Taking the Long Way

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Hello again! We hope you enjoyed our first lesson, The Bible: It Get’s Better, where we shared our own journeys that led us to come out about our belief that the Bible can be relevant for queer folks.

Turns out we just can’t get enough of journeys (and we don’t just mean the band)! John preached on Mark 10: 35-45  just two days ago, but we felt there were some more themes we’d like to explore with you fabulous folk.

Check out the passage from the New Revised Standard Version then watch the video and add your thoughts to our kiki box!

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, ‘Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.’ And he said to them, ‘What is it you want me to do for you?’ And they said to him, ‘Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.’ But Jesus said to them, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?’ They replied, ‘We are able.’ Then Jesus said to them, ‘The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.’

When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John.So Jesus called them and said to them, ‘You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.’

Join in on the lesson below where we talk about the disciples’ and our own need for quick results when it comes to the things we want (e.g. wishing our frenemies in the church would just disappear, or get over their heterosexism).

We’re eager to hear: What you have learned from the journeys in your life? When have you just wanted the journey to end?

(also p.s. yes, this blog title WAS inspired by the famed Dixie Chicks song. duh!)

The Bible: It Gets Better

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Before we delve into specific texts, we wanted to share how it is that we understand this book the Christian tradition considers sacred: the bible.

This has been a journey. Due to the way we saw it being used against LGBT people, the bible became something we considered irrelevant to our lives.  We turned away. There was no way for us to access these stories in a way that was healing, hopeful, and gave us life.

But eventually something changed. We both attended seminary where we were opened up to new possibilities; new ways of reading that resonated with us and our experiences as queer people. Alex began to understand that Jesus was the one standing up for him, the one on his side. John realized that the stories in the bible were stories of people like him, trying to discern where God was moving in their lives.

Now when we read the bible we are able to reject the transphobic and homophobic  interpretations we were taught. We can play and dream of new realities God is bringing into the world. And we want to share that with you. We realized it wasn’t doing anyone any good to keep our understandings of all of the queer things that happen in the bible a secret.

This video is the story of how we were changed, and we are left wondering…

What has your journey with the bible been like? What were you taught? What have you been able to let go of, to move on from? How do you understand the bible today? Where are you still stuck?

Not Your Grandmother’s Sunday School

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We, transfabulous Alex and homogay John, grew up going to Sunday School just like you may have. We also grew up hearing the same homophobic and transphobic religious arguments. And since then we’ve learned, it was bullshit. Turns out, the bible can be read in a way that doesn’t hate on our fabulousness. In case you were wondering, there are many wonderful resources that disprove the hateful things we heard the Scriptures said about queer and trans people.

In seminary (yes, we mastered the divine) and during our own bible study we learned that the Bible could be fun and actually had things in it we found relevant to our lives! Imagine that!

The more you know…

But we don’t think there’s enough of this going around. Why isn’t everyone talking about the fact that Jonathan and David clearly got it on, or that the Beloved Disciple was totally hot, or that Mary Magdalene was one fierce diva, or that Ruth and Naomi were more than just BFFs, or that Jesus totally transitioned? We could go on, but don’t take our words for it! Or do.

We are sick and tired of the Bible being used to justify discrimination against the oppressed. We’re also sick and tired of having to justify who we are, so we started this project to go beyond the basics. We’re ready to dig into our Christian tradition and celebrate the complex queerness of our lives. Queer Sunday School is the project of two queer future Presbyterian ministers on a mission to reclaim the Bible as a source of liberation.

So what exactly are we going to do during Queer Sunday School? The core of Queer Sunday School will our felt-board-free videos where we will play with biblical passages and theology, comment on newsy stuff, and whatever else tickles our fancy. In addition to that we will write individually and together about subjects that take a little more nuance. If you’re already itching for more, check out our personal sites, Presbyqueerian.com and PluckyPresby.com.

We also hope to create a community. Starting with you. It wouldn’t be Sunday School without your participation and we won’t even make you raise your hand! Each “lesson” will include an invitation for responses. Please chat us up in the comments, be our Twitter buddies, and love us on Facebook. Aren’t we such tech-savy homos?! We’ll see you ‘round the interwebs and can’t wait to kiki with you soon.

Check out our welcome video below…

And you can go ahead and join our first lesson, The Bible: It Gets Better!