Events

Many of us have been deeply wounded by toxic theology and spiritual abuse. The weaponization of sacred texts and doctrines too often violate our fundamental spiritual rights to be, become, and belong. Theology often becomes a conduit for intergenerational trauma, sometimes for thousands of years. The connection between trauma and theology is powerful — to our detriment, and possibly to our betterment. A trauma-informed theology can support a journey toward a trauma-integrating spiritual wholeness.

“From Trauma to Transformation” is a 4-part introductory series on the integration of traumatology and theology. Toxic theology creates trauma ruptures and residues, but a trauma-informed theology can support the restoration of nurturing connections with our selves, others, Spirit, and the planet.

The series will:

• Consider the connections between trauma and theology.

• Examine the the impact of toxic theology on our nervous system.

• Explore the possibility of theology as a conduit of intergenerational trauma in individuals and communities.

• Reconsider our interpretation of the stories of Holy Week and Easter through a trauma-informed hermeneutic.

• Each session will be accessible (not too academic), will include a trauma-informed spiritual practice, and time for Q&A.

So many LGBTQ+ folx and the people who love them have been wounded by a weaponization of the Bible (Jewish and Christian scriptures). Oft-called “clobber texts” or “terror texts,” a few verses plucked out of context, are often used as justification for exclusion and hate. The wounds from this colonization of texts and bodies are profound and often lasting. What makes this weaponization so outrageous is that the Bible is queer! And queer folx who what to should reclaim the sacredness of their bodies and the texts!

This Tuesday Talk series will help participants develop their own definition of “queer” that uses the transgressive and subversive as spiritual super powers of liberation. While “queer” includes affectional/sexual orientation, one need not be “gay” to be queer!

The series will spend some time dismantling the clobber texts, but the focus will be more on building a queer matrix for approaching the Bible and theology.

Tuesday, June 4: The Bible is Not a Weapon: Queering the Text

Let’s start with some basics: the Bible is not a weapon. It’s not! It’s a collection of sacred stories — and if someone misuses and abuses it in a way that is abusive or demeaning of your sacred worth, they have weaponized the sacred. Get away from them!

We’ll start with a broad overview of what the Bible is and how it came to be. We’ll begin crafting a definition of queer. And we’ll discover that many of the stories and characters have always been queer: transgressive, counter-cultural visionaries and prophetic bodies who proclaim a message of something radically different from the tyranny of the normal and normative.

Tuesday, June 11: Queering Jesus and Paul

Pop quiz: what did Jesus say about “homosexuality?” Answer: absolutely nothing! Next question: Jesus never married and hung out with a group of men. Was he gay? Answer: no clue. Final question: was Jesus a queer visionary? Answer: most definitely!

In this session we’ll consider the queerness of Jesus and Paul — no, not their sexual orientation. Their transgressive resistance to Empire. It’s true that Paul is problematic in many ways — and it is true that his letters provide some guidance for dismantling systemic oppression.

Tuesday, June 18: Sodom's Symbolism and the Holiness Code

For too long stories in the Hebrew Bible have been misinterpreted. We will dive into an understanding of Sodom and the holiness code that allows for a life giving reading. We will dive into the text to search for truth that speaks hope and justice into our world and not a harmful painful misconception.

Tuesday, June 25: Queer Theological Orientations

Most Wisdom Traditions make the claim that the divine/god/source is within us and available to us. If this is true, then queer bodies are a source and location of queer theology. What if we start with a theological orientation that god is queer — that queer is the place we begin, not the place where we arrive. How then might we queer our theological spaces of celebration, ritual and worship, and community in ways centered on a queer mission?

The Presenters

Your host and main presenter for the series is The Rev. Dr. Shannon Michael Pater, Psy.D. (he/they). “Shannon Michael” is the Intentional Interim Minister of First Congregational Church, an Open & Affirming UCC church in Fort Worth, TX. They are a trauma-informed spiritual director and this year is their 30th anniversary of their ordination. Born into Christianity and often raised by the church, they consistently call upon the church to honor its original mission: to be a queer-compassed community that is transgressive and subversive in its response to Empire and exclusion.

The special guest presenters on June 18 are Cantor Sheri Allen (she|her) and rabbinical intern puck glass (they|them|הוא), the clergy team for Makom Shelanu Congregation. Cantor Allen is the co=chair of the LGBTQ+ working group of the social justice commission and advocates for LGBTQ+ inclusion across interfaith lines. puck is a rabbinical student at the Jewish Theological Seminary in NYC and is passionate about leading social justice efforts that advocate for marginalized people.