Sexual Immorality – Colossians 3:1-11

What this episode covers

As far back as we can remember, we were taught to read the Bible in a way that doesn’t always line up with what the passage actually says. Sometimes, people stop reading when they think that a particular part of the passage is enough to fit their “needs”. What’s worse is that some may take full advantage of this and use it against LGBTQ folks. Take a look at this passage and see what we think. Episode TranscriptBrian: Welcome to the Queer Theology podcast! Fr. Shay: Where each episode, we take a queer look at the week’s lectionary readings. We’re the co-founders of QueerTheology.com and the hosts for this podcast. I’m Father Shay Kearns B: And I’m Brian G. Murphy. B: Good morning! Today is Sunday, August 4th, 2019. We are going to be looking at Colossians 3:1-11, if you wanna read along we will put the texts in the show notes for this episode which you can find at QueerTheology.com/288. You can also find notes for everything we talk about over there, but I will also read it for you now. This is from the Common English Bible. Therefore, if you were raised with Christ, look for the things that are above where Christ is sitting at God’s right side. Think about the things above and not things on earth. You died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory. So put to death the parts of your life that belong to the earth, such as sexual immorality, moral corruption, lust, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). The wrath of God is coming upon disobedient people because of these things. You used to live this way, when you were alive to these things. But now set aside these things, such as anger, rage, malice, slander, and obscene language. Don’t lie to each other. Take off the old human nature with its practices and put on the new nature, which is renewed in knowledge by conforming to the image of the one who created it. In this image there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all things and in all people. Shay, this has so much going on here and I can not wait to hear your LGBTQ Christian take on this passage, so hit me with it. FS: Yeah, I feel like this is one of those passages that people read one verse, and then stop. Right? “…put to death the parts of your life that belong to the earth, such as sexual immorality, moral corruption, lust, evil desire…” and then they stop there. B: They stop even before they even get to greed! FS: Yeah! And then they say, see you, gay people, the wrath of God is coming upon you. Okay, so, first of all, ya’ll left out greed which is called idolatry, I mean that’s huge. Also, you’re leaving aside anger, rage, malice, slander and obscene language and lying. This indicts all of us in some way. It’s lazy reading to make this passage about gay people. I also think there’s somebody that said about Paul and his clear issues about sex. I want to get Paul a really great therapist so that he can work out whatever angst he has around sex and sexuality. Because I feel like he is writing out his own stuff unto other people and again, I think we’ve talked about this before, I’m pretty sure Paul would be horrified to know that his letters to specific church communities became scripture. I don’t think that that was he was doing here, and I think that he’d be like, “Oh shit! I maybe should’ve reign some of that in.” Also, the fact is I think lots of people pull out these sections and use Paul’s own angst about sexuality to create their own angst about sexuality and to be anxious about everyone’s sexuality. Which I don’t think that’s what this is about. That’s like my first rant about this passage. I do think that part of what Paul is saying here is that what it means to be a follower of Jesus is to try to imitate Jesus and Jesus’ life. Part of that is figuring out how to live in the world in a just way. In a way that is kind to other people. In a wa

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