Taj M. Smith sat down with us for an uplifting conversation on deconstruction, redefining leadership, and how the storytelling of science fiction can give us hope for a better future. Smith is a writer, coach, preacher and speaker and also a transgender Christian whose theology has been heavily influenced by liberation theology, queer theology, and science fiction. Tune in as we dive into what changed Smith’s path from one of law to seminary and how his relationship with God grew as he transitioned. 

Find more about Taj:

Web: https://www.tajmsmith.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/taj.speaking/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/taj.speaking/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@taj.speaking

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.

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It was so great to chat with Bishop David C. Strong in this episode of our Winter Guest series about building affirming communities and integrating spiritual practices to create a life-giving faith. Bishop Strong has served as pastor of Sojourner Truth Christian United Church since 2008. He was ordained to the Independent Catholic priesthood in 1992, and was consecrated a bishop in 1996 (he is Fr. Shay’s Bishop in the Old Catholic Church). Bishop Strong has been a strong advocate of equality for all people, especially racial and sexual minorities, and we talk with him about the influences of the Roman Catholic church, as well as his evangelical upbringing, that shape his faith and role as a Bishop. 

Find more of Bishop David Strong

Twitter: https://twitter.com/revdavidstrong

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Frdavidstrong/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/davidcstrong1

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@frdavidstrongsi

https://www.spiritofchristtacoma.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.

The post Making Space & Bridging Communities with Bishop David Strong appeared first on Queer Theology.

For this episode of our guest series, we’re honored and humbled to sit down with Rabbi Denise L. Eger. Rabbi Eger is the founding Sr. Rabbi of the Congregation Kol Ami, West Hollywood’s Reform Synagogue and is extra special to Brian since it is the congregation where he is exploring Judaism. Rabbi Eger was the first openly gay president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and has won numerous awards and recognition for her AIDS activism. She shares how heartbreaking, and formative, her first years as a rabbi of the first gay synagogue at the height of the AIDS crisis were and how that has shaped her approach to activism today. Listen in as we discuss progressive Judaism, LGBTQ issues and Judaism, the changing Jewish family, and power of interfaith work. 

Grab a copy of her books:

Mishkan Ga’avah: Where Pride Dwells: A Celebration of LGBTQ Jewish Life and Ritual

Gender & Religious Leadership: Women Rabbis, Pastors and Ministers

Kol-ami.org

rabbieger.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.

The post Trailblazing for Queer Women Religious Leaders with Rabbi Denise Eger appeared first on Queer Theology.

We’re so excited to kick off a winter guest series with an amazing line up of insightful and inspiring interviews. For our first episode in this series, we have a conversation with the remarkable Dr. Christena Cleveland. Dr. Cleveland is an author, activist and a founder and director of the Center for Justice + Renewal as well as its sister organization, Sacred Folk. Tune in as Fr. Shay talks with Dr. Cleveland about her journey to find the Black Madonna and the Sacred Feminine, what that means for her view of the white, male god and her evangelical upbringing, and how wisdom and the Sacred Divine can be found within ourselves. 

Grab a copy of her book: God Is a Black Woman

Liberating the Mind Body course 

Dr. Cleveland Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cscleve 

Website: https://www.christenacleveland.com/ 

https://www.justiceandrenewal.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.

The post God is a Black Woman with Dr. Christena Cleveland appeared first on Queer Theology.

Welcome to another Q&A episode for the third quarter of 2022! Tune in as we answer a selection of questions submitted by folks that include where to find examples of bi people in scripture, resources for learning more about the historical context of the Bible, and how to help kids deal with public displays of affection between their poly parents. If you have a question you’d like us to feature on the podcast, we’d love to hear it! 

Links:

Rob Bell YouTube videos

John Dominic Crossan YouTube video

Journey Into the Bible 

Digging the Details workshop

Affirming Parenting Podcast Episodes

Submit questions by email at [email protected] or by audio clip at https://www.queertheology.com/listen/ 

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 Olya Kobruseva

The post Asked & Answered: October 2022 appeared first on Queer Theology.

For this episode, we are going to turn the interview mic on each other to share a little bit more about ourselves! We also discuss our shared desire to bring community to LGBTQ+ folks and help them integrate their queerness and Christianity. Tune in as Shay talks about his ordination and following his calling and as Brian shares about the impact film had on him growing up and exploring his sexuality.

More of Fr. Shay Kearns:

In the Margins – https://www.queertheology.com/in-the-margins/

Socials: @shannontlkearns

Website: https://www.shannontlkearns.com/

Other links:

Merch: https://store.queertheology.com/

Send us an email at [email protected]

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.

The post Founder Stories: How We Got Here appeared first on Queer Theology.

We’ve been doing this podcast for 9 years now, so we wanted to spend some time talking about how we actually got here and why we continue to do this work. Queertheology.com might have started as a whim purchase of an unclaimed domain space, but what it has become is something we are both proud to be a part of. We see how much has been accomplished in the last decade but also how much more work there is to do! We’ll continue to encourage you to stand in your power and demand more, to believe your queerness is a blessing to yourself and the wider world, and to know you are loved and affirmed.

Links:

Sanctuary Collective: https://www.queertheology.com/community/

Merch: https://store.queertheology.com/

Send us an email at [email protected]

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.

The post The QueerTheology.com Origin Story appeared first on Queer Theology.

Do you still have questions about sex, relationships, and the Bible? We get it. And we’ve heard them all over the years here at Queer Theology! In this episode, we talk about how important it is to find your own sexual ethic because (spoiler alert) it’s complicated when it comes to the Bible. And sex. And relationships. And what the “rules” are. We encourage you to work through the fundamentalist impulse of purity culture to assume you are inherently wrong or disordered. And through it all, we are here for you. Cheering you on and supporting you because we want to see you healthy and well, and whole. 

Book recommendations:

Made for Goodness by Desmond Tutu

Damaged Goods: New Perspectives on Christian Purity by Dianna Anderson

Original Blessing by Matthew Fox

Links: 

Tricky Questions about Sex

Clobbering the Clobber Passages 

Journey into the Bible 

Send us an email at [email protected]. 

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 KoolShooters

The post Still Scared About Sex & The Bible? appeared first on 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 [email protected]. 

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 [email protected]. 

Photo by Brett Sayles

The post Doing What’s Demanded: Active Allies appeared first on Queer Theology.