In today’s episode, we answer a reader question from Tumblr. He thinks that religions started out as anti-LGBT and over time many of them changed their views and became affirming. He wants to know: even though a lot of these religions are now advocates and allies of LGBTQ+ people, how can we be certain that being LGBTQ is not a sin considering that religious history? 

We also queer a text from Romans: It’s one of those passages that often gets used against queer and trans folks, but don’t worry, that’s not the path that we’re going for today. What does it mean to be “weak in faith” and how does being LGBTQ fit in (or not) with that? Tune in to hear our take.

Key takeaways:

• Fr. Shay recovery update [0:45]
• Brian’s New York City quarantine update [1:51]
• Reader question from Tumblr [3:54]
• Not realizing that we are swimming in white supremacy?[4:28]
• We bring our own assumptions to texts [6:42]
• Queering the Bible: Romans 14:1-12 [9:24] 
• Fr. Shay’s belief in honoring God while being queer [11:38]
• You don’t have to have queer sex [13:51]
• On having the inner sense of faith, self-confidence, and assurance — it is a gift [15:11]
• We need to do the work to figure out what it is we actually believe [17:14]
• When and where to put up boundaries on your convictions? [19:34]

Link(s) mentioned in this episode:

LIVE from Q Christian Fellowship Conference with Sarah Ngu of Church Clarity
Queertheology.com/is-it-ok
QueerTheology.com/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

If you’d like to be featured in future episodes, email your question or Bible passage suggestion to connect@queertheology.com 

Romans 14:1-12

Welcome the person who is weak in faith—but not in order to argue about differences of opinion. One person believes in eating everything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Those who eat must not look down on the ones who don’t, and the ones who don’t eat must not judge the ones who do, because God has accepted them. Who are you to judge someone else’s servants? They stand or fall before their own Lord (and they will stand, because the Lord has the power to make them stand). One person considers some days to be more sacred than others, while another person considers all days to be the same. Each person must have their own convictions. Someone who thinks that a day is sacred, thinks that way for the Lord. Those who eat, eat for the Lord, because they thank God. And those who don’t eat, don’t eat for the Lord, and they thank the Lord too.  We don’t live for ourselves and we don’t die for ourselves. If we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we belong to God.  This is why Christ died and lived: so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living. But why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you look down on your brother or sister? We all will stand in front of the judgment seat of God. Because it is written,

As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me,

    and every tongue will give praise to God.

So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

Photo by Logan Fisher