Queer theology study and meditation will be offered online Tuesday evenings from Sept. 15 through Oct. 20
Offered through First Presbyterian Church of Santa Fe, the series will be based on Patrick S. Cheng’s ‘Radical Love: An Introduction to Queer Theology’
LOUISVILLE — An queer theology study and meditation will be held via Zoom Tuesday evenings from 7:30 p.m. through 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time beginning Sept. 15 and running through Oct. 20.
The series is being offered through First Presbyterian Church of Santa Fe, New Mexico, and is being led by Dr. Tony Arnold and Ruling Elder Jeannie Bowman. Arnold is a university professor in Louisville, Kentucky, an award-winning teacher and mentor and an ordained deacon at First Presbyterian Church of Santa Fe who’s deeply involved in various aspects of the LGBTQIA+ community and queer Christian communities. Bowman is a wife and mother, a contemplative in Santa Fe and a member of Spiritual Directors International. She is a graduate of the Hesychia School of Spiritual Direction in Tucson, Arizona.
The online group will be exploring queer theology, which organizers describe as “a way of understanding God and our relationship with God through the lens of God’s radically inclusive love.”
“This is not just a study of LGBTQIA+ issues in the church, and it is not intended to convince you to adopt queer theology,” according to organizers. “What you find interesting or compelling might be different from what others find interesting or compelling. The experience is meant to be provocative and transformative.”
The series is open to anyone with Zoom access who shows respect to everyone in the group and maintains confidentiality of the group’s conversation. “In addition, you should be open to asking questions and exploring new ways of thinking about God, faith, the Bible and even yourself,” organizers said. “If you are open-minded and end up deciding that queer theology isn’t for you, that’s totally OK.”
The study and meditation is designed for everyone. “Straight cis people are likely to find aspects of queer theology that help you think about faith and the divine in new, useful ways,” the organizers said. “We will sometimes discuss sexuality and/or gender in a faith context, as well as the experiences of LGBTQIA+ people.”
About one-third of each session will be used to introduce key features and concepts in queer theology. The second one-third will be for group discussion, with the final one-third set aside for a guided meditation. “This group is not merely about acquiring knowledge,” organizers said, “but also exploring how your encounter with queer theology might affect your faith, spiritual life and heart.”
The study will be based on Patrick S. Cheng’s “Radical Love: An Introduction to Queer Theology.”
“You are welcome to acquire it for yourself,” organizers said, “but each session will be based on the assumption that participants haven’t done any prior reading.”
For the Zoom link, email Arnold at [email protected]. Please indicate your interest in participating in the series, which is free of charge.
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