Lent is all about living in a liminal place, walking in the uncomfortable space between death and life, between an untenable old way and the evergreen way of Christ. It’s hard to recognize life when all you can smell is death. But thank God, we have other senses.
Tag Archives: queer Christian
The Crosses We Bear
As the Lenten season comes to a close and we bear witness to the crucifixion, I can’t help but think of those closest to Jesus at his time of death.
If You Cannot Be United, Be Holy
A new moment is here. The die is cast: schism is in full swing, and it will be significant and traumatic in many regions across the connection. It is time that the United Methodist Church decide to stand on a vision of holiness, without hesitating out of the fear of losing people and congregations on the fence. If we’re breaking up, let it be for something; let us welcome this window of opportunity to allow Methodists with incompatible visions of holiness to go our separate ways. What is unsustainable is the status quo for the post-separation United Methodist Church, even in the very near term.
A Queer Methodist Tradition
The groups against LGBTQIA+ people in the United Methodist Church call themselves “traditional.” To start out with, tradition is not a monolith. Tradition is not a singular or consistent concept. Traditions evolve and develop and are not static. Likewise, there is ample evidence for a queer-affirming Methodist tradition—that even originates with Methodism’s founder, John WesleyContinue reading “A Queer Methodist Tradition”
Hebrews 4:1-7: Radicalizing Ordinary Time
The bliss of summer and ease of demand has come and gone along with ordinary time. Because of its length and placement in the year, ordinary time stretches on just as simply as its name implies: ordinarily. The sun beats down on the long days as the summer drags on and on. Pastors preach toContinue reading “Hebrews 4:1-7: Radicalizing Ordinary Time”
The BoOM Heard Around the World: A Q&A with Three of the Rejected Florida UMC Provisional Clergy Candidates
Three of the rejected candidates—Shawn Klein, Erin Wagner, and Anna Swygert—sat down with Yet Alive’s Dylan Parson and Trevor Warren for an exclusive interview about the process, their futures, and their hopes for a fully inclusive United Methodist Church.
Vocations in Tension: Considering Ordination as a Trans Methodist
Now as an adult trans man, finally at peace with both God and myself, my sense of calling to the Christian pastorate—to preach the gospel, teach discipleship, administer the sacraments, care for the community gathered around Christ, and foster works of justice and mercy in the world—is stronger than ever.
Within These Walls
My soul and being are caught in a constant battle / Where I’m fighting for my right to love
Against Umbrella Methodism
Suddenly, instead of a bright and beautifully called child of God, I was an unrepentant sinner leading others to sin and death…simply because I decided I wasn’t going to live inauthentically. In my first semester of seminary, I met my wife, and the stakes got so much higher.
Justice Was Denied Them: The Ethiopian Eunuch and Hope in Representation
he conversion story of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:26-40 serves as a tool to address the lack of compassion and respect among many church leaders and pastoral caregivers for transgender and nonbinary youth.
On Schism: A Proposed Ecclesiology for a Post-Split UMC
What I believe is most helpful for the Methodist church as it comes to its current crossroads is the ability to demote the definition of the church as a continuity with its past, and instead favor a definition by which the church is conforming to the vision God has for it.
Hallelujah, My World Is Caving In
“Hallelujah my world is caving in”1 I sit in classrooms waiting for my soul to be affirmed To finally feel like I belong within these walls But instead I feel dejected Cast out, set aside, and pushed away with the warm welcome and kindness of professors with the avoidance of topics that would be “tooContinue reading “Hallelujah, My World Is Caving In”
Aromantic Jesus
(previously published in miniskirt magazine) never meant to show signs at a weddingalways meant to save until laterbut oh how it made his mother smilewhen the clear water overflowed into rich red winewhen there was abundance, a renewal of flowing fountains.it was there that celebration came to beit was there, between beloved creationsbe-loving each otherthatContinue reading “Aromantic Jesus”
Self-Love as Holy Reclamation: Using Church Tools to Heal from Church Traumas
Ostensibly though, the collective impact of years with Christian people was that I learned to fear, shame, and hate myself. Here is some context of how that happened.
Yet Alive 