In this 40-day devotional you’ll find entries from a queer and trans perspective written to support you in strengthening your faith and affirming your identity." (from website)
For more information and purchasing (paperback, kindle and digital pdf), see
https://www.queertheology.com/devotional/
Dr. Christena Cleveland's book, God Is a Black Woman, is definitely worth a read or three.
Here's a quote from an interview done with Dr. Cleveland on the Queer Theology podcast:
"And so when the Black Madonna says, I'm completely reordering the pecking order per se, it means putting black trans women at top - on the top.
So when I say if God's a black woman, then she must be a black trans woman. Yeah, I was surprised. I, I shouldn't have been because my trans friends have talked to me about TERFs [trans-exclusionary radical feminists], but I was surprised by how many people - TERFs - were really upset that I included black trans women in my discussion of God as a black woman. And it did make me more, more convinced because that, that behavior suggests that TERFs don't think that trans black women are sacred."
From https://www.queertheology.com/podcast/459/
Find out more about this book and Christena Cleveland:
According to the Google dictionary,
benevolent means well meaning and kindly and has the following roots:
Both parts are from Latin.
"bene" meaning well; "velle" meaning to wish.
bene volent = well wishing
benevolent.
Something said about royalty, as in "He was a benevolent ruler."
As king, he acted in ways which showed he wished well upon his subjects.
But who needs Latin, when you can speak French.
The word "bene" is quite similar to the French "bien", which in English is "good"
The French word "volent" means to steal.
So benevolent could also mean "good thief"
Something also said about royalty, as in, "He was a good thief."
As in, the king was good at stealing. So good, that no one even thought of him as a thief.
Not even when he stole millions of acres of land from Indigenous peoples around the world. Or when he stole the lives of millions of people by enslaving them...
Just something to think about ...
This post has nothing to do with the main theme of this blog, which is an exploration of exclusion and embrace. This is about another love of mine - architecture.
I recently came across a well-designed house by Heliotrope Architects, featured in several magazines.
They all have great pictures similar to this one. One of the articles also includes floor plans of the main floor and lower level, but not of the upper floor. So I created a possible version of the second floor, based on pictures and description from the articles along with the footprint and layout of the lower floors. Am sharing it here for anyone else who appreciates this house and is wondering what the upper floor might be like.
The Anglican Diocese of Edmonton has just released a document "Finding Our Way", which summarizes what our new (as of Sept 2021) Bishop has heard and how he wants to move forward.
Intro: https://edmonton.anglican.ca/pages/finding-our-way
Actual Finding Our Way (PDF)
Read the full article on uncertain spaces and declared spaces, with additional examples and stories.
Performative allyship is when your place of worship has an LGBTQ sticker at the door and a Pride flag on their website but it …
doesn't talk about sexuality and gender
doesn't discuss the use of gendered language
doesn't have all gender washrooms
doesn't invite openly LGBTQ speakers to speak
doesn't mention that they perform same-sex weddings
doesn't have clear LGBTQ anti-discrimination policies
And those are just six practical things that are often missed by performative allies...
Now read about the deeper things that many churches are also missing when it comes to actually being inclusive and embracing of queer folx, in my article:
You may have read this excerpt on social media of a story about the Queen and someone at the Platinum Jubilee parade.
“Well,” said the Queen to the homeless man at the edge of the parade, “Where do you go from here?”
“I am not sure, your majesty,” the man answered with a tear. “You see I lost my job and my children have all grown up and gone on their separate ways.”
The man continued, “I am now homeless as I have nowhere else to stay.”
“Well, my friend,” the Queen replied to him, “This will never do at all!”
“I too am all alone. You can move into my palace. I’m sure we will have a ball.”
The man looked up and asked, “Will there be something to eat, dear Queen?”
"Of course," she replied, “The biggest spread of sandwiches you’ve ever seen.”
“And cups of tea and crockery that you can drop and I will never never mind.”
The man replied “Your majesty, I accept your offer. You are very, very kind.”
Hmm, you say. Really? The Queen invited a homeless man to come live in her palace?
