The CLGS Fall 2021 ONLINE Lavender Lunch Series
Tuesday, 14 September 2021 | 12:15pm (Pacific Time) | ONLINE
Queering Wesley, Queering the Church with Keegan Osinski
In this Lavender Lunch theologian and librarian Keegan Osinski discusses her recent book, Queering Wesley, Queering the Church, (Cascade Books, 2021) and its presentation of a prototype for thinking about Wesleyan holiness as an expansive openness to the love and grace of God in queer Christian lives rather than the limiting and restrictive legalism that is sometimes found in Wesleyan theology and praxis.
Thursday, 23 September 2021 | 12:15pm (Pacific Time) | ONLINE
Drag and Spirituality: A Lavender Lunch with John Brett, Ms. Penny Cost, Flamy Grant, and Bonnie Violet
In this Lavender Lunch John Brett, Ms. Penny Cost, Flamy Grant, and Bonnie Violet talk about their ministries of healing and liberation in Christian & post-Christian contexts in light of the spiritual trauma that many queer folk, especially those with expansive or marginalized gender presentation, have experienced from faith communities. Join us in our conversation with drag ministers, chaplains, and grassroots spiritual practitioners!
Tuesday, 12 October 2021 | 12:15pm (Pacific Time) | ONLINE
The Bible but Make It Kinky: A Queer Reading of Traumatic Bible Stories with Kendra Twenter
In this Lavender Lunch PSR alum Kendra Twenter centers women of the Bible who were abused, unnamed, and used to justify the inappropriate crossing of boundaries. Based upon a video series that she created for her Final Project for a Certificate of Sexuality & Religion from Pacific School of Religion, Kendra will discuss some essential aspects of kink and sex as they appear in the biblical accounts of Bathsheba, the Whore of Babylon, and the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. She will also explore aspects of the ongoing abuse and mistreatment of women today.
Tuesday, 9 November 2021 | 12:15pm (Pacific Time)
The Future Church for LGBTQ+ People and Their Allies with Benjamin Brenkert
POSTPONED UNTIL Tuesday, 22 February 2022 | 12:15pm (Pacific Time)
In this Lavender Lunch, Benjamin Brenkert reflects on the future church for LGBTQ+ People and their allies. As a former Jesuit, he proposes drawing upon the spirituality of Saint Ignatius of Loyola as a way for people of faith to discern membership in churches that thwart their personal and group flourishing. Benjamin will also speak about his recently-published book, A Catechism of the Heart: A Jesuit Missioned to the Laity (Wipf and Stock, 2020), a memoir and primer on vocation, discernment, and changing one’s way of life for the greater glory of God.
Tuesday, 14 December 2021 | 12:15pm (Pacific Time) | ONLINE
Spiritual Care in LGBTQ Deserts with Jude Johnson
In this Lavender Lunch, Jude Johnson, a PSR alum who received their MDiv degree from Pacific School of Religion and is a Member in Discernment with the United Church of Christ, shares their experience of providing spiritual care for LGBTQ Veterans of the VA medical system in the Inland Empire of California. The desert cities in Southern California pose unique challenges in seeking support for LGBTQ individuals as the resources tend to be located in larger cities near the coast. Jude will also discuss experiences in educating allies in the VA medical system and advocacy for trans-competent health care.