Here is an excerpt from my application video:
In January 2016, I heard Broderick Greer* speak at the Gay Christian Network conference in Houston. His words inspired and challenged me. I come back to them again and again:
“While some do theology from the perches of power and privilege, others of us do theology as a form of survival.”The phrase “theology as survival” named my need and passion for studying the bible. “And I begun to wonder,” Broderick went on to say,
“If theology can be used to oppress, murder, and brutalize women, black people, trans people, queer people, bisexual people, and people with disabilities, then why can’t theology be used to liberate us, dignify us, renew us?”I believe it can, and I want to be part of that work.
“Only a few have the luxury to theologize as sport, to theorize how Christians should or should not make sense of God’s presence and activity in our lives. The rest of us - the everyday folk who don’t quite have the verbiage for what we’re experiencing - make do with what we have: each other. And this happens on the go: as we are collecting the pieces of our shattered existential dreams; dreams of straightness; of cisness; of whiteness; of being anything but ourselves.”I want to advance “theology as survival” efforts focusing on LGBT inclusion and intersectional reconciliation.
I hope to write more regularly throughout (and beyond) this cohort experience, so check back for new posts periodically. Also, if you are interested in conversation about my journey, LGBT inclusion and/or the intersection of LGBT and racial justice, please email me, find me on Facebook or invite me out for coffee!
*Visit Broderick Greer's website to read the full manuscript of his GCN keynote speech and to learn more about his work.