Queer Theology

In an inspiring episode, Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg (@rabbidanyaruttenberg) returns to the podcast to explore what it means to treat our lives, and our world, as sacred texts in a time of rising fascism, burnout, and moral confusion. Shaped by decades of organizing, she challenges the false divide between “religious” and “moral” behavior, reminding us that any authentic spiritual life must be rooted in dignity, accountability, and collective liberation. Drawing on Torah, the prophets, and centuries of Jewish wisdom, Danya invites us to reframe sacred text- not as unquestionable doctrine, but as a call to wrestle with, resist empire, and build just systems that protect the most vulnerable. She shares how spiritual practice expanded her activist imagination beyond the limits of our hyper-individualistic culture and why solidarity is the only way home. This is your invitation to fight with those texts, fight for one another, and remember that liberation isn’t symbolic, it’s collective, embodied, and urgently needed now! Takeaways We have a moral and religious obligation to care for one another. Moral and ethical obligations should align with religious beliefs. The prophets were angry about the disconnect between ritual and ethical behavior. Every human being deserves dignity and respect. Engagement with ancient texts can lead to personal transformation. The Torah serves as a guide for creating a just society. Collective liberation is essential for progress. Finding one’s identity involves exploration and community engagement. Life itself is a sacred text worthy of investigation. Solidarity across differences is crucial in today’s world. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Life as a Sacred Text 04:19 Moral and Religious Obligations 08:12 Engaging with Ancient Texts 15:14 The Journey Through Torah 20:39 Torah as Liberation 23:54 Activism and Ancient Wisdom 33:56 Collective Liberation and Solidarity 35:50 Finding One’s Identity 39:15 Life as a Sacred Text Resources: https://www.lifeisasacredtext.com/ Learn more about Rabbi Ruttenberg at https://danyaruttenberg.net/  Learn more and join the Community at https://www.queertheology.com/community   This transcript was generated by AI and may contain errors or omissions. The post Torah as Liberation with Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg appeared first on Queer Theology.

We’re going back to the beginning for this episode as we dive into Genesis 1–3 to unpack how dominant Christian narratives of “the fall” and “original sin” have shaped theology, politics, and our sense of human worth. Reflecting on our evangelical upbringings, we explore how starting the story with human failure robs us of agency and fuels passivity which can be religious or political! But what if we contrast that with an alternative framework rooted in original goodness or original blessing? The narrative changes and so does how we approach conversations about scripture, ritual, social justice, and the stories we tell about ourselves and about the world. How we interpret these ancient texts deeply affects how we treat ourselves, one another, and our collective responsibility to create a more just and compassionate future.   Takeaways The concept of original sin has shaped many religious teachings. Traditional narratives often emphasize humanity’s flaws over its potential for goodness. Agency is crucial; waiting for salvation can lead to passivity. Shifting perspectives can empower individuals and communities. Stories we tell ourselves influence our understanding of the world. Recognizing inherent goodness can change how we view ourselves and others. Accountability is important, but so is recognizing humanity in all people. Political narratives can mirror religious ones in their impact on agency. Interrogating historical narratives is essential for progress. A new story can lead to a better future for all.   Chapters 00:00 Exploring Genesis: The Foundation of Faith 08:27 Agency and Salvation: A Shift in Perspective 11:44 From Original Sin to Original Blessing 18:11 The Power of Ritual and Community 25:15 Reimagining Stories: The Path to a Better Future   Resources: Learn more and join the Community at https://www.queertheology.com/community   This transcript was generated by AI and may contain errors or omissions. 1 (10s): Welcome to the Queer Theology Podcast. I’m Brian G Murphy. 2 (13s): And I’m father Shannon, T l Kearns. We’re the co-founders of Queer Theology dot com and your hosts from 1 (17s): Genesis, revelation. The Bible declares good news to LGBTQ plus people, and we want to show you how 2 (23s): Tuning each week on Sunday for conversations about Christianity, queerness and transness, and how they can enrich one another. We’re glad you’re here. 3 (32s): Hello. Hello. Welcome back to the Queer Theology Podcast. Today we’re gonna kind of talk about Genesis one through three, but obviously that is a, that is a large swath of scripture, so we are not gonna read all of it, but I’ve been thinking a lot about how I grew up being taught kind of the purpose of, of Christianity, right? And, and how so much of it was rooted in the beginning of Genesis, and specifically in the idea of like the fall and original sin, right? This, this idea that everything was good and then humans screwed it up because, you know, we did bad things. 3 (1m 15s): And like that is why everything else happened after that. Like, that’s why we need Jesus. And, and there’s this sense that basically all of human history begins with the fall. And, and that really shapes then how, how faith plays out, how religion plays out and how church plays out. And, and so this idea, I feel like we spent a lot of time in my church growing up talking about Adam and Eve and the apple in the garden, right? The quote unquote fall and, and the entrance of sin into the world. I’m, I’m curious for you, Brian, like what, did you have a similar experience with these first couple Chapters of Genesis? 3 (2m 2s): Or like how, what was the, the vibe in your growing up? 1 (2m 5s): Oh, yeah. I definitely grew up believing that Adam and Eve were like real people and that like everything was perfect. There was no death. They lived in harmony with God. And like had they not fucked up, had th

In this episode, we return to our roots and queer the passage, Matthew 4:12–23 by exploring Jesus’s turn toward public ministry in the wake of John the Baptist’s arrest and what that moment of political repression reveals about courage, solidarity, and collective action. In light of the state violence and community resistance and ongoing organizing and protests in Minneapolis, we reflect on Jesus stepping into an already-existing movement, calling others to follow, and proclaiming a kingdom that disrupts unjust systems. We look at what is deemed “criminal” and the power of showing up, building local networks, and plugging into work that’s already happening in your community. We invite y’all to consider how faith, justice, and everyday acts of community care are deeply intertwined and how the light that dawns in dark places is something we choose to carry together. Takeaways The passage in Matthew 4 highlights the call to action in the face of injustice. Resistance is often catalyzed by witnessing the arrest or harm of others. Community organizing is essential for effective resistance against systemic issues. Criminality is often framed by those in power to suppress movements for justice. Building community infrastructure is crucial for sustained activism. Engaging with local movements can amplify existing efforts and support. Small actions collectively contribute to larger movements for change. Finding common ground with neighbors can foster community resilience. The importance of showing up and being present in community efforts. Action is the antidote to fear and overwhelm in the face of injustice. Chapters 00:00 Exploring Matthew 4: The Call to Action 02:47 Reflections on Resistance and Community Organizing 05:42 The Role of Criminality in Social Justice 08:23 Building Community and Infrastructure 11:11 Engaging with Local Movements 13:55 The Power of Small Actions 16:39 Finding Common Ground in Community   Resources: Learn more and join the Community at https://www.queertheology.com/community   This transcript was generated by AI and may contain errors or omissions. 1 (10s): Welcome to the Queer Theology Podcast. I’m Brian G 2 (12s): Murphy. And I’m father Shannon, T l Kearns. We’re the co-founders of Queer Theology dot com and your hosts from 1 (17s): Genesis, revelation. The Bible declares good news to LGBTQ plus people, and we want to show you how 2 (23s): Tuning each week on Sunday for conversations about Christianity, queerness and transness, and how they can enrich one another. We’re glad you’re here. 1 (32s): Hello. Hello. Hello. Welcome back. We are going to be digging into another Bible passage as we going back to our roots and querying a text. Today we’re gonna be looking at Matthew four 12 through 23. We’ve got some good words to say about it. So at first, I’ll read it from the common English Bible. Now, when Jesus heard that John was arrested, he went to Galilee, he left Nazarus and settled in Capernaum, which lies alongside the sea in the area of Zein and nep. This fulfilled what Isaiah, the prophet said, land of Zebulon and land Nepali alongside the sea, across the Jordan Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who lived in the dark have seen a great light, and a light has come upon those who lived in the region and in the shadow of death. 1 (1m 16s): From that time, Jesus began to announce, change your hearts and lives. Here comes the kingdom of heaven. As Jesus walked alongside the Galilee sea, he saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter and Andrew throwing fishing nets into the sea because they’re fishermen, come follow me. He said, and I’ll show you how to fish for people. Right away, they left their nets and followed him. Continuing on, he saw another set of brothers James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with Zebedee. Their father repairing their nets. Jesus called them and immediately they left the

In this episode, Brian is joined by the inimitable Reverend Sex @reverand_sex (Alba Onofrio), executive director of Soulforce (@souforceorg), for a conversation about queer faith, spiritual violence, and the liberative possibilities of sex-positive theology. Rev. Alba Onofrio is a theologian and spiritual activist rooted in the U.S. South, engaged in human rights work for over two decades throughout the U.S. and Latin America. As a queer, feminist Christian pastor, their ministry moves at the intersections of religion, gender, and sexuality to heal the wounds of spiritual violence and weaponized religion. Also known as Reverend Sex and co-founder of the Sexual Liberation Collective, their global education work seeks to eradicate shame and fear around bodies and sex, reclaiming pleasure and desire as sacred centers of knowledge, healing, and spiritual practice. As Executive Director and Spiritual Strategist of Soulforce, Rev. Alba has published liberatory theological resources uncovering the ideologies of white Christian Supremacy. Their work has been translated into seven languages and shared around the world. Brian and Rev. Alba talk about Soulforce’s evolution from direct action to global culture-change work and unpack the realities of white Christian supremacy. They get into how it is important to name the lasting harm, and healing, around weaponized religion. Rev. Alba shares how moving beyond deconstruction into reconstruction opens up conversations about consent, pleasure, bodily autonomy, and finding the divine everywhere from drag worship to kink spaces, while also highlighting Soulforce’s projects like Shameless Theology and an upcoming book on spiritual violence.  Resources: Learn more about Soulforce at: https://soulforce.org/  Learn more about Rev. Sex | Alba Onofrio https://www.reverendsex.com/about  Learn more and join the Community at https://www.queertheology.com/community/ This transcript was generated by AI and may contain errors or omissions. 1 (10s): Welcome to the Queer Theology Podcast. I’m Brian G Murphy. 2 (13s): And I’m father Shannon, T l Kearns. We’re the co-founders of Queer Theology dot com and your hosts from 1 (17s): Genesis, revelation. The Bible declares good news to LGBTQ plus people, and we want to show you how 2 (23s): Tuning each week on Sunday for conversations about Christianity, queerness and transness, and how they can enrich one another. We’re glad you’re here. 1 (33s): Reverend Alba Onofrio is a theologian and spiritual activist rooted in the US South, engaged in human rights work for over two decades throughout the US and Latin America. As a queer feminist Christian pastor, their ministry moves at the intersections of religion, gender, and sexuality to heal the wounds of spiritual violence and weaponized religion. Also known as Reverend Sex and Co founder of The Sexual Liberation Collective. Their global education work seeks to eradicate shame and fear around bodies and sex, reclaiming pleasure and desire as sacred centers of knowledge, healing, and spiritual practice. As Executive Director and Spiritual Strategist of Soulforce, Reverend Alba has published liberatory Theological Resources on uncovering the theologies of white Christian Supremacy. 1 (1m 16s): Their work has been translated into seven languages and shared around the world. And as you will hear In this episode, Soulforce shares a special place in my heart as it is one of the places in which I came back to faith. And what I learned there has informed much of my work and activism and spirituality since then. And so I’m so excited for you to hear this conversation with Reverend Sex. Abba, thank you so much for being here where it’s really exciting to have the Reverend Sex on the Queer Theology Podcast. So thank you for being here. 3 (1m 47s): It is a pleasure and a delight. I’ve been waiting for my invitation with Baited Breath forever, so I’m glad to be here with y

Fr. Shannon is joined this week by author Margot Douaihy (@NeonMargot), and this is very exciting for him since he is a huge fan of her Sister Holiday series! Margot is a professor of creative writing at Emerson College as well as the author of the award-winning, nationally bestselling Sister Holiday series, as well as the poetry collections “Bandit/Queen: The Runaway Story of Belle Starr, Scranton Lace, and Girls Like You.” Her debut mystery, “Scorched Grace,” won The Pinckley Prize in Crime Fiction and was named a Best Crime Novel of the Year by the New York Times, Guardian, and others. In this conversation, Margot reflects on her Maronite Catholic upbringing, her queerness, and how those threads come together in her noir mystery series, which features a devout, tattooed, riot-girl lesbian nun navigating crime, desire, justice, and faith in New Orleans. She discusses subverting the crime genre, queering narratives of law and order, desire and celibacy, found family, and the sacred possibilities of storytelling. There is so much holiness in storytelling, and Margot’s work shows why art and community matter more now than ever.   Resources: Learn more about Margot at https://www.margotdouaihy.com/  Buy her books: https://www.margotdouaihy.com/scorched-grace  Learn more and join the Community at https://www.queertheology.com/community/   This transcript was generated by AI and may contain errors or omissions. (10s): Welcome to the Queer Theology Podcast. I’m Brian G Murphy. And I’m father Shannon, T l Kearns. We’re the co-founders of Queer Theology dot com and your hosts from Genesis, revelation. The Bible declares good news to LGBTQ plus people, and we want to show you how Tuning each week on Sunday for conversations about Christianity, queerness and transness, and how they can enrich one another. We’re glad you’re here. Hello and welcome back to the Queer Theology Podcast. This week we have a special guest, Margot Dhe, And I cannot wait for you to hear this interview. Margot is the author of one of my favorite trilogies of books, the sister holiday series. It’s an incredible, incredible series, and we’re gonna talk a lot more about that on the podcast this week. (54s): And in general, I just think you’re gonna love this conversation with Margot. So here is Margot’s official bio, and then we will jump into the interview. Margot dw, he lives in North Hampton, Massachusetts and is a professor of creative writing at Emerson College. She’s the author of the award-winning nationally bestselling Sister Holiday series. In addition to the poetry collections Bandit Queen, The Runaway Story of Belle Starr, Scranton Lace and Girls Like You, Her debut Mystery Scorched Grace, won the Pinkly Prize in crime fiction and was named a Best Crime Novel of the Year by the New York Times Guardian and others. Welcome, Margot. Welcome to the Cariology Podcast. I am so, so thrilled to have you here. (1m 36s): It’s gonna be so fun. Thank You. Thank you so much. I am just a huge admirer and fan of yours and thank you. The community that you nurture and care take with and among and co-create. I just think we need more, more community and kind of affirmation of Queer Theology and just expansive ways of thinking about the structures that give us comfort and grace Yeah. In life. And I’ll say it, especially now. Yeah. So yeah, I’m, I’m just very grateful for the work that you do, Shea. Well, Thank you. Appreciate that. And likewise, likewise. (2m 17s): And we’re gonna, we’re gonna talk about the, what do we do now a little bit later, but I, I would love to maybe start out with, for folks who are not familiar with you and your work, we’re gonna talk about the sister holiday series here in just a minute. But I, I’m wondering if you can maybe just share a little bit about your life and also maybe, maybe a bit about your spiritual journey, howe

We’re excited to welcome @angelajherrington back to the podcast to talk about her new book and overcoming Christian patriarchy. For over a decade, Angela has helped women break free from the grip of Christian patriarchy and reconnect with the wisdom they were taught to silence. She is a trauma-informed coach, strategist, and author, who has walked alongside thousands through deconstruction, spiritual burnout, and the messy, beautiful work of building a life that feels whole and true. Her work brings together spiritual insight, nervous system awareness, and grounded practices that create lasting change. In this episode, Fr. Shay talks with Angela about her new book, “Embracing the Old Witch in the Woods: Liberating Feminine Wisdom from Christian Patriarchy” and how it is building on her first book about faith deconstruction. Angela explores how Christian patriarchy and nationalism shape our inner lives, limit our sense of self, and disconnect us from embodied wisdom. She discusses archetypal feminine wisdom beyond gender binaries, the power of intuition and embodiment after high-control religion, grief over missed developmental stages, and the healing potential of reconnecting with these feminine archetypes. This conversation offers a compassionate invitation to self-nurturing, wholeness, and reclaiming wisdom that was never meant to be lost. Resources: Learn more about Angela Herrington at https://angelajherrington.com/  Buy Embracing the Old Witch in the Woods: Liberating Feminine Wisdom from Christian Patriarchy by Angela Herrington Learn more and join the Community at https://www.queertheology.com/community/   This transcript was generated by AI and may contain errors or omissions. 1 (10s): Welcome to the Queer Theology Podcast. I’m Brian G Murphy. 2 (13s): And I’m father Shannon, T l Kearns. We’re the co-founders of Queer Theology dot com and your hosts from 1 (17s): Genesis, revelation. The Bible declares good news to LGBTQ plus people, and we want to show you how 2 (23s): Tuning each week on Sunday for conversations about Christianity, queerness and transness, and how they can enrich one another. We’re glad you’re here. Hello and welcome back to the Queer Theology Podcast. Today we have a special guest in Angela Harrington. I’m really excited for you to hear this conversation. So, here’s a little bit about Angela before we jump in. For over a decade, Angela Harrington has helped women break free from the grip of Christian patriarchy and reconnect with the wisdom they were taught to silence. She is a trauma informed coach, strategist, and author who has walked alongside thousands through deconstruction, spiritual burnout, and the messy beautiful work of building a life that feels whole and true. 2 (1m 3s): Her work brings together spiritual insight, nervous system awareness, and grounded practices that create lasting change. So let’s get into it. Welcome, Angela. Well, Angela, welcome back to the podcast. I’m so thrilled to have you back to talk about your new book. Thanks for being here. 3 (1m 19s): Yeah, thanks for having me. 2 (1m 21s): So it’s been, it’s been, I think, probably at least a year, maybe even more since we had you on to, to talk about your first book. And I, I’m wondering for, for folks who missed that interview, we’re gonna link it in the show notes, but would you just tell us just a brief, brief bit about your first book and maybe anything that you’ve noticed in, in the time since that book came out? 3 (1m 47s): Yeah. So the first book really honed in on supporting people who already constructing, deconstructing your faith without losing yourself was just really timely and, and really important for me. And I think that it served, I think it served as a guide for a lot of people who weren’t sure if, if they wanted to hang onto their faith or not hang onto their faith, but they were sure that they were tired

It’s a New Year and in this first episode of 2026, we reflect on highlights from 2025. From book releases and big life transitions, to moves, new jobs, and shifting rhythms. What has kept us grounded has been our approach to goals and intentions that have evolved as needed. It’s why we keep saying rituals and intentions are important, y’all! Going into this year we feel that community matters more than ever. We also feel that it’s important to build more meaningful lives and one of the ways to start doing that is by naming our longings and goals. If you want some help with that, we’re bringing back the Queerness Every Day Challenge, a simple, daily practice to help you start the year with greater intention around spirituality, queerness, and connection.   Takeaways Shannon released two books in 2025, marking a significant achievement. Brian also published his first book, focusing on relationships and spirituality. Shannon transitioned to a full-time job, requiring adjustments in her routine. Both hosts emphasize the importance of setting intentions for the new year. They discuss the challenges of maintaining personal well-being amidst professional demands. Brian reflects on the importance of community and local connections. Shannon is focusing on improving her local community involvement in 2026. They explore different approaches to goal setting and personal growth. The conversation highlights the need for intentionality in daily life. The Queerness Every Day Challenge offers a way to reflect on spirituality and identity.   Chapters 00:00 Reflecting on 2025: Personal Highlights 02:27 Navigating New Beginnings: Career Changes and Adjustments 05:30 Intentions for 2026: Setting Goals and Priorities 08:12 Rituals and Reflections: New Year Practices 10:46 Community and Connection: Building Local Relationships 13:32 Creative Pursuits: Balancing Work and Passion 16:31 The Importance of Intentionality: Aligning Goals with Values 19:18 Embracing Change: Acknowledging Longings and Desires 21:59 The Queerness Every Day Challenge: A New Year Initiative 24:56 Looking Ahead: Future Plans and Community Engagement   Resources: Learn more and join the Community at https://www.queertheology.com/community/ This transcript was generated by AI and may contain errors or omissions. Grow Therapy (5s): If you are feeling bogged down by the impossible expectations or the noise of New Year, new me, take a second to pause. Grow Therapy gives you space to slow down, check in, and start the new year from a more grounded place. Whether it’s your first time in therapy or your 50th grow makes it easier to find a therapist who fits you not the other way around. They connect you with thousands of independent licensed therapists across the US offering both virtual and in-person sessions, nights and weekends. You can search by what matters like insurance, specialty, identity or availability, and get started in as little as two days. And if something comes up, you can cancel up to 24 hours in advance at no cost. There are no subscriptions, no long-term commitments. You just pay per session. Grow helps you find therapy on your time, whatever challenges you’re facing. Grow Therapy is here to help grow. Accepts over a hundred insurance plans, including Medicaid in some states sessions average about $21 with insurance, and some pay as little as $0 depending on their plan. Visit grow therapy.com/book now today to get started. That’s grow therapy.com/book now. Grow therapy.com/book now. Availability and coverage vary by state and insurance plan. 0 (1m 25s): Welcome 2 (1m 25s): To the Queer Theology Podcast. I’m Brian G Murphy. 3 (1m 28s): And I’m father Shannon, T l Kearns. We’re the co-founders of Queer Theology dot com and your hosts from Genesis, 2 (1m 33s): Revelation. The Bible declares good news to LGBTQ plus people, and we want to show you how 3 (1m 38s): Tuning in each week on Sunday for conversations about

In this episode, we respond to a listener question about how to challenge harmful uses of the Hebrew Scriptures without falling into anti-Semitism or Christian supersessionism. As Christians, we can’t rely on the New Testament to “fix” or dismiss the Old Testament and we unpack common misunderstandings about Judaism and the Hebrew Bible. We also queer the Ten Commandments by reading this foundational text through lenses of justice, liberation, and community rather than control or exclusion. Despite how we have been taught, the commandments can function as a framework for loving God and loving our neighbor. That doesn’t mean we get to ignore the fact that we need to wrestle honestly with the parts that feel troubling to us in modern times, to engage the text critically, contextually, and faithfully. Rather than discarding the Ten Commandments as outdated or weaponizing them against marginalized people, we show how lingering with the tension can open up richer, more life-giving interpretations that support the queer community flourishing.    Resources: Learn more and join the Community at https://www.queertheology.com/community/   The post Queering the 10 Commandments appeared first on Queer Theology.

This week, we respond to a thoughtful listener question from Tumblr about whether progressive Christians can understand the Bible as uniquely authoritative, or whether it should be treated as inspired work alongside other great works of literature and poetry. We look at how different Christian traditions approach scripture, why “authority” depends on community and context, and how revelation can be understood without requiring inerrancy or literalism. We have to have a more nuanced engagement with scripture that challenges false dichotomies between taking the Bible seriously and reading it critically. In the second half of the episode, we queer Psalm 119:105-112, unpacking how poetry, song, and metaphor function within the Bible. We invite you to consider what it means for God’s word to be “a lamp to our feet and a light for our journey,” not as the path itself, but as something that illuminates the way as we navigate faith, queerness, relationships, and life.   Resources: Our resources have moved! You can find the workshop contents within our free resources at my.queertheology.com   This transcript was generated by AI and may contain errors or omissions. 1 (9s): Welcome to the Queer Theology Podcast. I’m Brian G Murphy. 2 (13s): And I’m father Shannon, T l Kearns. We’re the co-founders of Queer Theology dot com and your hosts from 1 (17s): Genesis, revelation. The Bible declares good news to LGBTQ plus people, and we want to show you how 2 (23s): Tuning each week on Sunday for conversations about Christianity, queerness and transness, and how they can enrich one another. We’re glad you’re here. 1 (33s): Hello. Hello. Hello. Welcome back to the Queer Theology of Podcast. 2 (36s): This week we’ve got a listener question from Tumblr and they ask, are there progressive non literalist ways of talking about the Bible as uniquely authoritative and communicative of revelation? Or are the scriptures only inspired in a relativized sense alongside great works of literature, poetry, et cetera? 1 (57s): Oh, I love this question. So this 2 (1m 1s): Is a great 1 (1m 2s): Question. Yeah, it get really gets at the heart of what we’re talking about on this podcast and in our work. I think it’s important to first name that there are gonna be a bunch of different answers to this question. Certainly if you survey all Christians, like conservative fundamentalist Christians are gonna have a different idea than other folks. Like there’s a whole range, like if you, if you survey fundamentalist Christians, if you survey Mormons, if you survey Catholics, if you survey progressive Christians, if you survey, you know, black preachers, if you survey whoever, we’re all gonna have different ideas about this. And also then, like, I think within each of those people are gonna have different ideas that there will probably be other L-G-B-T-Q, progressive Christians who think differently about this. 1 (1m 55s): And Shay And I actually think slightly differently about this, you know, or we might not. So I just wanna name that. And there’s not, so it’s not about like trying to find like the objective truth of this is gonna be impossible, which I know is an unsatisfying or might be an unsatisfying answer, especially as someone who comes from a, from a tradition that taught that there was always one correct answer for everything about God and religion and faith. And as someone from just sort of like a secular perspective, like really math and science just like gets me going. And so like there’s a formula, like a squared plus B squared equals C squared, right? Like you can like add things up or divide things out and get, get like the answer. 1 (2m 37s): And so figuring out like what the answer to this is is gonna be tricky. There’s always gonna be some nuance and some, some room for personal interpretation. Shay, where would you start? Yeah, 2 (2m 47s): I think the phrase t

As we come to the beginning of Hanukkah, Brian invites us to reimagine the Festival of Lights as a celebration of resistance, resilience, and the sacred spark within every queer body. When queering Hanukkah, we can explore how the Hanukkah story itself is rooted in defiance against erasure, and how its rituals can be reclaimed as affirming practices that honor queer joy, creativity, and survival. Resources: Learn more about Rituals for Resistance & Resilience here Join us and be part of Queering Advent! Find more info here. This transcript was generated by AI and may contain errors or omissions. 1 (9s): Welcome to the Queer Theology Podcast. I’m Brian G. Murphy, 2 (13s): And I’m Father Shannon TL Kerns. We’re the co-founders of queer theology.com and your hosts from Genesis, 1 (18s): Revelation. The Bible declares good news, LGBTQ plus people, and we want to show you how 2 (23s): Tuning each week on Sunday for conversations about Christianity, queerness and transness, and how they can enrich one another. We’re glad you’re here. 1 (33s): A few days ago, I texted one of my friends who was also Jewish and asked if he wanted to come over for a lot ’cause and food and candles on the first native Hanukkah with some other friends. Wait, when does Hanukkah start? He asked, yes, I’m terrible for not knowing. He added, but you know what? Not knowing when Hanukkah starts is also a quintessentially Jewish experience for many Jews. It, it starts tonight, by the way, now if you know me, you know that I’m a big fan of counting holidays. I like to count the days of land count, the days of the Ooma count, the days of Advent, and of course, count the Knights of Hanukkah. It might be that that soothes some part of my A DHD brain, but for me, there’s also something deeply grounding about the practice of paying attention to the passing of time. 1 (1m 13s): Maybe you count the days since a partner or friend or a family members passing. Maybe you count the days of your sobriety. Maybe you count the days until your gender affirming surgery. I’m a bit obsessed with the idea that everything can be spiritual, that the divine is already at your fingertips. In our rituals for resistance and resilience workshop, I outline seven steps to transform a routine into ritual. Sure, you can pray the rosary or go to Shabbat services, but if that’s, but if those don’t resonate with you, perhaps you could take some inspiration from counting the days of Advent or Hanukkah and create your own sacred countdown or other type of spiritual practice. In Hanukkah, we remember two things. The more feel good story that we remember is that after the temple in Jerusalem was taken back by the Jews from occupation under this lucid empire in the second century, b, c, E, there was hardly any oil left that could be used to light the menorah, which is a seven branched candelabra that burned daily in the temple. 1 (2m 9s): Out of all the oil that was left, there was only enough for one night, but it would take seven more days to make and sanctify more oil. Still, they lit the menorah anyway, and somehow miraculously it burned for eight nights long enough to replenish the oil and keep it burning. A few years ago, my rabbi gave a talk on Hanukah. She shared how she started her rabbinet in the midst of the AIDS crisis and as a lesbian rabbi, she was one of the few clergy who would visit many gay men, sick or dying of aids. While we lost a devastating number of L-G-B-T-Q people to the AIDS epidemic, many survived against incredible odds. There’s a clip that I can’t get out of my head of Peter Staley organizing with Act Up in the 1990s where he says, I’m going to die from this, and yet over 30 years later, he’s still here. 1 (2m 59s): The world has tried over and over and over again to snuff out queer people, neglect our healthcare conversion therapy, shame us into silence. Burn books abou

In this episode, we dig into why leaving harmful churches isn’t enough, you also have to unlearn the bad theology you absorbed along the way.  We talk about how lingering fear, shame, reactivity, or discomfort around sex, Scripture, or Christian community can reveal where old beliefs are still running the show, even for folks who’ve left evangelicalism, Catholicism, or grew up in progressive spaces without learning how to engage the Bible for themselves. We get into what unlearning actually looks like and why arguing on evangelical terms keeps you stuck. You gotta be able to rebuild your faith (or recognize when to walk away from it) with grounding, nuance, and liberation. We also answer listener questions about the 1946 documentary and where to begin when returning to faith after fear. Resources: Join us and be part of Queering Advent! Find more info here. This transcript was generated by AI and may contain errors or omissions. 1 (9s): Welcome to the Queer Theology Podcast. I’m Brian G. Murphy. 2 (13s): And I’m Father Shannon TL Kerns. We’re the co-founders of queer theology.com and your hosts from 1 (17s): Genesis, revelation. The Bible declares good news, LGBTQ plus people, and we want to show you how 2 (23s): Tuning each week on Sunday for conversations about Christianity, queerness and transness, and how they can enrich one another. We’re glad you’re here. 1 (33s): Hello. Hello. Hello. So good to be back in your eras with you today. On today’s episode, we’re gonna talk about the importance of not just leaving bad churches or leaving bad faith entirely, but also unlearning your path theology and this like danger of what could happen if you don’t take the time to un unload, unlearn. And you just sort of like try and pat it aside and pat it set aside and for, and forget about it for a while. We’ll also have a listener question that we will get to at the end of the episode. If you would like to have your question featured on the podcast, you can go to cardiology.com/listen. You can also leave us a voice message or send us a text message to 2 4 0 2 0 0 0 9 2 2. 1 (1m 19s): That’s 2 4 0 2 0 0 0 9 2 2. Okay, and with that said, Shea, what are we talking about this episode and why? 3 (1m 30s): Yeah, so I mean, I think one of the things that we see really, really often, and it’s especially prevalent among former evangelicals or folks who grew up in kind of evangelical or Catholic spaces, but it’s also, we see it in kind of a different way in folks that grew up in progressive and mainline spaces. So we can maybe talk about both of those things, but is folks who you know, are pretty sure that they know what they don’t believe and they have left homophobic or transphobic churches, maybe they’ve even left the church entirely, and yet they haven’t actually unpacked or unlearned the things that they internalized growing up. 3 (2m 13s): And so what happens often is that their faith then becomes either a response to those things of like, well, I don’t believe that, right? Like, I’m just, I don’t believe in hell, I don’t believe whatever. And yet underneath kind of all of those feelings, there is still a sense of fear or shame or anxiety. And so I just talk about like why it’s so, so, so important that not only you leave those spaces, but that you also unlearn the theology, right? Like you have to unpack what is it that I was taught? What are other ways to understand that? 3 (2m 54s): And you don’t have to necessarily stay a Christian or stay in the church or like even believe any of those other ways, but you have to do the work of understanding them so that those hard emotions don’t keep acting out in your life. 1 (3m 12s): Yeah, I sometimes say it’s like you seem scared of a God that you don’t believe in, and I, I’m sure I’m not the first person to say that. And so I wanna find up,

Queering Advent is a guided audio experience for this time of waiting, dreaming, and preparing as we hope for and work toward liberation and salvation. Rituals and liturgical seasons like Advent are invitations for us to re-center on what is most important to us. This winter, journey with us through Advent to deepen your awareness of and commitment to the connections between queerness and faith. Learn more and register at queertheology.com/advent An Advent practices that enriches your December, rather than stresses you out Brian & Shannon will offer a deeper reflection each Sunday of Advent—a mix of teaching, queer insights, and questions to consider. Then, during the week, you’ll get a short audio guide—shorter readings, reflections, prompts, and experiments— delivered right to your podcast app or available in our community hub. So that you move through this season with intentionality and contemplation. Feel steadied and reassured in these trying times. And a greater inspiration for how our faith can speak a good word to your personal life and our communal systems. All for $25 — that’s just one dollar for each day of Advent. Register here: queertheology.com/advent   This transcript was generated by AI and may contain errors or omissions. 0 (0s): Hello. Hello. We are just a few days into Advent, and I wanted to make sure that you knew about Queering Advent, a daily guided audio exploration of Advent so that in this time of winter waiting, you might be able to draw closer to the Divine, also to draw your queerness and your faith closer to one another as part of Queering Advent. Each day there are short audio reflections on weekdays, they’re five minutes or less, and then on Sundays it’s a little bit longer of a conversation between myself and Shannon on the different themes of Advent. You get them in a private audio feed that you can put in the podcast player of your choice. 0 (41s): So if you’re listening to this podcast, you already know how that works. You don’t have to remember any logins. You don’t have to sit at your computer. There are no screens to stare at. Just a daily dose of queer Faithful Reflections, meditations, and even some challenges and inspirations. We would love to have you be part of it. It’s just $25. That’s $1 for each day of Advent. You can learn more at queer theology.com/advent. And now I would like to share with you a preview of what you’ll find inside of Queering Advent. 1 (1m 12s): Welcome to Queering Advent. 0 (1m 21s): After I came out, it took my parents many years for them to come around and be affirming, and in those in-between years, I spent a lot of time waiting, waiting for them to accept me, waiting for them to say the right things, waiting for them to ask meaningful questions about who I am and the life that I’m really living. When I think about it, I also spent some time waiting on myself before I even came out waiting to be sure that this was true, waiting on the right explanation to confirm for myself that it was okay to be queer, waiting for the right time to tell my friends and families and coworkers and people that I knew from church waiting to feel comfortable being perceived as queer out in public, and even since I’ve been out as queer for over half my life at this point, which is wild to think about, and even still, I find myself in these periods of waiting to settle into my identity, to feel comfortable as a polyamorous person of faith to uncover new areas of shame that I still carry in my body to weight. 0 (2m 29s): For those to be excised and to feel completely comfortable. Psalm one 30 says, I cry out to you from the depths, Lord, my Lord, listen to my voice. Let your ears pay close attention to my request for mercy. If you kept track of sins, Lord, my Lord, who would stand a chance, but forgiveness is with you. That’s why you are honored. I hope, Lord, my whole being hopes and I wait for God’s

Father Shannon kicks off the Advent season with a solo episode where he reflects on the meaning of Advent as both a spiritual and practical season of preparation. During this time of rising threats for trans, non-binary folks, and immigrants, uncertainty and fear hangs over us. Fr. Shannon offers some grounding reflections about community, care, safety, resistance, and showing up for one another. You’re encouraged to bring your journal to this one! The Christian story calls us to co-create a more just and compassionate world, and we encourage listeners not only to reflect, but to take action in their communities.    Takeaways: We’re asking this question not out of a sense of doomsday prepper. What do I need to do right now, right where I am? Creating the kind of community I long to live in. Building a world that will protect the most at risk. The importance of personal responsibility in community building. Resilience is key in facing challenges. Safe spaces are essential for vulnerable populations. Community building requires active participation. We must think about our actions in the present moment. Creating supportive environments is a collective effort.   Resources: Join us and be part of Queering Advent! Find more info here.   This transcript was generated by AI and may contain errors or omissions. Amazon Music (1s): Ever notice how ads always pop up at the worst moments when the killer’s identity is about to be revealed? During that perfect meditation flow on Amazon music, we believe in keeping you in the moment. That’s why we’ve got millions of ad-free podcast episodes, so you can stay completely immersed in every story, every reveal, every breath. Download the Amazon music app and start listening to your favorite podcast, ad free, included with Prime. 2 (43s): Welcome to the Queer Theology podcast. I’m Brian G. Murphy. 3 (46s): And I’m Father Shannon TL Kerns. We’re the co-founders of queer theology.com and your hosts 2 (51s): From Genesis, revelation. The Bible declares good news to LGBTQ plus people, and we want to show you how tuning 3 (57s): Each week on Sunday for conversations about Christianity, queerness and transness, and how they can enrich one another. We’re glad you’re here. Hello. Hello and welcome back to the Queer Theology Podcast Today, you’ve got a solo Father Shannon episode. It is the beginning of Advent, and I just have a couple of thoughts and reflections that I wanted to share with you as we get this Christian season started. Advent has arrived. I kind of can’t believe that we are already at this point in the year. Hopefully you are already ready to go with your advent practice and that you’re raring to, to kick it off. 3 (1m 39s): I know for me, it sometimes takes me a bit to, to get into the season, but I, I find that advent is a, is a really important and reflective time. A time when we prepare, not only for Christmas of course, but also we reenter the Christian story. You know, advent is the beginning of the Christian calendar, and we begin anew to replay this ancient story, the story of Jesus, the story of the Christian people, a story that still resonates and resounds today, and, and whether or not you still consider yourself a Christian, whether or not you’ve ever celebrated or observed Advent before. 3 (2m 25s): I think that there’s a lot that we can get out of the themes of Advent and thinking through kind of this cycle of the Christian life, the cycle of the spiritual life, the cycle of the stories that we tell about ourselves and our communities. And I’ve been thinking a lot about the themes of advent, particularly in these days. You know, advent is often thought of as a time of preparation. And you know, right now, as I am recording this, we’re, we’re getting ready to enter into this season. And, you know, the threats against trans and non-binary people in particula

This episode dives into Matthew Chapters 14-16 and the rich political, communal, and spiritual tensions woven throughout. We unpack the death of John the Baptist, the feeding miracles, Jesus walking on water, debates about purity, the encounter with the Canaanite woman, and Peter’s declaration of Jesus as Messiah. These stories are especially revealing as they challenge Empire, center outsiders, and call followers into risky, justice-oriented solidarity. We get into what treasonous acts we may be called to take up when confronting power, and what it really means to “take up your cross” today.   Resources: Join our online community at  Sanctuary Collective Community 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   This transcript was generated by AI and may contain errors or omissions. Mochi Health (1s): A mochi moment from Sadie who writes, I’m not crying, you’re crying. This is what I said during my first appointment with my physician at Mochi, because I didn’t have to convince him I needed a GLP one, he understood and I felt supported, not judged. I came for the weight loss and stayed for the empathy. Thanks, Sadie. I’m Myra Ammo, founder of Mochi Health. To find your mochi moment, visit join mochi.com. Sadie is A mochi member compensated for her story. 2 (40s): Well, 3 (40s): To the Queer Theology podcast, I’m Brian G. Murphy. 4 (43s): And I’m father Shannon, TL Kerns. We’re the co-founders of queer theology.com and your hosts 3 (47s): From Genesis to Revelation. The Bible declares good news to LGBTQ plus people, and we want to show you how tuning 4 (53s): Each week on Sunday for conversations about Christianity, queerness and transness, and how they can enrich one another. We’re glad you’re here. 3 (1m 2s): Today we’re doing a deep dive on three chapters of Matthew, Matthew 14, 15 and 16. This episode feels particularly important right now as it talks about confronting the powers that be in the places we live. And spoiler alert contains a bit of a call to treason in these charged political times. How our faith calls us to engage with society, community, government, and the world around us feels especially important. This episode originally aired as part of a larger series looking at the entire book of Matthew. If you’re interested in checking out more of that, the first episode of the series does a lot of context setting for the whole book of Matthew. 3 (1m 48s): That episode re aired just a few episodes ago, so you could scroll back for that. The whole series was episodes 4 72 through 4 79. So if you’re looking for those in the podcast app, scroll back to find those. And with that, let’s dive into Matthew chapter 14, 15, and 16. We are back and we are officially entering the second half of this eight part, eight week series on the gospel of Matthew. I hope that you are loving it and not sick of it yet. We’ve covered a lot of ground and there’s still so much to go. Shea and I, Shea was in Los Angeles for a few weeks, so we were in the same place at the same time. 3 (2m 28s): And we were chatting after recording last week’s episode that like even eight weeks, it feels like not enough time. Like last week’s episode, we walked away being like, oh, there was like 25 more things that we wanted to say about just those passages. And so thankfully inside of Sanctuary Collective, we have some space to discuss, discuss some more and go into, into more detail. So if you are digging the series and you want more of it, join us in Sanctuary collective community to find out all about that. And now let’s dig into part five. Shea, what, what the heck’s going on? Yeah. So today we are gonna take a look at chapters 14 through 16. 3 (3m 12s): Once again, not enough time. We’re gonna have to go really broad strokes

We’re diving into one of their most asked-about topics: sex, relationships, and faith. Building on years of listener questions like, “Is it okay to masturbate?” “What does the Bible say about premarital sex, polyamory, or kink,” we explore why so many of us seek definitive answers and how that impulse comes from an evangelical mindset that treats the Bible like a rulebook. As always we invite y’all to move beyond arguing Bible passages toward a deeper, embodied understanding of faith, sexuality, and ethics that is grounded in consent, respect, and self-awareness. Queerness, desire, and faith are not at odds. God’s love is not conditional, and living faithfully means embracing complexity, doing inner work, and claiming your inherent goodness.  Resources: Join our online community at  Sanctuary Collective Community  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   This transcript was generated by AI and may contain errors or omissions. 1 (10s): Welcome to the Queer Theology Podcast. I’m Brian G. Murphy. 2 (13s): And I’m Father Shannon TL Kerns. We’re the co-founders of queer theology.com and your hosts from 1 (17s): Genesis, revelation. The Bible declares good news, LGBTQ plus people, and we want to show you how 2 (23s): Tuning each week on Sunday for conversations about Christianity, queerness and transness, and how they can enrich one another. We’re glad you’re here. 1 (32s): Alright, for this episode, our little two part series on sex and relationships, we want to take a look at a lot of the questions that we’ve gotten over the years about sex and dating and how that intersects with Christianity. A few years ago, my, one of my, my then boyfriend, we were having a conversation about sex and, and queer theology.com and he said, wait, people like strangers on the internet ask you if it’s okay to masturbate and then like what you say back to them matters to them. And I was like, yep, that is, that is something that happens. And so today we wanna look at sort of like broadly at questions like, what does the Bible say about sex? 1 (1m 15s): Is it okay to masturbate? Is it okay to have premarital sex? Is polyamory okay? Is kink okay? Like, is like insert x, y, Z thing that you might want to do with yourself, with and or with someone else inside and or outside of, of the bedroom in some form of like vaguely sexual and or romantic and or kinky context. And I think that, right? Like say Shea, you have a, a master’s in divinity from Union Theological Seminary in the city of New York, like one of the, you know, premier seminaries in the world. And so like, I’m sure you could give us like a verse by verse breakdown or like an issue by issue breakdown of like, here’s like what the Bible says or, or doesn’t say about masturbation or sex before marriage or sex outside of marriage. 1 (2m 1s): And we’ve actually gone through a lot of those in our tricky questions about sex workshop, which like looks at each one of those questions that are all user, all listeners submitted questions about sex that we really sort like a one question at a time. But what I want to explore today is like what the, sort of like what happens after that af after you sort of, because I’m sure you’ve had a lot of these conversations. What happens when you tell someone your perspective on what the Bible says about X, Y, z sex related things? So like the, like, then, then where does that leave them? I, 3 (2m 40s): I think that this is so fascinating, right? Because in many ways this is the same conversation that we have around the collaborative passages. Yeah. Right? Yep. And, and so we’ve got a workshop on that one too, collaborating the clobbers, which which looks at each of those versus and takes them one by one. And, and what we have found in both cases is that like the, t

In this episode, Fr. Shannon talks with the Rev. Dr. Justin Sabia-Tanis. He is an assistant professor and director of the Social Transformation program at United Theological Seminary. He earned his Ph.D. from the Graduate Theological Union in Interdisciplinary Studies in addition to a Master of Divinity degree at Harvard Divinity School and a Doctor of Ministry from San Francisco Theological Seminary. We explore Justin’s journey as a transgender man of faith, his groundbreaking contributions to trans theology, and the evolution of queer and trans thought within the church and academia. Justin shares the inspiration behind his influential book on trans theology, and reflects on the growing richness and diversity of trans religious scholarship. The conversation also delves into the intersections of art, spirituality, justice, and education, highlighting how creative expression and community-centered leadership can transform theology and the world. Find more of Rev. Dr. Justin at: https://www.unitedseminary.edu/academics/faculty/justin-sabia-tanis/ Grab a copy Trans-Gender: Theology, Ministry, and Communities of Faith Injustice at Every Turn A Report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey Resources: Join our online community at  Sanctuary Collective Community  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   This transcript was generated by AI and may contain errors or omissions. 1 (10s): Welcome to the Queer Theology Podcast. I’m Brian G. Murphy. 2 (13s): And I’m Father Shannon TL Kerns. We’re the co-founders of queer theology.com and your hosts from 1 (17s): Genesis, revelation. The Bible declares good news, LGBTQ plus people, and we want to show you how 2 (23s): Tuning each week on Sunday for conversations about Christianity, queerness and transness, and how they can enrich one another. We’re glad you’re here. 3 (33s): Hello and welcome back to the Queer Theology Podcast Guest series. Today we are so excited to have the reverend Dr. Justin Ana, who is an assistant professor and director of the Social Transformation Program at United Theological Seminary. He earned his PhD from the Graduate Theological Union in interdisciplinary studies, in addition to a master of divinity degree at Harvard Divinity School and a doctor of ministry from San Francisco Theological Seminary. As a pastor, he served congregations in Boston, Honolulu, and San Francisco, and was a director of Leadership Development for Metropolitan Community Churches. He is now with the United Church of Christ. 3 (1m 13s): In his prior work, he served as managing director at the center for L-G-B-T-Q and gender studies and religion, CLGS, and directed communications for the Hawaii Equal Rights Marriage Project, the National Center for Transgender Equality and out in equal workplace advocates. He has taught at the University of Arizona, Pima Community College, IFF School of Theology, and Pacific School of Religion. He now lives in Minnesota with his husband Henry and their two dogs. Well, Justin, thank you so much for, for being willing to have this conversation and, and do this podcast today. You are one of the, I think, very first like trans theology books I ever read. 3 (1m 55s): So it’s super fun to to be in conversation and to introduce more people to you and your work. So thanks for being here. 4 (2m 2s): It’s wonderful to be here. Great to have continue our conversation. 3 (2m 6s): Yeah. I would love to just start by asking you a, to tell us a little bit of your story, a little bit of who you are and how you got to where you are now. 4 (2m 18s): Sure. So I’m a, a transgender man, identify queer. I’m currently the director of the social transformation program and an assistant professor at United Theological Seminary of Between Cities, cities, which is exciting for me. So how I got here, or b

For this episode, we’re diving into the Gospel of Mark. We unpack why Mark was likely the first Gospel written, who it was written for, and what was happening politically under Roman occupation. Drawing on scholarly interpretation, we look into how Mark’s storytelling and its urgency, as well as its focus on common people, challenge the Empire and center the marginalized. This perspective also redefines discipleship as active resistance through themes like repentance, liberation, and community transformation, showing how Mark’s “good news” remains a radical call to action for today’s world. Resources: Join our online community at  Sanctuary Collective Community  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   This transcript was generated by AI and may contain errors or omissions. 1 (10s): Welcome to the Queer Theology Podcast. I’m Brian G. Murphy. 2 (13s): And I’m Father Shannon TL Kerns. We’re the co-founders of queer theology.com and your hosts from 1 (17s): Genesis, revelation. The Bible declares good news, LGBTQ plus people, and we want to show you how 2 (23s): Tuning each week on Sunday for conversations about Christianity, queerness and transness, and how they can enrich one another. We’re glad you’re here. Welcome back to the Ology podcast. This week we are gonna do a deep dive into the gospel of Mark, and I am so excited. This is 1 (40s): Me too. 2 (41s): This is where I get to be like super nerdy and this is my favorite stuff in the world. And so, yeah, so I’m excited to dive in. I, I feel like we’ve talked about this a lot, but I know that for me, I was not raised with looking at the historical context at all of the Bible where even reading the gospels right, we like try to jam all four of them. 1 (1m 7s): Yep. Yeah. Together 2 (1m 8s): Into one coherent narrative. And so we are not gonna do that on this, this podcast. We’re really gonna dig, take a deep dive into looking at just what does Mark say and why does Mark say it and all of those things. And I’m, I’m super excited. Brian, why are you excited to talk about the gospel of Mark? I 1 (1m 28s): Mean, for a lot of those same reasons, I think before I, so I studied film production in college, but I also studied religion in college. And when I added religion as a second area of focus, my parents were like, when we said double major or minor, we meant like math or business, not another, not useless, but not another soft area of study. So I am, I stu, this is like my jam. I studied religion in undergrad. One of my classes that I took was actually just the entire name of the class was called Jesus. So I kept saying I have to go to Jesus class. And I think my friends all semester long thought that I was like, it was actually like religion 4 0 3, like the world of the New Testament or something like that. 1 (2m 11s): And they were, and it was like, no, it was like religion 4 0 3 colon, Jesus. So I’m really excited to sort of like be nerdy about that. I also, like you, I think before, before studying this had a similar approach of the gospels of like, they all tell different parts of the same story and we can sort of like smush them all together to get a coherent picture. And you know, even just sort of like a, an activity pageant at church has the gospel of Matthew and the gospel of Luke smush together and there’s no births and they’re totally, totally different, but they get smushed together in our popular imagination and there’s no birth story in in Mark, which we’ll get to. 1 (2m 54s): But, so I’m excited about that just from like a nerdy sort of like I get to dive into this world of academia that I I that I find it fascinating and hopefully make it interesting for y’all. But I think also on a personal level that this sort of work of seeing the gospels for w

We had the pleasure of speaking with activist and author, Edafe Okporo. Edafe was born in Warri, Nigeria. He migrated to the United States in 2016 as an asylum seeker and is now a refugee of the United States. He is a global gay rights activist, the founder of Refuge America, and one of the country’s most visible voices on the issue of displacement. We spoke about the issues of detainment for immigrants in the US, especially difficult for trans people seeking asylum and LGBTQ people. Edafe’s story is inspiring and powerful, reminding us that our work for equality must include marginalized people in the immigrant community. Edafe is the author of the book “ASYLUM: A Memoir and Manifesto.” He brings a personal commitment to his refugee work and the premise of his book- that home is not where you feel safe and welcome only but also how you make others feel safe and welcome.   Learn more about Edafe: Web: https://www.edafeokporo.com/ Linktree: https://linktr.ee/edafeokporo IG: https://www.instagram.com/edafeokporo Order your copy of ASYLUM, A Memoir & manifesto: https://www.edafeokporo.com/book To learn more about the immigration detention system in the U.S: https://www.freedomforimmigrants.org/ https://www.refugeamerica.org/   Resources: Join our online community at  Sanctuary Collective Community  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   This transcript was generated by AI and may contain errors or omissions. Rubrik (0s): AI agents are everywhere automating tasks and making decisions at machine speed. But agents make mistakes. Just one rogue agent can do big damage before you even notice. Rubrik Agent Cloud is the only platform that helps you monitor agents, set guardrails, and rewind mistakes so you can unleash agents not risk. Accelerate your AI transformation@rubrik.com. That’s R-U-B-R-I k.com. American Giant (30s): With the state of today’s economy, it is more important than ever to invest in products that last for years to come. As the season shift and get cooler, make sure your closet is stocked with durable layers that stand the test of time. From American, giant American giant’s, clothes work harder and are wearable season after season, their greatest hoodie ever made is made of the highest quality materials that are cut and sewn right here in the United States. So your investing right back into your local community. Choosing American Giant means taking a stand for American manufacturing and hardworking Americans, something other mega corporations don’t care about. From fleece to knit, all in a range of colors. For versatile daily wear, American Giant delivers everyday pieces designed for everyday life. Feel the difference of quality made to last close from American Giant. Get 20% off your first order with Code Staple twenty@americangiant.com. That’s 20% off your first order@americangiant.com with code Staple 20. 3 (1m 40s): Welcome to the Queer Theology Podcast. I’m Brian G. Murphy. 4 (1m 43s): And I’m Father Shannon TL Kerns. We’re the co-founders of queer theology.com and your hosts 3 (1m 47s): From Genesis, revelation. The Bible declares good news, LGBTQ plus people, and we want to show you how 4 (1m 53s): Tune in each week on Sunday for conversations about Christianity, queerness and transness, and how they can enrich one another. We’re glad you’re here. Hello and welcome back to the Queer Theology Podcast. This week we are continuing our series on angelic troublemakers. Last week we talked to a veteran of the fight, and this week we’re talking to someone who’s newer. We’re delighted to be interviewing Afi Ro AFI is the author of the book Asylum, a memoir and manifesto. And in it he brings a personal commitment to his refugee work and the premise of the book that home is not where you feel safe and welcome

For this interview, we are excited to talk with Millie, more well known as Milli Not So Vanilli on social media. She is a 34-year-old Jewish mother and “accidental” TikTok creator. We learn how her grandmother has inspired her to speak out and how she is her greatest source of inspiration; her grandmother had been a Holocaust survivor and her grandfather was a victim of McCarthyism. We discuss how important it is for Christians to learn about their own history, to learn about Jewish history, and why this will help end prevalent misconceptions about Judaism and Jews. She also explains how anti-Semitism is accepted and widespread throughout Christian belief teachings and what Christians can do to unlearn and reframe these damaging beliefs in order to be a good ally for Jews. Millie reminds us how important and relevant this work is today and what you can do now to be a Christian without spreading anti-Semitic rhetoric. Millie celebrates Jewish diversity and advocates for a more inclusive and accepting Jewish community. She believes in Jewish empowerment through knowledge and awareness of Jewish history and believes a better understanding of Jewish history and who Jews are as a people is the best way to fight antisemitism. Learn more about Millie at: IG: https://www.instagram.com/milli_not_so_vanilli/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@milli_not_so_vanilli https://linktr.ee/milli_not_so_vanilli Links from the episode: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/ https://www.rabbisandralawson.com/   Resources: Join our online community at  Sanctuary Collective Community  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   This transcript was generated by AI and may contain errors or omissions. 1 (10s): Welcome to the Queer Theology Podcast. I’m Brian G. Murphy. 2 (13s): And I’m Father Shannon TL Kerns. We’re the co-founders of queer theology.com and your hosts from 1 (17s): Genesis, revelation. The Bible declares good news, LGBTQ plus people, and we want to show you how 2 (23s): Tuning in each week on Sunday for conversations about Christianity, queerness and transness, and how they can enrich one another. We’re glad you’re here. 1 (33s): Sanctuary Collective is an online community of LGBQ, Christians and straight cisgender supporters from all over the world. 2 (39s): We encourage one another, laugh together, form friendships and learn too. 1 (43s): When you join the community, you get access to workshops, courses, and quarterly worship experiences, 2 (48s): But more than that, you get access to a network of people who get it and who will journey with you. To find out more, go to queer theology.com/community. 1 (57s): I am so excited about our guest today, Millie, who on TikTok is Millie? Not so. Vanilli is, I think the TikTok who trained the TikTok algorithm into sending me in deep, deep, deep into the world of Jewish TikTok. And I am so thankful for her. I have learned so much from her. Many, many videos about Judaism and antisemitism on her TikTok and on her Instagram, and we had a really beautiful conversation with her. Millie is a 34-year-old Jewish mother and accidental TikTok creator. Her grandparents are her greatest source of inspiration. Her grandmother, having been a Holocaust survivor and her grandfather, a victim of McCarthyism. 1 (1m 41s): Millie, celebrates Jewish diversity and advocates for a more inclusive and accepting Jewish community. She believes in Jewish empowerment through knowledge and awareness of Jewish history and believes a better understanding of Jewish history and who Jews are as a people is the best way to fight antisemitism. Pako up. You are in for a real Treats today. Hello, Millie, and thank you so much for joining us on the podcast today. I’m really excited to dive into your backgrounds and your experiences as a creator on TikTok. 3 (2m 14s): Yeah, tha

We’re revisiting our interview episode 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/   Resources: Join our online community at  Sanctuary Collective Community    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   This transcript was generated by AI and may contain errors or omissions. (9s): Welcome to the Queer Theology Podcast. I’m Brian G. Murphy. And I’m Father Shannon TL Kerns. We’re the co-founders of queer theology.com and your hosts from Genesis, revelation. The Bible declares good news, LGBTQ plus people, and we want to show you how Tuning each week on Sunday for conversations about Christianity, queerness and transness, and how they can enrich one another. We’re glad you’re here. I’m so, so, so excited. Dr. Christina Cleveland PhD is a social psychologist, public theologian, author and activist. She’s the founder and director of the Center for Justice and Renewal, as well as its sister organization, sacred Folk, which creates resources to stimulate people’s spiritual imaginations and support their journeys toward liberation. (50s): An award-winning researcher and, and former professor at Duke University’s Divinity School. Christina lives in Boston, Massachusetts. Today I’m this episode Father Shea talks with her about her extensive work as well as her book, God as a Black woman looking at her pilgrimages to visit black Madonna’s. And so much insight in this one. I cannot wait for you to, to hear it. Enjoy. Well, we’ve already read your fancy bio, but I would love to start by asking, like if we were at a cocktail party, a fun cocktail party, and someone asked you to introduce yourself and what you do, how do you, how do you explain yourself and your work? (1m 33s): I usually tell people that I’m an artist who stimulates spiritual imaginations, and I’m someone that curates and gathers adventurous people who wanna go beyond what they think they know about spirituality. Hmm. That’s amazing. I love that. I, I am obsessed with your book. It’s so, so, so good. And one of the things that I, I was really struck by is like, you write so beautifully about finding God in the particularity of your and her experience as a black woman. And then you also open that up to sharing how finding that is not just for black women. (2m 17s): And I, and I think so often people assume that theologies from the particulars are just for people who share those particulars. And I wonder if you can start out by sharing a little bit more about why it matters that people who aren’t from those particulars learn from seeing God in this way. Hmm. Well, I can tell you why it’s been so important for me to learn from theological viewpoints that are really different from my own. I don’t think I could have gone on my journey, to be honest, without Palestinian liberation theology about seven or eight years ago when I was first getting connected to liberation theology. (2m 59s): Of course, I was reading the Black Liberation theologians, both male and female and non-binary. But it was so powerful for me to hear, like read Nama Te, who was talking about Samson as the first suicide bomber. And just that just stimulated my,