An exploration of current affairs - refining my mind, burning away impurities, in the forge of truth. Find me on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/crucibleofth...
A Conversation about Queer Theology with Mae Forrest Barnes
I'm really pleased to bring you another interview. My guest today is Mae Forest Barnes, someone I've gotten to know remotely via social media for the last year or so. But as I watched her comment and interact, one thing really stuck out: she made various comments about queer theology. That was an area I knew nothing about, but had a growing sense that I needed to understand.
I grew up with the understanding that any kind of what I call "adjective theology" was very bad: feminist, Black, Hispanic, Catholic... there was only one real theology and of course all the others were wrong. And of course as an evangelical, anything related gay or lesbian or transgender was definitely evil in my view. So "queer theology" was doubly bad.
But now that I'm affirming, since 2022, and having increasingly encountered discussions of those other theologies - like the book I just finished reading about Black theology - I realized that there might actually be something of real value in queer theology, if I could get around my old evangelical ideas about it.
So when I saw what Mae was talking about, I realized that I would love to ask her about these ideas, and see what she had to say. I recognize, of course, that there are many people with many different views about theology of any kind, and I'm just asking one person here, but I still figured I'd learn a lot, and I certainly did in this conversation.
Enjoy!
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1:18:28
A Conversation About Spiritual Direction
I'm very pleased to bring you another interview with my good friend Bethany Alvey, who is a spiritual director. I spent the last year or so going through a program with her as she was developing her spiritual direction practice. I found it very helpful and also very informative. Until that process, I knew very little about spiritual direction, but it's something I hear about quite a bit now, especially as I spend most of my time outside evangelical and institutional church circles. So I thought that it maybe it would be useful to you, if you aren't already familiar with it, to understand what it's all about and what you might expect if you had a spiritual director.
This is her website:
https://www.caraidanam.com/
Also, if you're interested in learning more about the Enneagram system, Bethany provided this information:
Intro to Using the Enneagram as a Tool for Personal Growth
Join Bethany in February 2025 and explore the Enneagram tool and how to apply it for personal growth. This 4-session introductory course will give you a basic understanding of what the Enneagram is and how it's designed to work, as well as an intro to each of the nine main Types.
When: Wednesday February 5, 12, 19, & 26 from 7:00-8:30 p.m. EST
Where: Register free here and receive the zoom link to our sessions - Intro to Using the Enneagram
https://forms.gle/RzVaSpmdHjpVn3Mz8
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1:08:00
Uniformity Is Not Unity: How Our Differences Make Us Stronger
Have you noticed the growing pressure for sameness in our civic and religious cultures lately, the idea that uniformity, or perhaps conformity, is necessary for a holy and Godly nation? I have, and I'm very concerned, because I think it's dangerously false. Not only is it not biblical, it also makes us weaker. I'm going to explore this topic for a few minutes, from both religious and political perspectives.
You can also read this in blog form at https://crucibleofthought.com/uniformity-is-not-unity/
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22:55
Laying Down My Arms
Everything is a battle lately, both politics and religion, and this keeps us focused on everyone else being our enemy, not our neighbor or fellow believer. I'm choosing to lay down my arms, and stop this cycle of violence which prevents us from moving forward together.
You can also read this in blog form at https://crucibleofthought.com/laying-down-my-arms/
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26:31
Fool's Gold for Jesus
As a former evangelical, I experienced a number of occasions where we chased after some manifestation we thought was of God, but probably was not. It's too easy to get busy worshiping this kind of experience, instead of worshiping God.
You can watch this video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vz0ZKEQ1cpk
A compilation of video clips about Silvania Machado:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPxZsvtC6tE
Silvania Machado speaking at a church (starts when the "gold" manifests):
https://youtu.be/9SbFUP4SEx8?t=807
Some stories about the "gold dust" being proven untrue:
http://web.archive.org/web/20040204233930/http://www.wayoflife.org/fbns/miraclegold.htm
https://banner.org.uk/tb/golddust.htm
http://web.archive.org/web/20111212202542/http://riverforum.blogspot.com:80/2008/11/sylvania-machado-gold-dust-exposed-as.html
A testimony from a true believer in the glory dust:
https://www.maxgreinerart.com/glory_dust.htm
An exploration of current affairs - refining my mind, burning away impurities, in the forge of truth. Find me on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/crucibleofthght/
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