Avery and Micah offer a conversational primer in queer theology — from its origins in queer theory, to distinctions between queer and simply affirming theologies, to fabulously queer passages from scripture.

This episode was originally published on The Word in Black and Red, a podcast moving chapter by chapter through the Bible with co-hosts offering perspectives informed by anarcho-communism, queerness, disability, class, and more.

Find the podcast, its discord, and more here: https://linktr.ee/twibar

Check out the Llama Pack's Facebook here (Micah's online faith community for people wary of church.)

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This show's theme song is "Aetherium" by Leah Horn.

First Laura Sommer and then Rowan share their experiences at AutScape, an annual meeting of autistic folk of all ages in England. Both discuss how AutScape has given them glimpses of what it would be like to live in a world where autistic culture is celebrated, diverse communication styles and sensory needs are accommodated, and special interests received with joy.

Be sure to check out ⁠Laura's Autistic Liberation Theology podcast⁠ for a companion episode that centers around this question: how can various marginalized groups resist the world's assumptions that we have no place in any positive future — be it the immediate future, the speculative futures of science fiction, or the Kin(g)dom of heaven?

⁠Click here for an episode transcript⁠!

Talking Points:

John Hamilton is a non-theist pastor whose lifelong search for transcendence has taken him from altar boy to rock-and-roll musician, from preaching with certainty into embracing the unknowable nature of God. In this episode, John and I discuss his upcoming memoir, Honest to God, which comes out September 15. Get book info at Wildhouse Publishing here.

Click here for an episode transcript.

Content warning: alcohol & addiction (from 19:00-24:35).

Talking Points:

Where to find John:

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This show's theme song is "Aetherium" by Leah Horn. This episode also made use of "At Home," "Sunrise, St. Chapelle," and "Closing Time" by John Hamilton, with permission.

How can we use this last week of Disability Pride Month to celebrate the unique insights into human and divine nature that disability can bring? For starters, we can learn from the wisdom of disabled activists and theologians, which is what you'll find in this episode.

Click here for an episode transcript.

Talking Points:

Other episodes that dig into disability:

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This show's theme song is "Aetherium" by Leah Horn. This episode also makes use of "Flies on the Prize," "Beaconsfield Villa Stomp," "I Snost, I Lost," and "His Last Share of the Stars" by Doctor Turtle.

In 2017, Kate Davoli (they/them, MDiv) was dismissed from the ordination process for being polyamorous. In spite of this heartache, they have remained steadfastly part of the Presbyterian Church (USA).

Listen — or read along in the transcript — as Kate recalls the events leading up to & following their dismissal; ponders what we learn about God through polyamorous people's lives & callings; and balances the heartache of being denied ordination with the queer gift of how their liminal status facilitates ministry to church-hurt people.

Talking Points:

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Get info about Kate's ministry at www.davoliconsulting.com, or find books they've written at kdavoli.gumroad.com.

Check out LGBTQIA+ Affirming Ministries of Pittsburgh (LAMP) at lampgh.org.

Learn more about the Olympia Overture being voted on this week here.

Learn more about polyamory: www.morethantwo.com/.

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This show's theme song is "Aetherium" by Leah Horn. This episode also makes use of "The Ants Built a City on His Chest" and "Know No No-Nos" by Doctor Turtle.

Listen or read along in the episode transcript for two reflections kicking off the Lenten season:

Ash Wednesday coincides with Valentine's Day this year — what can Ash Wednesday + the story of Saint Valentine teach us about facing our own mortality and resisting the pressure to put romantic love on a pedestal?

Next, let's connect the glowing coal touched to the prophet's lips in Isaiah 6 to the ashes we wear on our foreheads today. Why are physical signs of spiritual truths important? How does acknowledging our limitations open us to divine blessing?

Announcement: The Blessed Are the Binary Breakers podcast will likely be updating more sporadically this year! To keep up with all that I'm up to, visit linktr.ee/queerlychristian. Interested in hiring me to workshop with your faith community? Learn more here.

Talking Points:

Resources:

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This show's theme song is "Aetherium" by Leah Horn. This episode also makes use of "His Last Share of the Stars" and "Reality Cartwheeled" by Doctor Turtle.

Find more episodes & resources at blessedarethebinarybreakers.com.

Listen to — or read along in the episode transcript — Jewish, Christian, and Muslim poems by Palestinians and their supporters. Poetry empowers us to imagine liberation that we can then work towards, together.

Some pieces explore the Nativity story through this lens: Christmas joy must break bread with pain, birthing solidarity with all oppressed peoples.

Talking Points:

Visit the episode transcript for all links to the various poems; here are some key resources:

This show's theme song is "Aetherium" by Leah Horn.

Find more episodes & resources at blessedarethebinarybreakers.com.

I sit down with public historian Emma Cieslik (she/her) to hear all about her Queer and Catholic Oral History Project, supported by the Pacific School of Religion.

For Emma, the word catholic is truly "universal" — she's interviewed Roman Catholics and folk Catholics, ex-Catholics and "it's complicated" Catholics, queer religious and lay folk. In documenting these diverse perspectives, Emma is preserving the beautiful breadth of queer Catholic stories and gifts so that no one can claim they don't exist.

⁠Click here to view the project's webpage⁠. For links to other articles and projects Emma mentions in her interview, as well as for resources on current events in Palestine, visit the episode transcript.

Find Emma on Twitter or Instagram @eocieslik. Reach out to her at [email protected] or [email protected].

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Talking Points:

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This show's theme song is "Aetherium" by Leah Horn.

Find more episodes & resources at blessedarethebinarybreakers.com.

Isaiah 56:1-8 shares God's message of not only tolerance but radical welcome for the ultimate Others of the biblical world: eunuchs. How did Isaiah 56's author come to understand Divine affirmation for this denigrated group, when Deuteronomy 23's author had offered only rejection? And why does this scripture resonate deeply with many transgender persons of faith today?

Click here for an episode transcript.

For my Isaiah 56 translations notes, click here.

For other thoughts and resources on Isaiah 56 and biblical eunuchs, scroll down to "Better Than Sons or Daughters" on this webpage.

Talking Points:

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This show's theme song is "Aetherium" by Leah Horn.

This episode also makes use of "Green-Fields" and "Arrival" by Scott Holmes via Free Creative Commons (CC-A-NC) License. Find the songs at scottholmesmusic.com.

Jayne X Praxis (she/they) is many things — she’s Buddhist and a tantric witch; she’s an ordained minister and a Satanist; she’s a Sister of Perpetual Indulgence and a licensed therapist — but above all, Jayne is forever becoming more and more their authentic self, and they invite you to do the same through curiosity, humor, and embodied self-exploration.

Content Warning: swearing and sex talk; religious trauma; mentions of childhood sexual trauma.

Click here for the episode transcript.

Talking Points:

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Visit Jayne's blog: https://paregoric.wordpress.com/

Jayne's Resource Recs:

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This show's theme song is "Aetherium" by Leah Horn. This episode also makes use of "Know No No-Nos" by Doctor Turtle