A reader asked us if there’s any truth to this statement from his favorite drama series Greenleaf, “The only way to work on the church is to be in it.” Do LGBTQ folks just endure the anxiety, stress, and judgment that non-affirming churches and its members bring on us in order to bring about change? We answer that, and more, in today’s episode.
We also queer 2 passages — 1 from Isaiah, 1 from Romans — that talk about our salvation: what is it, how do we achieve it, and the work that still needs to be done. We are reminded that God has the heart for justice and we are called to be part of that work. Make sure you stay tuned.
Things we talked about:
- Brian’s life updates: drag queen shows, date nights, and zoom time [0:40]
- Fr. Shay possibly going back to being a hermit, playwriting class [3:55]
- Reader question [9:33]
- You don’t have to stay in order to make a church change [11:24]
- Very similar to our fight against police brutality [13:23]
- Make queerphobia an unsustainable position [16:46]
- If you decide to stay in an unaffirming church, here’s what to do if you are in solidarity with LGBT people [20:10]
- Queering the Bible: Isaiah 56:1, 6-8 & Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32 [25:00]
- Social justice warrior Christians are just taking the Bible seriously [27:00]
- Christians in general, set up a dichotomy of who is in and who is out [29:57]
- The key piece of this passage [31:07]
Essay mentioned in this episode
Links mentioned in this episode
- QueerTheology.com’s online community: Sanctuary Collective
- Transgender course waitlist
If you want to support the Patreon and help keep the podcast up and running, you can learn more and pledge your support at patreon.com/queertheology
If you’d like to be featured in future episodes, email your question or Bible passage suggestion to connect@queertheology.com
Isaiah 56:1, 6-8
The Lord says:
Act justly and do what is righteous,
because my salvation is coming soon,
and my righteousness will be revealed.
The immigrants who have joined me,
serving me and loving my name, becoming my servants,
everyone who keeps the Sabbath without making it impure,
and those who hold fast to my covenant:
I will bring them to my holy mountain,
and bring them joy in my house of prayer.
I will accept their entirely burned offerings and sacrifices on my altar.
My house will be known as a house of prayer for all peoples,
says the Lord God,
who gathers Israel’s outcasts.
I will gather still others to those I have already gathered.
Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32
So I ask you, has God rejected his people? Absolutely not! I’m an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God hasn’t rejected his people, whom he knew in advance. Or don’t you know what the scripture says in the case of Elijah, when he pleads with God against Israel?
God’s gifts and calling can’t be taken back. Once you were disobedient to God, but now you have mercy because they were disobedient. In the same way, they have also been disobedient because of the mercy that you received, so now they can receive mercy too. God has locked up all people in disobedience, in order to have mercy on all of them.
Photo by Mic Narra