83. Steff Fenton - Transgender and Christian, and the Gender Expansiveness of God

Steff Fenton (they/them) is a trans Christian speaker, writer, educator, and advocate who publicly shares the intersections of queerness and faith. Steff is passionate about creating safe spiritual spaces for LGBTIQA+ people and helping others cultivate a more equitable and expansive faith.   I asked Steff on the podcast because they get in the way of all the prejudice I was taught in the faith culture I grew up in. Steff is transgender and is not only Christian, but has co-founded and co-pastored a church, has a Masters of Divinity, and lets their faith shape their way of being in the world. Steff is an amazingly loving human being who longs to see everyone embraced for who they are. In this conversation Steff and I talk about their contrasting experiences of coming out within a church context, firstly around sexuality, and later around gender, and how those experiences highlight what the church often is and what it can be. We talk about exclusion and embrace and the effects those have on people.  And we talk about the ways in which embracing those who are different from us, and particularly hearing the transgender voice, can give us a fuller and more beautiful picture of God.  Watch Steff's Awaken Conference session on gender expansiveness as a revelation of God at diversechurch.co.nz/resources or hear it wherever you get your podcasts by searching Awaken Conference, Diverse Church NZ Check out more from Steff at steffenton.co or on Facebook or Instagram ___ Connect with me at downtoearthconversations.com or at Facebook: facebook.com/downtoearth.conversations  Instagram: @downtoearth.conversations Email: [email protected]