Queer Theology

This week, we’re featuring another throwback episode. Today’s episode originally aired in 2015.

What do the parables of Jesus about the Kingdom of God have to do with queer and trans organizing for justice? Brian and Fr. Shay talk about activism, patience, and justice work in this week’s podcast.

Read the transcript (PDF)

No matter when you listen to this episode, you can see what’s happening right now with us by checking out queertheology.com/now

Then Jesus said, “This is what God’s kingdom is like. It’s as though someone scatters seed on the ground, then sleeps and wakes night and day. The seed sprouts and grows, but the farmer doesn’t know how. The earth produces crops all by itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full head of grain. Whenever the crop is ready, the farmer goes out to cut the grain because it’s harvesttime.”

He continued, “What’s a good image for God’s kingdom? What parable can I use to explain it? Consider a mustard seed. When scattered on the ground, it’s the smallest of all the seeds on the earth; but when it’s planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all vegetable plants. It produces such large branches that the birds in the sky are able to nest in its shade.”

With many such parables he continued to give them the word, as much as they were able to hear. He spoke to them only in parables, then explained everything to his disciples when he was alone with them.

The post Bringing About The Kingdom: Mark 4:26-34 appeared first on Queer Theology.

Our second-ever throwback episode… this time as a 2nd, bonus episode for the week. This episode originally aired in 2015.

If you enjoy the podcast, you can help us reach more people by leaving a review of the show on iTunes. Visit queertheology.com/review and it’ll take you there!

This week Brian and Fr. Shay tackle a passage where Jesus struggles with his family. What can we learn from this passage? How does this relate to the struggles of queer and trans people? All this and more on this week’s podcast!

Read the transcript (PDF)

Jesus entered a house. A crowd gathered again so that it was impossible for him and his followers even to eat. When his family heard what was happening, they came to take control of him. They were saying, “He’s out of his mind!”

The legal experts came down from Jerusalem. Over and over they charged, “He’s possessed by Beelzebul. He throws out demons with the authority of the ruler of demons.”

When Jesus called them together he spoke to them in a parable: “How can Satan throw Satan out? A kingdom involved in civil war will collapse. 25 And a house torn apart by divisions will collapse. If Satan rebels against himself and is divided, then he can’t endure. He’s done for. No one gets into the house of a strong person and steals anything without first tying up the strong person. Only then can the house be burglarized. I assure you that human beings will be forgiven for everything, for all sins and insults of every kind. But whoever insults the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. That person is guilty of a sin with consequences that last forever.” He said this because the legal experts were saying, “He’s possessed by an evil spirit.”

His mother and brothers arrived. They stood outside and sent word to him, calling for him. A crowd was seated around him, and those sent to him said, “Look, your mother, brothers, and sisters are outside looking for you.”

He replied, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” Looking around at those seated around him in a circle, he said, “Look, here are my mother and my brothers. Whoever does God’s will is my brother, sister, and mother.”

The post Even When Your Family Doesn’t Get It: Mark 3:20-35 – Throwback appeared first on Queer Theology.

This story is about a marginalized group of people finding a bit of liberation, then seeking to recreate some of the very systems they escaped, and in the process turning their back on God and oppressing themselves. In this week’s episode, we explain the meaning and significance of this story and explore what it might teach us about LGBTQ liberation.

Read the transcript (PDF)

Now when Samuel got old, he appointed his sons to serve as Israel’s judges. The name of his oldest son was Joel; the name of the second was Abijah. They served as judges in Beer-sheba. But Samuel’s sons didn’t follow in his footsteps. They tried to turn a profit, they accepted bribes, and they perverted justice.

So all the Israelite elders got together and went to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, “Listen. You are old now, and your sons don’t follow in your footsteps. So appoint us a king to judge us like all the other nations have.” It seemed very bad to Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us,” so he prayed to the Lord.

The Lord answered Samuel, “Comply with the people’s request—everything they ask of you—because they haven’t rejected you. No, they’ve rejected me as king over them. They are doing to you only what they’ve been doing to me from the day I brought them out of Egypt to this very minute, abandoning me and worshipping other gods. So comply with their request, but give them a clear warning, telling them how the king will rule over them.”

Then Samuel explained everything the Lord had said to the people who were asking for a king. “This is how the king will rule over you,” Samuel said:

“He will take your sons, and will use them for his chariots and his cavalry and as runners for his chariot. He will use them as his commanders of troops of one thousand and troops of fifty, or to do his plowing and his harvesting, or to make his weapons or parts for his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, or bakers. He will take your best fields, vineyards, and olive groves and give them to his servants. He will give one-tenth of your grain and your vineyards to his officials and servants. He will take your male and female servants, along with the best of your cattle and donkeys, and make them do his work. He will take one-tenth of your flocks, and then you yourselves will become his slaves! When that day comes, you will cry out because of the king you chose for yourselves, but on that day the Lord won’t answer you.”

But the people refused to listen to Samuel and said, “No! There must be a king over us so we can be like all the other nations. Our king will judge us and lead us and fight our battles.”

Samuel listened to everything the people said and repeated it directly to the Lord. Then the Lord said to Samuel, “Comply with their request. Give them a king.”

Photo by JBLivin

The post When liberation turns into oppression – 1 Samuel 8 appeared first on Queer Theology.

LGBTQ people are intimately with pain, suffering, trauma, and death; it’s part of our collective history and for many of us, it’s part of our personal history too. This passage talks about how Christians “carry Jesus’ death around in our bodies” and that is something LGBTQ Christians are particularly suited to viscerally understand.

In this episode, we explore what this passage has to say for queer folks — and how queer folks can help the larger Church understand this passage more fully.

Read the transcript (PDF)

If you want to learn more about how we “queer” scripture—and be part of a thoughtful, supportive community to talk through issues like this—you’re invited to join Sanctuary Collective. Learn more at queertheology.com/community

We don’t preach about ourselves. Instead, we preach about Jesus Christ as Lord, and we describe ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. 6 God said that light should shine out of the darkness. He is the same one who shone in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ.

But we have this treasure in clay pots so that the awesome power belongs to God and doesn’t come from us. We are experiencing all kinds of trouble, but we aren’t crushed. We are confused, but we aren’t depressed. We are harassed, but we aren’t abandoned. We are knocked down, but we aren’t knocked out.

We always carry Jesus’ death around in our bodies so that Jesus’ life can also be seen in our bodies. We who are alive are always being handed over to death for Jesus’ sake so that Jesus’ life can also be seen in our bodies that are dying. So death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

The post Christians & LGBT people carry death in our bodies – 2 Corinthians 4:5-12 appeared first on Queer Theology.

This passage starts off talking about being born again” … what does that mean? And why must one be “born again” in order to enter the Kingdom of God? And what about Matthew 19 where Jesus says a rich person can’t enter the Kingdom of God and must sell everything and give it to the poor?

As you can tell, there’s A LOT going on here.

We also look talk about verses 16 & 17 in this passage. You know, the whole “God so loved the world bit…” verse 17 says that Jesus came to send save the world not just some of us. Why do we leave that part out? And what does the “Kingdom of God” and “eternal life” even mean? In Luke 17, Jesus tells us that the Kingdom of God is already among us. So what’s going on there?

We talk about all that — and more — in this week’s episode.

If you want even more queering scripture, Sanctuary Collective might be right for you. There are lessons and books and resources on how to do this queering Scripture yourself and a community of LGBTQ Christians and straight, cisgender supporters from around the world to discuss faith and life with.

Read the transcript (PDF)

There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a Jewish leader. He came to Jesus at night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one could do these miraculous signs that you do unless God is with him.”

Jesus answered, “I assure you, unless someone is born anew, it’s not possible to see God’s kingdom.”

Nicodemus asked, “How is it possible for an adult to be born? It’s impossible to enter the mother’s womb for a second time and be born, isn’t it?”

Jesus answered, “I assure you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, it’s not possible to enter God’s kingdom. Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit. Don’t be surprised that I said to you, ‘You must be born anew.’ God’s Spirit blows wherever it wishes. You hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. It’s the same with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Nicodemus said, “How are these things possible?”

“Jesus answered, “You are a teacher of Israel and you don’t know these things? I assure you that we speak about what we know and testify about what we have seen, but you don’t receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has gone up to heaven except the one who came down from heaven, the Human One. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so must the Human One be lifted up so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life. God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him won’t perish but will have eternal life. God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him.

The post How to enter the Kingdom of God – John 3:1-17 appeared first on Queer Theology.