In today’s episode, we answer a question from one of our listeners, “Why do LGBTQ individuals need to be the light?” While it’s an honor to be viewed as such, our answer might surprise you — or not, so tune in for that.
We also queer the text from Exodus which is relatable not only at a macro level but also on a personal level. This text clearly illuminates the frailty and weakness of humans especially around the concepts of being patient and desiring comfort all the time.
Key takeaways:
- Brian’s life update: depression, therapy and living today to the fullest [0:39]
- Fr. Shay’s playwright retreat [3:32]
- Listener question [6:30]
- Putting our salvation on other people is harmful [7:49]
- Straight, cisgender folks’ comfort gets prioritized over queer folks [9:39]
- More about Transfigured: A Course in Trans Theology [13:32]
- Queering the Bible: Exodus 17:1-7 [16:19]
- The weakness of humans to easily question God once something bad happens [17:34]
- How quickly we dismiss something if we don’t get instantaneous results [18:15]
- The path to healing is sometimes uncomfortable at first [20:56]
Link(s) mentioned in this episode:
Transfigured: A Course in Trans Theology: queertheology.com/enroll
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If you’d like to be featured in future episodes, email your question or Bible passage suggestion to connect@queertheology.com
Exodus 17:1-7
The whole Israelite community broke camp and set out from the Sin desert to continue their journey, as the Lord commanded. They set up their camp at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. The people argued with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.”
Moses said to them, “Why are you arguing with me? Why are you testing the Lord?”
But the people were very thirsty for water there, and they complained to Moses, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt to kill us, our children, and our livestock with thirst?”
So Moses cried out to the Lord, “What should I do with this people? They are getting ready to stone me.”
The Lord said to Moses, “Go on ahead of the people, and take some of Israel’s elders with you. Take in your hand the shepherd’s rod that you used to strike the Nile River, and go. I’ll be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Hit the rock. Water will come out of it, and the people will be able to drink.” Moses did so while Israel’s elders watched. He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites argued with and tested the Lord, asking, “Is the Lord really with us or not?”
Photo by Aarón Blanco Tejedor