I have the pleasure of being part of Rumpus’s Writing While Deviant series. Here’s the first part of my essay, On the Beauty of Imperfect Attempts. … More On the Beauty of Imperfect Attempts
Throughout the summer, I’ll be posting how I learned to be the most authentic version of me while holding onto my Christian faith. Six posts: how I came out as queer, polyamorous, and kinky. I started with Part One: Coming Out Queer. I suggest you read that first. I’ve always struggled with intense loneliness. Neither … More My Story – Part Two: Coming Out Poly
Sacred Geography: A Queer Latino Theological Response to Orlando “As a queer theologian, I understand why we are so quick to name gay nightclubs as sanctuaries and sacred spaces, but as a Latino theologian, I urge us to pause and talk about the fact that the attack occurred on Pulse’s “Latin Night.” Let us own … More Worth the read
Following the mass shooting in the GLBTQ club in Orlando, the “Pray For Orlando” meme has overwhelmed my social media feeds. In a time of mourning for the queer community, the outcry of support is a welcomed change from the silence that followed the fire in the UpStairs Lounge in 1973. And while as a … More Pray for Orlando meme is not the best Christian Response
There was always talk of the mystery of God, but also an undercurrent of belief that if we studied and prayed hard enough, we’d find the truth—we’d understand the correct ways to pray, how to think about money, and how to love each other. … More My Story – Part One: Coming Out Queer
Individuals who don’t identify with a religious affiliation—the so-called “Nones”—are one of the fastest-growing demographics in the United States. Corinna Nicolaou, who grew up with non-religious parents and never attended religious services as a child, places herself in this category. Then in 2001, the tragedy of 9/11 left Nicolaou wondering what solace these well founded traditions might … More Review: A None’s Story
I’ve always maintained a strong Christian faith, but over my life what that faith has looked like has changed considerably. I left my Evangelical roots in my early twenties, and for a while floundered around lost and lonely in what felt like theological no-man’s land. There were a couple of books I happened across that … More Two books that saved my faith
Notes and Outline for my CatalystCon Talk: Christians Kink Too: Repairing the Relationship between God and Desire jera@jerabrown.com @emotichew I had put off my garment; how could I put it on again? I had bathed my feet; how could I soil them? My beloved thrust his hand into the opening, and my inmost being yearned … More CatalystCon Midwest
For weeks before reading Deborah Jian Lee’s first book, Rescuing Jesus: How People of Color, Women, and Queer Christians are Reclaiming Evangelicalism, I misquoted the title, replacing “are” with “can.” As someone who stopped identifying as an evangelical due to many of the issues that Jian Lee raises, I expected the book to read like … More Rescuing Jesus: How People of Color, Women, and Queer Christians are Reclaiming Evangelicalism
A friend recently told me about a sexual encounter he’d had that he felt God’s presence in. It was an intense encounter, something he’d always wanted but was afraid would feel shallow. Instead, it was nurturing for both parties. I get the sense that it was something about the care shown between the two people … More God and Desire
Church of the Scarlet Letter 