Queer Theology

For our third episode of our Jewish Leaders series, we are excited to talk with Millie, more well known as Milli Not So Vanilli on social media. She is a 34-year-old Jewish mother and “accidental” TikTok creator. We learn how her grandmother has inspired her to speak out and how she is her greatest source of inspiration; her grandmother had been a Holocaust survivor and her grandfather was a victim of McCarthyism. We discuss how important it is for Christians to learn about their own history, to learn about Jewish history, and why this will help end prevalent misconceptions about Judaism and Jews. She also explains how anti-Semitism is accepted and widespread throughout Christian belief teachings and what Christians can do to unlearn and reframe these damaging beliefs in order to be a good ally for Jews. Millie reminds us how important and relevant this work is today and what you can do now to be a Christian without spreading anti-Semitic rhetoric.    Millie celebrates Jewish diversity and advocates for a more inclusive and accepting Jewish community. She believes in Jewish empowerment through knowledge and awareness of Jewish history and believes a better understanding of Jewish history and who Jews are as a people is the best way to fight antisemitism.   Learn more about Millie at: IG: https://www.instagram.com/milli_not_so_vanilli/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@milli_not_so_vanilli https://linktr.ee/milli_not_so_vanilli   Links from the episode: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/  https://www.rabbisandralawson.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. If you’d like to be featured in future episodes, email your question or Bible passage suggestion to connect@queertheology.com. Podcast Transcript There is a technical issue with our transcript embed. We are working on resolving the issues as quickly as possible. The post Celebrating Jewish Empowerment & Teaching The Masses via TikTok with @milli_not_so_vanilli appeared first on Queer Theology.

For this episode, we chat with Enzi Tanner (he/him/his), a trans, disabled, Black American, Jew living in Minneapolis. Enzi is a community organizer, a consultant, a licensed social worker, and an ICF-certified life coach. He explains what it means for him to be an atheist/agnostic Jew looking at racial justice through the lens of the Torah. As an abolitionist, he talks about what you can do to get started as an individual who wants to step into abolitionist work and the importance of this work. We touch on the undeniable connection between Euro-centric Christianity and our American institutions, especially how slavery and white supremacy have impacted policing and prisons. As a coach, Enzi supports his clients to achieve their goals by embracing their authentic selves. Learn more about Enzi Tanner at: https://www.enzitanner.com/   Book Recommendation: Color of Violence by INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence   Also check out: Movement For Black Lives: https://m4bl.org/   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 Conversations that Change with Enzi Tanner appeared first on Queer Theology.

For the month of May, we are starting a new series in which we interview Jewish Leaders. To kick us off, we have the Mellon Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the American Council of Learned Societies grant awardee, Dr. Amy Jill Levine.  In this episode, Dr. Levine tells us about her concern with the Bible being used to tear people down instead of lifting each other up. We also talk about her advice for anyone who wants to convert to Judaism and the importance of understanding your own faith first before borrowing from others. What’s next for Dr. Levine, her favorite text, and what brings her joy lately? Tune in to find out!  All about Dr. Amy Jill Levine In Spring 2019 she was the first Jew to teach New Testament at Rome’s Pontifical Biblical Institute; in 2021, she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She has held office in the Society of Biblical Literature, the Catholic Biblical Association, and the Association for Jewish Studies.  She served as Alexander Robertson Fellow (University of Glasgow), and the Catholic Biblical Association Scholar to the Philippines. She has given over 500 lectures on the Bible, Christian-Jewish relations, and Religion, Gender, and Sexuality across the globe. Her books include The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus; Short Stories by Jesus: The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi;  The Meaning of the Bible: What the Jewish Scriptures and the Christian Old Testament Can Teach Us (with Douglas Knight; The New Testament, Methods and Meanings (with Warren Carter); and The Gospel of Luke (with Ben Witherington III; the first full-length biblical commentary co-authored by a Jew and an Evangelical). Her most recent book is The Bible With and Without Jesus, co-authored with Marc Z. Brettler. Her children’s books (with Sandy Sasso) include Who Counts? 100 Sheep, 10 Coins and 2 Sons;  The Marvelous Mustard Seed; Who Is My Neighbor?, A Very Big Problem, 100 Sheep: A Counting Parable, and The Good for Nothing Tree. With Marc Brettler, she co-edited The Jewish Annotated New Testament; she is also the editor of the 13-volume Feminist Companions to the New Testament and Early Christian Writings, and The Historical Jesus in Context. Presently she is editing several volumes in the Wisdom Commentary series, and she is the New Testament editor of the new Oxford Biblical Commentary Series. With Joseph Sievers, she co-edited The  Pharisees. Her adult education volumes and videos include the Teaching Company Great Lectures: “Introduction to the Old Testament,” “Great Figures of the Old Testament,” and “Great Figures of the New Testament”; Abingdon adult education: Short Stories by Jesus Study Guide;  Entering the Passion of Jesus: A Beginner’s Guide to Holy Week; Light of the World: A Beginner’s Guide to Advent; Sermon on the Mount: A Beginner’s Guide to the Kingdom of Heaven; The Kingdom of Heaven: 40 Devotionals; The Difficult Words of Jesus: A Beginner’s Guide to HIs Most Perplexing Sayings and Witness at the Cross: A Beginner’s Guide to Holy Friday.   If you want to reach out, contact Dr. Levine at amy-jill.levine@vanderbilt.edu Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063444055133   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. Podcast Transcript There is a technical issue with our transcript embed. We are working on resolving the issues as quickly as possible. The post A Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies Teaches Us About The New Testament with Dr. Amy Jill Levine appeared first on Queer Theology.

Welcome to another Q & A episode for the second quarter of the year 2022. We hope you are enjoying this type of episodes and remember that if you have a burning question, please send them over using the email below and you can also send them in as audio clips! We hope to feature your question in the next episode of Asked and Answered. Questions answered in today’s episode: I’m an enby Christian apart of the Black community and though I’ve been working on my journey in deconstruction, I’m confused on how certain practices and events that take place in my church environment like ‘revivals’ and ‘receiving the spirit’ -or even being able to ‘lay hands’ and heal someone could possibly be used through non-affirming pastors and generally bigoted people. Does that mean these practices are in any case theatrical or faked? Or is it something entirely else I’m missing? I’ve grown up in an environment where these types of practices are considered common as they demonstrate God’s presence, and trying to imagine these levels of bigotry and hate as a mouthpiece is confusing. I’ve been thinking about quitting church service for my health and job but I’ve been hesitant; I have the least amt of time on service but I still find it extremely overwhelming and I feel like I’m letting God down by breaking my commitment for my own purposes. What should I do? Am I just too weak?  How can asexuals/aromantics be a service or help the church? I’m asexual and bi-romantic. I came out to a Christian friend whose response was strange. She said that since I’m asexual, my love for the same sex isn’t as bad because there’s no lust involved. Obviously, that’s wrong, but I’m struggling to put into words why I feel that way, besides the queerphobia that sentiment is loaded with. Might you have any insights or thoughts about this?   Book recommendation: Radical Love: An Introduction to Queer Theology by Patrick S. Cheng   If you’d like to be featured in future episodes, email your question or Bible passage suggestion to connect@queertheology.com. Photo by Jon Tyson The post Asked And Answered With Brian And Shay: May 2022 appeared first on Queer Theology.

The hosts discuss the relationship between the crucifixion and resurrection in Christianity and its relevance to our lives today. They explore the significance of these events in their tradition and the power of reclaiming symbols of oppression. They also delve into the aftermath of Jesus's crucifixion and the role of women in the Gospel of Mark. The podcast emphasizes the call to discipleship and making a new world, free from oppression and division.

In this podcast, Brian and Fr. Shay discuss two healing stories from the Gospel of Mark and explore the concept of healing through a disability lens. They relate these stories to today's systems of oppression. The hosts also emphasize the importance of restoration, inclusivity, and reflection on possible changes. They reflect on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on accessibility and the need for universal healthcare. Additionally, they highlight the significance of imagination in creating beautiful communities and promote a course on queer Bible interpretation.

In this episode, the hosts explore three passages from the Gospel of Mark: Jesus calling his disciples, Jesus expelling demons, and Jesus feeding the five thousand. They discuss the deeper meanings behind these stories and their relevance to activism for marginalized communities. The hosts emphasize the importance of familiarity with the Hebrew scriptures for understanding the New Testament and delve into the symbolism and intentional construction of the Gospel of Mark. They also touch on the theme of sharing and abundance in the early church.

Learn about the origins and background of the Gospel of Mark, its critique of the Roman occupation, and the political landscape of the first century. Discover the Sanctuary Collective, a community for LGBTQ Christians, and the absence of a birth narrative in Mark's gospel. Explore the themes of repentance, resistance, and the importance of understanding early Christian claims.

Welcome to the last episode of the Scary Things We Were Taught in Church series. If you have listened to the two episodes prior to this, we highly recommend that you do. You can check the links below.  In today’s episode, we talk about eternal damnation—the punishment we get for the kind of life we have lived on earth. Growing up, most of us were taught that we were either going to heaven or hell. But we were also taught that Jesus died for our sins, and because of that, we have a chance to seek eternal refuge in heaven. In this episode, we break down all the different theories of atonement and how they’ve shaped the Church today. So tune in! Scary Things: The Devil and His Many Names Scary Things: The Fiery Pit   If you’d like to be featured in future episodes, email your question or Bible passage suggestion to connect@queertheology.com.   Photo by Laila Gebhard The post Scary Things: Will You End Up In Hell? appeared first on Queer Theology.

Welcome to another episode about scary things you might have been taught at church—this time, let’s talk about hell. What do you think about the concept of hell? What were you taught growing up? We dive deeper into Christianity’s take on “the place of the dead”, the underworld, the shadowy existence. Tune in to learn who, where, and how Christianity adopted the concept of hell – and how most people get it wrong every single time.   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 JR Korpa The post Scary Things: The Fiery Pit appeared first on Queer Theology.