Be the Bridge: Connecting the LGBTQIA+ Community and People of Faith

My favorite episode and the one where I learned the most.

GOD CREATED ADAM AND EVE BUT WHAT ABOUT INTERSEX? Nick Manchester is an intersex chimera who's transgender, non-binary, gay and asexual. Doctors forced his parents to decide his gender when he was three days old, and they made the choice to raise him as a girl. But he never felt comfortable in that assigned gender. After a couple of failed suicide attempts, he realized that he needed to live his life as a man. He's been kicked out of church and told that he's a child of demons, but Nick has finally found a faith community who support him and love him and accept him. If you've ever wondered about "intersex" or "transgender," then this podcast will help you understand how God has made all of us unique and special.

On Season 1, Episode 20, I spoke with Southern Baptist preacher, Scott McQueen.

For thirty-one years he was a Southern Baptist preacher. And as the parent of three boys, he was a "parrot" of the orthodox message about homosexuality. But on April 8, 2014, when his youngest son came out to him as gay, Scott's life and his spiritual journey changed forever.

One of the most difficult moments was when their son asked Scott and his wife Jackie to drive him to a town a couple hours away to go on a date with a boy. At that time, Scott was not affirming of his son, but he took him anyway to be supportive. Find our why Scott made this difficult decision on this bonus podcast episode.

For my initial interview with Scott, check out BE THE BRIDGE - Season 1, Episode 20.

Scott is the author of REASONABLE DOUBT - A case for LGBTQ inclusion in the institutions of marriage and church. www.reasonabledoubtbook.com

Homosexuality may be an "abomination" and "unnatural", but those terms don't mean what you think they do.

On this episode, I talk with Professor Daniel Helmeniak talks about the Bible and Homosexuality. We talk about the Hebrew view of the word "abomination" and how it doesn't mean a sin. We look at why "unnatural" means atypical and can't mean sinful because God acted unnatural.

If you've ever wanted to better understand the "clobber verses," then this podcast is for you.

Daniel is the author of the bestselling book What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality.

Susan Cottrell is a prominent voice for faith parents of LGBTQIA+ kids. We chat about our least favorite expression: Love the sinner. Hate the sin.

That message is equivalent to an insincere apology, and the only message received is HATE.

We talk about alternatives for parents and also deep down what that expression really means. "I love you, but I don't understand you."

This is an episode for parents of LGBTQIA+ youth and also for anyone who wants to show true love to a gay family member or friend.

For more info: www.freedhearts.org

Susan Cottrell, the prominent voice for faith parents of LGBTQI children, was featured on ABC's 20/20, Nightline and Good Morning America, on NBC News Out, on The Advocate Magazine's National Coming Out Day videos, on The Advocate's Out in Left Field with Dana Goldberg, and as a devotional contributor on the Our Bible app.

She is an international speaker, author, and consultant. Through her nonprofit organization—FreedHearts—Susan champions the LGBTQI community and families with her authenticity and tender-hearted zeal. She challenges Christians to love as the foundation of faith. She spent 25 years in the non-affirming Evangelical church, is the Founder and President of FreedHearts, has a Master of Arts in Theological Studies, and served as the Vice-President of PFLAG Austin (Texas). Her books "Mom, I'm Gay"—Loving Your LGBTQ Child and Strengthening Your Faith, True Colors - Celebrating the Truth and Beauty of the Real You, Radically Included - The Biblical Case for Radical Love and Inclusion, and the soon-to-be-released Be Love - What the World Needs Now, and My Coffee with the Pastor: Building the Vision for Lavish Christlike Inclusion, are endorsed by The Human Rights Campaign, PFLAG, The Gay Christian Network and many others. She and her husband Rob have been married for 30 years, have five children, two of whom are in the LGBTQI community, and live in Austin, Texas.

The Bible contains inconsistencies so why do some people claim the Bible is inerrant? I speak with Robert Cottrell about the flawed concept of "Biblical inerrancy." No one takes the Bible literally. Some people just cherry pick verses they want to believe, exclude the rest and call their individualized faith an "inerrant view of the Bible." We talk about the Bible is used as a sword to attack the LGBTQIA+ community and how the Bible can be used as a shield against such attacks.

Mikah Meyer just finished visiting his 308th park on his world-record trip to be the youngest person to visit all 417 U.S. National Parks. We talk about his childhood as the kid of a campus pastor, how he knew that gay was wrong, and how he decided to attempt this extraordinary feat. As a kid, Mikah prayed to be ordinary (straight) but after he embraced his sexuality, he realized that he could become extraordinary. THE BIG SURPRISE - Christians around the country are supporting his mission.

Please support Mikah in his efforts by helping fund his last big hurdle. Visiting all 23 parks in Alaska.

www.mikahmeyer.com

Dr. Paula Trimble-Familetti is a passionate advocate for women's rights, inclusive language, and biblical literacy. She holds a B.A. in Religion from Chapman University, an M.A. in Religion from Liberty University and a Dr. of Ministry in International Feminist Theology from San Francisco Theological Seminary. She has taught Women in Religion and Women's History classes at Chapman University.

Her book Prostitutes, Virgins and Mothers: Questioning Teachings about Biblical Women is an incredible reimagining of certain Biblical stories through the eyes of the female main characters. Informational and entertaining, this book made me look at the Bible in a whole new but deeper way.

Ibrahim Kamara was born in Kuwait but moved to Tennessee as a kid. He was raised Muslim, and he cherishes his faith community. At the age of 13, he realized that his attractions were different from other boys. He tried to pray away the gay, bargaining with Allah because Ibrahim wanted to spend Paradise in his own Versailles-like palace. Eventually, he realized that he had to live an authentic life. He has a passion for helping others understand that we are all intersectional beings, and those diverse aspects make us who we are. He is active in queer interfaith groups on his college campus and is the co-founder of a Denver-based group for queer Muslims.

Chelsey Glassco is a teacher and therapeutic foster parent. As a kid, she attended "Jesus Camp" and was taught that homosexuality was the worst sin. When she came out to her parents at 16, she was forced into conversion therapy. But armed with her Xena journal, Chelsey was able to survive. Her tale of the mental and emotional abuse she suffered at the hands of so-called "Christians" should be a wakeup call for the faithful. This podcast serves as a story of do's and don'ts for today's church. Religion should be a sanctuary and not a weapon!

WARNING: Explicit language is used.

Mais Al-Nima was born in Baghdad, Iraq and spent her childhood there. Then she lived in Syria and Kuwait before coming to the United States for school. She grew up as a practicing Muslim, but when she came out as queer, she put aside her faith.

But she longed for that sense of community that religion provides and wanted to reconnect with her Arab culture. She co-founded a group for queer Muslims and queer people from the North Africa and the Middle East. Her goal is to help people of all faiths find community, wholeness, and contentedness as they tread through their queer and spiritual journeys.

She is also working on the You Are Welcome Here interfaith meeting to be held in Denver this October 2018.

In this episode, we talk about her spiritual journey and how she came to understand that Islam will always have a place in her life.

To engage with Mais, contact her by email at [email protected]

Instagram: mais_nema

To learn more about her organization promoting an inclusive Muslim / Mena group, check out Salam of Denver

Instagram: SalamofDenver

Facebook: Salam of Denver

You Are Welcome Here:

http://Welcomeyawh.org

Facebook and Instagram: youarewelcomehereyawh/