Posts Tagged ‘biblical interpretation’
The Role of Churches in Ending Anti-Sodomy Laws
We once again celebrated Pride month and many LGBTQI people and their allies in the global north revelled in the hard-won advances for the recognition of human rights for our communities. But 73 countries across the world still criminalize private same-gender intimacy between consenting adults, with 11 imposing the death penalty. These so-called anti-sodomy laws…
Read MoreQueering the Creation Story: Painting Tiamat/Tehom
In Genesis 1 we read, “In beginning, God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.” It is the creation narrative held dear, formative, and meaningful for countless Jews and Christians.…
Read MoreGrowing Up As An Asexual Christian
I grew up in a Methodist Church in a small town in North Carolina. When I reached my pre-teen years, I moved from the children’s programming to Methodist Youth Fellowship, or MYF. Most of the time, I felt comfortable with the lessons they were teaching. Except for the talks about sex and sexual purity. The…
Read MoreFor Believers of All Stripes
I was 13 and sitting in the basement of my childhood home in the Amish-laden countryside of Pennsylvania. “Crystal, are you a lesbian?” A Twizzler stuck in my throat. What a pointed thing to ask. In my youth, I didn’t quite grasp the magnitude of the question, especially coming from a gaggle of church-schooled teenage…
Read MoreRecovering from Conversion Therapy One Bible Story at a Time
When I first came out gay in 1999, many gay Christians and queer scholars were asking, “Who is gay/lesbian in the Bible?” Some pointed to Jonathan and David. Others to Ruth and Naomi. There were rumors of a gay Roman Centurion. I understood why people were on a quest to find gay Bible characters. After…
Read MoreQueering The Song Of Songs: Painting The Shulamite
Return, return, the Shulamite. Return, return, and let us gaze on you. How will you gaze on Shulamite in the dance of the two camps? How beautiful are your sandaled feet, O prince’s daughter. The curves of your (quivering) thighs are like jewels crafted by artist hands. Your vulva a rounded bowl; may it never…
Read MoreSearching For A Transgender Theology
Recently one of my pastors wanted to do a series about bodies and how we live in them as Christians. As part of this she put out a call on Facebook: did we know any books by Queer theologians, particularly from voices in traditionally marginalized communities (trans, POC, female, and others)? As one of the…
Read MoreThe Truth About Homophobia In The Black Community
The general public may have been surprised by the results of a survey released by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), which found that African Americans overwhelmingly support policies that promote greater equality for LGBT people. In fact, more than any other racial group, African Americans believe that businesses and the government should not be…
Read MoreIn Defense Of Thomas’ Doubt
The Apostle Thomas gets a raw deal. Really, in mainstream American Christianity, and in the secular popular imagination, he gets reduced to some kind of one-dimensional figure, known only for a moment in which he was proven wrong. He’s “Doubting Thomas,” the one witness to the resurrected Christ who takes a moment to think rationally…
Read MoreAt Brentwood Cathedral, Year of Mercy Mass Strives to Welcome LGBT People
During Lent in England’s Diocese of Brentwood, the Cathedral of St. Mary and St. Helen scheduled a Mass for the LGBT community, in honor of the Jubilee Year of Mercy. While the Dean of the Cathedral, Fr. Martin Boland, presided at the liturgy, the homily, based on the story of the woman caught in adultery…
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