Rainbow Mail: Queer Christian Letters In Response to the Epistles

"On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect."

1 Corinthians 12: 22-23

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Assignment Overview

In this exercise, the seminar will respond to selections from the Epistles. These texts are framed as letters to early Christian communities in the first century AD/CE. Many of them are written by St. Paul who is considered by many to be the first theologian of Christianity, on the grounds that he did not encounter Jesus before his death. They represent one part of an ongoing correspondence between members of a faith tradition that was still defining itself. Readers can imagine the epistles that were written before or after the letters that are available in Christian Bibles. In fact, that is exactly the task for today!

Breaking into small groups, you will form committees working for the Queer Christianity Congregation. As an emerging church, you have received a series of letters and texts from fellow members of "The Way," especially from one very passionate convert from Tarsus, Paul. Because of the number and fervor of the correspondence, each committee is tasked with responding to a different item in the mail bag, taking care to represent the mission of the open and affirming, pro-LGBTQI ministry at the Queer Christianity Congregation. Indeed, the particular letters you are tasked with engaging today articulate Paul's problematic theology around gender and sexuality.

As a 21st century ministry, your committee's response will take the form of a Youtube "mail-bag" video. Each video will be about 7-10 minutes, including (1) a restatement of the letter's content, especially those passages which reflect problematic theology around gender and sexuality, (2) counter-arguments that critique the fallacies of the letter, and (3) an acknowledgement of points where the letter's statements or spirit might be synthesized for the Queer Christianity Congregation without betraying any of its missions. The video should take time at the end to respond to at least 3 comments from the viewers.

Note: as an in-class exercise, the "video" may be a framing device for an oral report before the class and the commenters are questions raised by the fellow class-mates. An actual video need not be produced. Alternatively, a written letter may take the place of a video or oral presentation if circumstances make those methods difficult.

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Sample Groups

Group 1: Queer Love
1 Romans 1

Read "1 Romans 1" with special attention given to lines 22-27.

"22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools; 23 and they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling a mortal human being or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles.

24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the degrading of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them up to degrading passions. Their women exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural, 27 and in the same way also the men, giving up natural intercourse with women, were consumed with passion for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in their own persons the due penalty for their error."

Terms to research: gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, gynosexual, androsexual.

Group 2: Queer Afterlives

1 Corinthians 6

Read "1 Corinthians 6" with special attention given to lines 9-11.

"9 Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites, 10 thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers—none of these will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And this is what some of you used to be. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God."

Terms to research: cisgender privilege, down low, in the closet, coming out, heterosexism, heteronormativity, HIV-phobia, stealth.

Group 3: Christian BDSM

Ephesians 5: 22-33

Read "Ephesians 5:22-33" with special attention given to lines 22-24.

"22 Wives, be subject to your husbands as you are to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is the head of the church, the body of which he is the Savior. 24 Just as the church is subject to Christ, so also wives ought to be, in everything, to their husbands."

Terms to research: BDSM, bottom, top, versatile, femme, butch, and switch.

Group 4: Queer Identity

Galatians 3

Read "Galatians 3" with special attention given to lines 27-28.

"27 As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus."

Terms to research: agender, asexual, androgynous, gender queer, gender fluid, bisexual, and pansexual.

Alternative Scripture

The assignment might also be expanded to include other texts or pieces of scripture that are not in letter form. Playing on the theme of anti-LGBTQI passages, Genesis 18 might be one such candidate. The questions may have to be adjusted in these cases.

Group 5: Sodom and Sodomy

Genesis 18-19

Read "Genesis 18-19" with special attention given to when and why Sodom is condemned to destruction and what the primary crimes are against the angels and their protectors.

"18: 20 Then the Lord said, “How great is the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah and how very grave their sin! 21 I must go down and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me; and if not, I will know.”"

"19:4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house; 5 and they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, so that we may know them.” 6 Lot went out of the door to the men, shut the door after him, 7 and said, “I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. 8 Look, I have two daughters who have not known a man; let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please; only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof.”"

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Starter Questions

1) What is the overall message of the letter? What are the specific claims that address gender and sexuality? How are they phrased and imagined? What are the underlying cultural, leaps in logic, and theological assumptions that seem to underpin the claims?

2) Does the overall message correspond to the core values and beliefs of the Queer Christianity Congregation? How might the specific claims be answered directly? How might the phrasing of the letter be deconstructed or reimagined? In what respects are the cultural differences between Paul and the QCC made evident? What leaps of logic are rather too far for credulity? What theology or scripture might be offered to counter the letter's claims?

3) Granting that in either the specifics or in the general spirit of the letter there is something positive to be received, what elements or sentiments of the letter might still be useful for the Queer Christianity Congregation?

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Queer Christianity: The Medieval Orientations of C.S. Lewis

"There is no safe investment. 

To love at all is to be vulnerable. 

Love anything, and your heart will certainly 

be wrung and possibly be broken. "

C.S. Lewis

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Course Overview

We live in a moment when the relationship between queerness and Christianity is being reconsidered and hotly debated. To better understand this debate, as well as the differences and potential common ground between members of the queer and Christian communities (including those who belong to both!), this seminar examines the history of Christianity and its relationship to queerness. Is Christianity a force for domination or liberation? Orthodoxy or creative multiplicity? Normativity or queerness? To answer these questions, we will read literature that explores how Christianity has both suppressed and in some sense created queerness, as well as how it has been reclaimed by queer communities. We will also look closely at how these historical tensions are being played out locally today. Special attention also will be given to the range of intersecting identities and communities that have responded to the meeting of faith and sexuality in various ways, drawing from diverse contexts of race, ability/disability, gender, and class. Readings include selections from the Bible, books about theology, and documentaries and memoirs attesting to the experience of LGBT Christians. In particular, this semester we explore the "Medieval Orientations of C.S. Lewis." In this four part course, we interrogate the long dialectical history between LGBTQIA persons and the Christian Church. At this intersection stands C.S. Lewis, a pillar of Christianity to be queered, as well as a representative of many queer medieval orientations towards gender and sexuality. So grab your copy of Mere Christianity and a pack of rainbow markers!

The seminar begins with a queer reading of scripture, focusing on key sections of the Jewish and Christian Bible which address gender and sexuality. We begin by considering the meanings and purposes of the Creation myths from Genesis I and II, as well as how God as Creator has been understood and represented within later Christian thought; such as the singing into being of Narnia and Middle Earth in the fiction of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. What happens when we look as Creation not as a fixed made object but rather as a dynamic sometimes rhyming, sometimes dissonant ever changing song? Next, the books of Law are read within their historical and cultural context alongside the concepts of moral philosophy: are there true ethical ideals, natural laws which inform social justice, or true selves which deserve honor and respect? The person, preaching and practices of Jesus - from the sermon on the plains to his summation of the law and the prophets - will be added together in order to assess their implications for LGBTQIA persons. Finally, students will consider to what degree the legacy of Jesus in the Christian Church was affected by the various interpretations of the Apostles such as their Acts and the letters of St. Paul.

Following the eras in which scripture was being composed and compiled, we turn to the traditions of theology which have influenced how Christian churches have related to gender and sexuality. Influential early theologians such as Augustine and Aquinas will be queried and queered as they are put into conversation with various queer saints from St. Hildegard to St. Marinos and St. Joan of Arc. Modern queer theology will also be considered for its content and style, demonstrating how different theologians and eras approach questions of identity and embodiment in different ways. A running theme of this section is the philosophies of love and desire which run from Plato and Augustine to C.S. Lewis and Mr. Rogers. Next, the Queer Christianity seminar will move from Philosophy to Art and Literature to consider the ways in which afterlives figure into Church doctrine and into the LGBTQI community. How do trans women deal with the hells into which they are placed and imagined? Where does Dante locate queerness in his vision of Purgatory? How does Queer Christianity walk between the roads towards the shadowlands or to the bright country from C.S. Lewis's Great Divorce? The semester ends by leveraging the skills in exegesis, theology, and imagination against the institutions of ex-gay ministries in the films The Transformation, God Loves Uganda, and the Miseducation of Cameron Post.

Course Objectives

By the end of the course you will be able to

• Think critically across multiple perspectives
• Engage with thinkers who passionately disagree with you
• Argue according to the dialectic method
• Compose your thoughts in clear and engaging writing
• Honor differences as important to propelling your thinking forward

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Selections from the Reading List

Queer Scripture

• The Bible
• Creation Myths
• The Law
• Jesus
• The Apostles

• Austen Hartke, Transforming: The Bible and the Lives of Transgender Christians, Westminster John Knox Press (2018), 978-0664263102

• C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, HarperOne (2015), 978-0060652920
• C.S. Lewis, Perelandra (Space Trilogy, Book 2), Scribner (2003), 978-0743234917

Queer Theology

• St. Augustine of Hippo, The Confessions
• St. Augustine of Hippo, The City of God
• St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica
• St. Hildegard Von Bingen, Primary Sources
• St. Marinos the Monk, The Vita
• St. Joan of Arc, Primary Sources

• Barbara Sukowa (dir.) Vision - From the Life of Hildegard von Bingen, Zeitgeist Films (2011) 
• Morgan Neville (dir.) Won't You Be My Neighbor? Universal Studios (2018) B07D591ST1

• D.J. Lee, Rescuing Jesus, Ch. 8: Femmevangelical  
• K. Lochrie, Heterosyncrasies: Female Sexuality When Normal Wasn’t 
• M. Althaus-Reid, Queer God, Ch. 3: Trinitarians and God the Orgy 
• Plato, Symposium on Love, “Aristophanes,”
• Hedwig & the Angry Inch, “Origin of Love”   
• C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves, HarperOne (2017), 978-0062565396

Queer Afterlives

• Leelah Alcorn, Transgender Queen of Hell, Tumblr

• Marguerite Bennette, Angela: Queen of Hel, Marvel Comics (2016) 978-1302900014

• Dante, Purgatorio, Anchor Press (2004), 978-0385497008

• C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce, HarperOne (2015), 978-0060652951

(Ex-)Queer Ministries

• Aiken and Aparicio (dir.), The Transformation (1996) 

• Roger Ross Williams, God Loves Uganda (2013) 

• Desiree Akhavan, The Miseducation of Cameron Post (2018)

• C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man, HarperOne (2015), 978-0060652944

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The Council on Queer Christianity: LGBTQI Marriage and the Bible

"Where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people and your God my God."

Ruth 1:16

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The Bishops of the Queer Christian Church are writing brand new policies regarding the issues of marriage. To debate the issue, they have called you as experts to hold the First Council on Queer Christianity Because this is the 21st century, the council will be held online (not in the physical classroom), where participants will interrogate texts, respond to questions, debate proposals, and deliver decisions back to the Bishops. Beyond offering decisions for Queer Christian Church, the experts in the Cleveland Council will be demonstrating their acumen in close reading texts, considering contexts, dialectically arguing with one another, and collaboratively coming to a decision.

The First Council on Queer Christianity will begin at class-time (3:20 PM) on Monday, at which time the opening remarks will be made by each and all of the representative experts. Each post should be around four paragraphs with a paragraph devoted to a one particular line from each of the three required texts: Colossians 3, Ephesians 5, and Galatians 3. Posts must be made to Canvas by the START of class-time (3:20 PM). Next, the Council will enter the debating portion of the Council. Each of you have 24 hours (until 3:20 PM on TUESDAY) to submit AT LEAST two responses to two different experts’ opening remarks. Remember to try the “yes, and…” or “yes, however…” structure of arguing. Remember that dialectic argumentation is all about meeting THESIS with ANTITHESIS in order to arrive at an improved SYNTHESIS. Consider many sides.

Finally, in class-time (48 hours after the start of council) we will reconvene in the seminar room to bring the debate to give closing remarks and make recommendations.

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Questions to the Council

Required Readings:

Colossians 3, Ephesians 5, and Galatians 3.
Reference each at least once but focus on particular lines.

Questions:

WHO (with what qualities) should be married?

• Consider the qualities of gender in the potential partners
• Consider the qualities of sexuality in the potential partners
• Consider the ethical or spiritual qualities of the potential partners

WHAT roles (if any) should exist in marriage?

• Consider challenges posed by Feminism
• Consider challenges posed by Gay, Lesbian, Bi/Pan/Asexual partnerships
• Consider challenges potentially posed by Trans, Intersex, Non-Binary people

WHY should (or shouldn’t) marriage exist?

• Consider the role of property, law, social divides, and/or familial authority
• Consider the role of love, sexuality, and childbearing
• Consider the potential “spiritual” (broadly defined) purposes or dangers

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Additional Pedagogical Resources

Additional Queer and Transgender Studies

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Queer Christianity: Gender and Sexuality in the Church

"I would sit in church and always wonder, 

'In God's eyes, how does he see me?'"

Caitlyn Jenner
20/20 Interview

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Course Description and Outcomes

We live in a historical moment when the relationship between queerness and Christianity is being reconsidered and hotly debated. To better understand this debate, as well as the differences and potential common ground between members of the queer and Christian communities (including those who belong to both!), this seminar examines the history of Christianity and its relationship to queerness. Is Christianity a force for domination or liberation? Orthodoxy or creative multiplicity? Normativity or queerness? To answer these questions, we will read literature that explores how Christianity has both suppressed and in some sense created queerness, as well as how it has been reclaimed by queer communities. We will also look closely at how these historical tensions are being played out locally today. Special attention also will be given to the range of intersecting identities and communities that have responded to the meeting of faith and sexuality in various ways, drawing from diverse contexts of race, ability/disability, gender, and class. Readings include selections from the Bible, books about theology, and documentaries and memoirs attesting to the experience of LGBT Christians.

Course Objectives (Reflecting SAGES Learning Outcomes)

By the end of the course you will be able to T.E.A.C.H. on a range of ethical, historical, and aesthetic subjects:

• THINK critically on the rhetorical and ethical value of cultural narratives 
• ENGAGE respectfully across perspectives alongside and opposing your own 
• ARGUE dialectically with thesis driven claims that actively engage existing debates 
• COMPOSE collaboratively using evidenced-based research and peer-review 
• HONOR differences with nuance, complexity, and sympathy

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Selections from the Reading List

Queer Christianity is a seminar designed to prompt meditation and discussion on the long history and futures of gender and sexuality in Christianity as it grew, divided, and evolved from western Europe to the Americas. The course readings are more concentrated on fewer texts to allow for more time to dwell with the questions each raise; rather than surveying the already extensive archive on issues of sex and sexuality in the Church. The seminar begins by challenging students to examine multiple readings of key scripture passages that are commonly invoked in bible-based arguments on LGBTQI issues. The seminar then moves into debating a few representative premodern theologians (Augustine, Aquinas, and Paul) as well as theologies of sex emerging from the LGBTQI, women's, and civil rights movements. Christianity is often called the religion of love, using the word in a host of divergent and even contradicting ways. This prompts the section of the seminar on queering love, where students will read C.S. Lewis's reflection on the four Greek words for love and interrogate the ways that the Church has failed to extend and recognize these forms of love to and with queer communities. The next section introduces a series of films on the culture wars in the United States and abroad wherein Christianity has been a force aimed at converting, fixing, and eliminating the LGBTQI population. The seminar ends with consideration of the LGBTQI saints already a part of the official Church record as well as those persons who have become saints within the wider queer family.

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Queer Scripture 

NRSV Bible, “Genesis 1 and Genesis 2” 

NRSV Bible, “Leviticus 18-21” and “Deuteronomy 22-25” 

NRSV Bible, “Genesis 18-19,” “Isaiah 56” and “Matthew 18-19” 

NRSV Bible, “Song of Songs” (All)

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Queer Theology 

St. Augustine of Hippo, the Confessions, Book 1-2 

St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Selections 

St. Paul, The NRSV Bible, Colossians 3, Ephesians 5, Galatians 3 Council 

M. Althaus-Reid, Queer God, Ch. 3: Trinitarians and God the Orgy 

D.J. Lee, Rescuing Jesus, Ch. 8: Femmevangelical 

G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy, “The Maniac” and “The Eternal Revolution”  

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Queer Love 

C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves, “Storge” 

Lewis, The Four Loves, “Philia” 

Lewis, The Four Loves, “Eros” 

Lewis, The Four Loves, “Agape” 

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Queer Conversions 

Roger Ross Williams, God Loves Uganda (2013) 

Aiken and Aparicio (dir.), The Transformation (1996) 

Daniel G. Karslake, For the Bible Tells Me So (2007) Council 

P.R. Lightsey, Our Lives Matter, Queer Black Women’s Lives 

Lightsey, Our Lives Matter, Transforming Until Kin(g)dom Come

Lightsey, Our Lives Matter, The Biblical Crisis 

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Queer Saints 

N. Constas (Trans.), The Life of Saint Marinos 

The Life of St. Joan of Arc

D.W. Cross, Pope Joan, Ch. 11 “Joan,” and Ch. 14-18 “Brother John” 

Cross, Pope Joan, Ch. 27-29 “Pope Joan,” and Author’s Note

L. Alcorn, Transgender Queen of Hell 

C. Jenner, I Am Cait, “A New Beginning” 

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