Queer Theology

Brian and Shay talk about what it means to leave a church or a community as a form of protest. When you decide to leave, how should you do it? What does it mean to leave a community?

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The post Shake It Off – Luke 10:1-11 appeared first on Queer Theology.

Brian and Shay talk about how important it is to honor the people who came before us and also to pass off the work to a new generation. How can we handle transitions well? How do we create rituals to mark important moments in our lives?

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Now the Lord was going to take Elijah up to heaven in a windstorm, and Elijah and Elisha were leaving Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, because the Lord has sent me to Bethel.”

But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives and as you live, I won’t leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.

Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, because the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.”

But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives and as you live, I won’t leave you.” So both of them went on together. Fifty members from the group of prophets also went along, but they stood at a distance. Both Elijah and Elisha stood beside the Jordan River. Elijah then took his coat, rolled it up, and hit the water. Then the water was divided in two! Both of them crossed over on dry ground. When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “What do you want me to do for you before I’m taken away from you?”

Elisha said, “Let me have twice your spirit.”

Elijah said, “You’ve made a difficult request. If you can see me when I’m taken from you, then it will be yours. If you don’t see me, it won’t happen.”

They were walking along, talking, when suddenly a fiery chariot and fiery horses appeared and separated the two of them. Then Elijah went to heaven in a windstorm.

Elisha was watching, and he cried out, “Oh, my father, my father! Israel’s chariots and its riders!” When he could no longer see him, Elisha took hold of his clothes and ripped them in two.

Then Elisha picked up the coat that had fallen from Elijah. He went back and stood beside the banks of the Jordan River. He took the coat that had fallen from Elijah and hit the water. He said, “Where is the Lord, Elijah’s God?” And when he hit the water, it divided in two! Then Elisha crossed over.

The post Passing the Mantle – 2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14 appeared first on Queer Theology.

Brian and Shay talk about the political overtones of the casting demons into the swine and what it means for us as American citizens. What could it mean for us as queer people, as Americans, and as Christians to “de-colonize” our minds?

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They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.

Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

“Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.

A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission. When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left.

The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.

The post Got Demons? – Luke 8:26-39 appeared first on Queer Theology.

This week, Brian & Fr. Shay look at Jesus’s encounter with a “sinful woman” and — perhaps more importantly — Simon’s reaction to the experience.

What sins are forgiven? How? And why? We cover all that and more, queerly as often, in this week’s podcast. Take a listen!

(6:01)

The post How are sins forgiven? Luke 7:36-8:3 appeared first on Queer Theology.

Galatians 1: 11-24: In this podcast Brian and Shay talk about recovering from fundamentalism and what it means to be converted. We also talk about asking for permission and trusting our own stories.

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We’d love to hear your thoughts on this week’s reading and on the episode, leave a comment below or shoot an email to [email protected] and let us know!

The post Don’t Ask Permission: Galatians 1:11-24 appeared first on Queer Theology.

This week on Reading Queerly, Fr Shay and Brian give unpack Galatians 1:1 – 12 and offer a few tips for pastors looking to preach on this text.

(4:54)

The post Which Gospel do you follow? – Galatians 1:1-12 appeared first on Queer Theology.

It’s Pentecost this Sunday and this week on Reading Queerly: The Queer Lectionary Podcast, we’re talking about the story of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-21) and Romans 8:14-17.

This episode is–suprisingly–flaming pun-free. We do talk about

As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts on the passages and the podcas. Leave a comment and let us know!

The post Holy Flamers: Pentecost Sunday 2013 appeared first on Queer Theology.

Welcome to the very first episode of Reading Queerly, the Queer Theology podcast. In each podcast, we take a queer look at the week’s lectionary reading. We are very excited to kick off this podcast because we firmly believe that passages should be read through a queer lens.

In today’s episode, we read the passage from Psalm 23. We unpacked quite a couple of interesting thoughts and we love to hear from you, too. What did this lectionary reading evoke in you?

A psalm of David.

He guides me in proper paths

Even when I walk through the darkest valley,

You set a table for me

Yes, goodness and faithful love

The post Introducing Queer Theology’s Weekly Bible Podcast – Psalm 23 appeared first on Queer Theology.