Think  Ep. 449: Creating Your Own Rituals Rituals for Resistance & Resilience  on-demand workshop.    Join the community at Sanctuary Collective.    If you want to support the Patreon and help keep the podcast up and running, you can learn more and pledge your support at patreon.com/queertheology.   Photo by Kaboompics .com Episode Transcript The post Is It A Relationship or a Religion? appeared first on Queer Theology.

We’re coming up on All Souls Day and this has us thinking about death, dying, and grief. What was your experience around death growing up? For us, it was all about celebrating the people who were now in heaven with little room for grieving. But the grief and loss was still very much there. We talk about the importance of rituals and community when it comes to grief. A supportive community and rituals can help you heal amidst loss and the good news is that these rituals do not have to be religious to be holy and healing!   Join us for an All Souls Worship Experience that comes when you join the community at Sanctuary Collective.    Podcast episode: Scary Things- The Great Snatch & The End of the World   If you want to support the Patreon and help keep the podcast up and running, you can learn more and pledge your support at patreon.com/queertheology. EPISODE TRANSCRIPT The post Why We Remember Those We’ve Lost? appeared first on Queer Theology.

It’s not enough to leave a church or faith that is harmful, you still have to unlearn the bad theology that was taught in those spaces. Why? Because that sh*t is going to keep coming up and having an impact on you and you’ll still be in a place of anger and fear!  In this episode we get into the ways you can recognize where shame, anger, and fear are still coming up for you and what you can do next.. Psst- it has to do with learning HOW to read the Bible better!    We also answer a couple listener questions about the 1946 documentary film and how to get back to your Christian roots as an LGBTQ+ person of faith without returning to a harmful church.   Resources: Want to have your question featured on the podcast? Send us a voicemail or text message at  (240)200-0922 or submit through queertheology.com/listen www.queertheology.com/resources Digging the Details Clobbering the Clobber Passages Active Advocacy Flip Your Faith waitlist Book Recommendations at bookshop.org/shop/queertheology   Join the community at Sanctuary Collective.    If you want to support the Patreon and help keep the podcast up and running, you can learn more and pledge your support at patreon.com/queertheology.   Photo by Tara Winstead EPISODE TRANSCRIPT The post Moving Past Terrible Theology appeared first on Queer Theology.

Last week we talked all about harm reduction. But we don’t want you to just go from hurting to numb- we want you to get you all the way to thriving! And for this you really gotta lean in and parse out what exactly you want, what exactly you are feeling. Previous faith communities might have made you feel isolated and alone, but there may also have been moments of joy and love. What are those things? Can you name them and bring them out? It’s so important to recognize the nuance and how the places we came from that might have hurt us, can be complicated and multifaceted. You can reclaim some of that joy while also keeping strong boundaries in place. And, while we are talking about religion or churches that might have caused harm, this can be a really healthy practice you can apply beyond rebuilding a spiritual home.    Flip Your Faith – join the waitlist Rituals for Resistance & Resilience   Join the community at Sanctuary Collective.    If you want to support the Patreon and help keep the podcast up and running, you can learn more and pledge your support at patreon.com/queertheology. EPISODE TRANSCRIPT The post Tools For Rebuilding A Spiritual Home appeared first on Queer Theology.

We’re getting into our feelings in this episode talking about that sense of homesickness for a place/home/church you can’t go back to. A place that might have caused you harm, a place you are still healing from. And this is a great reminder that no matter how much you are thriving, there might still be some hurt that you are harboring or wounds that need to be healed. Are you healed from the places that hurt you? What ARE those feelings that come up for you when you hear or think about a former faith home or family? We have some tips on how to figure out where you are at in this healing journey and where to start if you are still activated by your former faith life. Because your feelings are valid- but you deserve to thrive!    Click here for the Feelings List   Join the community at Sanctuary Collective.    If you want to support the Patreon and help keep the podcast up and running, you can learn more and pledge your support at patreon.com/queertheology.   EPISODE TRANSCRIPT   Photo by Alexander Krivitskiy The post Healing from the Places that Hurt You appeared first on Queer Theology.

One thing we often hear is that people are so overwhelmed they can’t possibly start making changes or living their authentic life right now. But that is often EXACTLY the time to start! We’re not talking about doing something rash or unsafe, but taking one small first step. Sometimes you might not know what the next steps will be until you take that first step!    In this episode, we talk about how to notice if “not the right time” is “exactly the right time.” We got some questions to help you determine if now is the time to begin the move from surviving to thriving and we’re here to support you in all this. It can be scary to start, but it is SO worth it. We’re encouraging you to take that bold, brave, baby step into growth!    We put together a checklist of a few different exercises you could try out — that all take less than 5 minutes — and it’s available to Patreon supporters and Sanctuary Collective members. If you’re not already a member, you can sign up at Sanctuary Collective.    If you want to support the Patreon and help keep the podcast up and running, you can learn more and pledge your support at patreon.com/queertheology.   EPISODE TRANSCRIPT   Photo by Andrea Piacquadio The post Moving From Surviving to Thriving appeared first on Queer Theology.

As we head into the new season we are reflecting and setting intentions for the fall. Maybe it’s the years we spent in school, but September just kinda always feels like the beginning of the year in a way!   This summer we hosted a bunch of amazing guests, we held the Queerness Every Day Challenge, and we kicked off a cohort of Flip Your Faith. One of the things that we continually notice is how often people feel they are alone. Alone in a journey, alone in deconstruction, alone in their questions. And when they find that they are not alone, that there are others going through a similar journey, it is a transformative experience of community building! So we encourage you to set some intentions with us and start something small that will lead to a much bigger goal or practice.    Add your name to our email list at queertheology.com  Have a question for us? Send a voicemail or text at (240)200-0922 Add your name to the waitlist for the next cohort of Flip Your Faith: queertheology.com/waitlist  Send us an email at connect@queertheology.com Join the online community Sanctuary Collective.    If you want to support the Patreon and help keep the podcast up and running, you can learn more and pledge your support at patreon.com/queertheology. EPISODE TRANSCRIPT   Photo by Ece AK from Pexels The post Start Small… but Start appeared first on Queer Theology.

For the final episode of our Summer Guest Series we are joined by Cindy Wang Brandt. Cindy describes herself as ‘someone who wants to find interesting things and do them’ and, as we found in this interview, she definitely does that and has so much wisdom from her experiences!   Cindy Wang Brandt is an author, podcaster, and speaker. She hosts conferences and communities that help parents heal from religious trauma to raise children with healthy spirituality.   We discuss how religious trauma shows up and how it can be defined. We unpack what it means to go forward with healthy spirituality and parent in a way that is not harmful. Cindy talks about deconstructing and setting boundaries after leaving the evangelical church and how that has made her a more gentle parent to the child within herself, and to her own children. We often get questions about parenting and it is a real pleasure to get some expert advice and wisdom from Cindy. This is for parents, the children of parents, and those who are thinking of the possibility of being a parent- everyone!   Resources: Website: https://cindywangbrandt.com/ Book: Parenting Forward, by Cindy Wang Brandt Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/parenting-forward/id1403686245 Parenting Forward online community: https://cindywangbrandt.com/  Substack: https://substack.com/@cindywangbrandt  Facebook Group: Raising Children Unfundamentalist   Join the online community Sanctuary Collective.    If you want to support the Patreon and help keep the podcast up and running, you can learn more and pledge your support at patreon.com/queertheology. EPISODE TRANSCRIPT The post Recovering from Religious Trauma with Cindy Wang Brandt appeared first on Queer Theology.

Candice Marie Benbow is on the podcast this week talking about growing up in the Black Baptist Church, Red Lip Theology, and the beauty of faith in marginalized folks.   Candice is a multi-genre theologian who situates her work at the intersections of beauty, faith, feminism and culture, giving voice to Black women’s shared experiences of healing and journeying toward wholeness. Reimagining how faith can be a tool of liberation and transformation for women and girls, she challenges Black women to think critically about how they see God, themselves and the world. She is the author of “Red Lip Theology: For Church Girls Who’ve Considered Tithing to the Beauty Supply Store When Sunday Morning Isn’t Enough”. Candice is all about seeing God as so much bigger than the small God we were taught. How some churches need better doctrine, need better theology, and to stop preaching a faith that continues divisions. Her messages about inclusivity and critical questions are inspiring and beautiful! Resources: “Red Lip Theology” by Candice Marie Benbow Social: Twitter: @CandiceBenbow, IG: instagram.com/candicebenbow Website: https://candicebenbow.com/ Join the online community Sanctuary Collective.   If you want to support the Patreon and help keep the podcast up and running, you can learn more and pledge your support at patreon.com/queertheology. EPISODE TRANSCRIPT The post Red Lip Theology with Candice Benbow appeared first on Queer Theology.