Queer Theology

For this two-part miniseries on Sex and Relationships, we’re kicking off this discussion by asking: what are the messages you first got about sex and bodies in Sunday school? (We really want you to respond and let us know!) Both of us share our earliest memories that range from expectations of chastity, purity pledges, comparisons of apple pie and “Twoo Love,” and clinical descriptions of sexual acts. We look at the disconnect between reality and what we were taught, which can then allow us to start to tease apart damaging lessons of purity culture and how we can get back in touch with our bodies, and our spirit while living out our ethics and faith sexually.   Links:  Faithful Sexuality Send us an email at connect@queertheology.com.    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 Nataliya Vaitkevich The post Sunday School Sex Ed appeared first on Queer Theology.

This week’s episode is for the allies, specifically for all of those allies who want to be better advocates for the LGBTQ+ community. We often get questions on how people can do more to support the LGBTQ+ folks they love without overstepping. We appreciate this and welcome these allies and want to give you the tools, the actual next steps, to take your advocacy and allyship to the next level. Listen in as we discuss how allies can go about doing this and then sign up for our workshop, Active Advocacy, where we’ll meet you wherever you are to help you put your allyship into action!    Link: Active Advocacy – https://go.queertheology.com/active-advocacy/   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.   If you’d like to be featured in future episodes, email your question or Bible passage suggestion to connect@queertheology.com.    Photo by Brett Sayles The post Doing What’s Demanded: Active Allies appeared first on Queer Theology.

This two episode mini-series is going to focus on how to be an active (and effective!) ally. In this first episode, our message is for queer and trans folks as you interact with people in your life who call themselves allies. Many of us have internalized a feeling that we are not enough through unaffirmaing messages, but you deserve more. Specifically, you deserve to demand more of allies. Fr. Shay goes over some steps queer and trans folks can take to direct allies to take more effective action and create safer, truly affirming spaces. Now is the time to demand allies put in the hard work .    Link: Soul Safe Workshop- https://go.queertheology.com/soul-safe   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.   If you’d like to be featured in future episodes, email your question or Bible passage suggestion to connect@queertheology.com.    Photo by Kelly The post You Can Demand More: Active Allies appeared first on Queer Theology.

Last episode, we talked about the different ways to define calling and in this episode, we’re getting into the nitty gritty of what following your calling can actually mean versus what you think it means. We look at different leadership positions, in activism or in a religious spiritual setting, and if you really need to go to seminary to get the experience and knowledge you are seeking. We encourage you to dig deep and examine what you are trying to accomplish, where you are trying to go, and the different and fulfilling ways to get there… Sometimes all you need is a library card!    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.   If you’d like to be featured in future episodes, email your question or Bible passage suggestion to connect@queertheology.com.    Photo by Dawn McDonald The post Following Your Calling appeared first on Queer Theology.

For the next two episodes, we’re taking you on a miniseries about calling, leadership, and seminary. How do you know for sure you are being “called” to do something? Does it have to come from the Divine? Do I have to be miserable and can I please change my mind? We go into all of this and what “calling” means to each of us. We also discuss how it has impacted what we do for work and put out in the world, what activism we take part in, and what it can mean for you to really pay attention to what your uniquely suited calling is.    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.   If you’d like to be featured in future episodes, email your question or Bible passage suggestion to connect@queertheology.com.    Photo by Matheus Bertelli The post What Is Your Calling? appeared first on Queer Theology.

For our fourth and final episode in this series, we talk about the importance of moving from theory into practice when it comes to creating your own rituals. We’ve covered a bunch of information on rituals and now it is time for you to put that into practice by revisiting old rituals, revising or leaving rituals that no longer serve you, and creating new rituals that bring meaning and emotional connection into your life. We want this series to transform you, whether you already have rituals in your life that are meaningful, or you are looking to create new rituals.  Learn more and register for our workshop, Rituals for Resistance & Resilience!   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.   If you’d like to be featured in future episodes, email your question or Bible passage suggestion to connect@queertheology.com.  Photo by Szabolcs Toth Transcript There is a tech issue with the transcript on some of our episodes which we are working to fix ASAP. If you’d like a transcript for this episode sooner, please e-mail us! The post Rituals for Resistance and Resilience: Creating Your Own Rituals appeared first on Queer Theology.

There is no rule that every ritual needs to be old or a traditional Christian one performed in a church. In this episode, we look at the surprising places you can find rituals in what you are already doing. Brian explains how you can recognize rituals that support you and your communities, how they can be just as sacred as traditional Christian rituals and connect you to the divine. Learn how you can look to repeated practices or habits that can be imbued with a special and powerful meaning that increases in the repetition over time and brings resilience in your private practice, or resistance in a public space.   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.   If you’d like to be featured in future episodes, email your question or Bible passage suggestion to connect@queertheology.com.    Photo by Mikhail Nilov Transcript There is a tech issue with the transcript on some of our episodes which we are working to fix ASAP. If you’d like a transcript for this episode sooner, please e-mail us! The post Rituals for Resistance and Resilience: You Might Have More Rituals Than You Think appeared first on Queer Theology.

We dive into a few of the rituals that already exist in the Christian church for this episode: Baptism, Communion/the Eucharist, the Liturgy/Liturgical Year, and Prayer. We explore ways to find new meaning in these old rituals and hope this conversation sparks a desire in you to reconnect with these rituals in new and life-giving ways- but only if they do not cause you harm. Follow along as we really go deep into what these rituals were meant to accomplish, how they are viewed by different denominations, and how we can begin to view them as rituals for resistance within our communities.     Links: Liberating Rites: Understanding the Transformative Power of Ritual by Tom F. Driver  Unclean: Meditations on Purity, Hospitality, and Mortality by Richard Beck Take This Bread by Sara Miles Torture and Eucharist by William T. Cavanaugh Claiming Earth As a Common Ground by Andrea Cohen-Kiener Radical Reinvention by Kaya Oakes   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.   If you’d like to be featured in future episodes, email your question or Bible passage suggestion to connect@queertheology.com.    Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko Transcript There is a tech issue with the transcript on some of our episodes which we are working to fix ASAP. If you’d like a transcript for this episode sooner, please e-mail us! The post Rituals for Resistance and Resilience: The Surprising Meaning Behind What We Have appeared first on Queer Theology.

It’s the official launch day for Fr. Shay’s book, In The Margins: A Transgender Man’s Journey With Scripture, and to celebrate we’re giving y’all a super special podcast episode! Listen in as Shay discusses why he wrote this book, who he wrote this book for, answers questions, and reads an excerpt from his story. If you haven’t already, make sure to grab a copy!    You can find ways to order at queertheology.com/in-the-margins   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.   If you’d like to be featured in future episodes, email your question or Bible passage suggestion to connect@queertheology.com.  The post In The Margins: Launch Day Special appeared first on Queer Theology.

Welcome to our new four part series on rituals! What are rituals? How can we use them for resistance? How can they build resilience in us and our communities? We’ll answer these questions and talk about how rituals can connect us to our history and give meaning to our lives but also how they can be harmful, disconnected, and come from old Christian rituals that no longer work for you. Tune in as we discuss the power of rituals and how you can begin choosing ones that are sacred and meaningful to you.    Links: The Power of Ritual by Casper ter Kuile   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.   If you’d like to be featured in future episodes, email your question or Bible passage suggestion to connect@queertheology.com.    Photo by Pixabay Transcript There is a tech issue with the transcript on some of our episodes which we are working to fix ASAP. If you’d like a transcript for this episode sooner, please e-mail us! The post Rituals for Resistance and Resilience appeared first on Queer Theology.