It's in the Book: A Queer Bible Podcast

We're late, we know. A lot has changed for J and Sue since last spring, but they're excited to update you on the future of this show and about the release of the new EP Songs from Beloved King: A Queer Bible Musical.

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How do we make meaning from a 3000-year-old story that asks a father to kill his son and rewards him for being willing? We discuss real and metaphorical child sacrifice in ancient religion and ask what it means to be religious if not to be comforted. We also see a series wrap on Hagar and Ishmael, who get pretty close to a happy-ever-after ending, at least in biblical terms.

We will see you next fall with Season 2 and the second half of Genesis. Until then, feel free to find J. Sylvan on instagram at j.sylvan.themself, or sign up for the mailing list for Beloved King: A Queer Bible Musical at www.belovedkingmusical.com, or follow it on instagram at belovedkingmusical.

Thank you all and have a great summer!

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A special interlude episode looking at the biblical Annunciations of unnatural children such as Isaac and Jesus. And Sue and J have an annunciation of their own...

David is on vacation this week. We'll be back May 12th with The Binding of Isaac.

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Forget what you think you know about Sodom and Gomorrah. The cities of the plain invoke God's wrath for a myriad of reasons that have nothing to do with sexual orientation. After the iconic brimstone shower, we follow Lot and his family on the disturbing end to their story arcs. Then a welcome return to levity for Abraham and Sarah with Sister-Wife 2: Electric Boogaloo.

Please note the content warning at the beginning. We'll see you next on April 28th with The Binding of Isaac.

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Abraham and Sarah get their names changed and Abraham does a holy body modification as God announces the elderly couple will have a son. J talks about their biblical penis theory that angered the cis men at Harvard. Then we read about a divine dinner party Abraham throws for strangers in the desert that is the pinnacle of human goodness. We also discuss Abraham's privilege, whether or not it is deserved, and what responsibility he may have in light of his covenant with God. This will set the stage for Sodom and Gomorrah on April 14th.

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In another challenging story, J, David, and Sue begin to look at the two Abrahamic Covenant stories and the story in between them: that of Hagar the Handmaid. Hagar can be read as an early touchstone character for marginalized people, enslaved people, and abuse survivors, and we'll do an imperfect job of exploring some of these themes. We will wrestle with a story that doesn't end the way we want it to, and another that's nearly inscrutable. We float cancelling God. But it's not all depressing. We learn of David's time working at a Brazier Dairy Queen (which has nothing to do with undergarments, apparently), and we hear about a miraculous flying furnace that heralds boundless blessings.

Please note the content warning at the beginning of the episode.

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We've finally graduated from primordial history to the parriarchs (also known as the patriarchs and matriarchs if you're into the binary). We meet two sexy senior citizens named Abram and Sarai (and also their nephew Lot) who are looking to start a new life in the land of Canaan. Everything's going great until a famine strikes the land and they decide to sojourn to Egypt, where a comedy of sexual errors leads to divine punishment in the form of plague. Finally, Lot gets himself into some trouble when he gets mixed up with the wrong crowd in Sodom and Gomorrah. Can Abram save his nephew from the drama of the kings? Find out in this episode of It's in the Book!

Note: We had some issues with David's mic in this episode, and often times it was hard for us to hear him. We hope we corrected for this in the editing enough that it won't be distracting, and we will learn from this going forward. Hopefully one day we'll be able to record in the same room and this will be easier!

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Humans and their technology, amirite? After the flood, all of Noah's descendants branch out and create the postdiluvian world. But in a parallel story, tech bros in Babel have a plan to gain fame and stability by reaching all the way up to the heavens. Surely God will be proud of their ingenuity, right? NOPE. Commence divine punishment. What meaning can we take from this story in the internet age?

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The floodwaters are going down, and Noah and his family are given a fresh start by God. Time for a party, complete with sacrificial barbecue and a super-gay rainbow post-it note God tacks on the sky to remind Godself not to kill humanity (with a flood) ever again. But that's not the end of the story... In the most challenging episode yet, J., David, and Sue look at final act of the Noah story and some of its reverberations throughout history.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of sexual assault, incest, enslavement, and racist violence.

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The prehistoric stakes are rising as God second-guesses this whole Creation thing. After some salacious escapades between humans and divine beings, God decides he wants a do-over and kills EVERYTHING with a flood. But there's one guy he decides is okay: the one and only Noah. J., Sue, and David explore how straight sex almost destroyed the entire world, and discuss what's so great about Noah, anyway? David coins the term "they-splaining," J. displays their lack of knowledge of Game of Thrones, and we touch upon some of the ways the Bible itself is an inherently queer text as the Earth returns to watery, primordial chaos.

Find out more at https://its-in-the-book.pinecast.co