2010s – Page 2 – OtherWise Christian

Christendom, White Bullshit, and the Power of Colonial Imagination, 2019

Published on August 5, 2019May 29, 2020 by Mx Chris Paige6 Comments

Appendix C of OtherWise Christian: A Guidebook for Transgender Liberation is titled “Christendom, White Bullshit, and the Power of Colonial Imagination.” This topic didn’t flow directly into the themes of OtherWise Christian in terms of dealing with gender–which is why the content is relegated to an appendix. However, these themes are critical adjacent issues in terms of talking about colonization, empire, white supremacy, and Christian supremacy–which is why I included them.

The content for Appendix C references (and quotes) the opening panel of the “Christianity and White Supremacy: Heresy and Hope” conference (#XWS19) at Princeton University. The opening panel (“The Tradition is a Problem“) and the closing panel (“The Tradition is an Answer“) were recorded and are still available from Princeton University’s media resource. Continue reading “Christendom, White Bullshit, and the Power of Colonial Imagination, 2019” →

Sodom and Gomorrah, 2019

Published on July 28, 2019August 31, 2019 by Mx Chris Paige1 Comment

In OtherWise Christian: A Guidebook for Transgender Liberation, I stick to gender and don’t rehearse arguments about “homosexuality in the Bible.” Instead, I list a few trusted resources in Appendix A for folk who want to explore those aspects. Queer Theology is one of those trusted resources.

The idea that the story of Sodom and Gomorrah is about the “sin of homosexuality” is another great example of how we have been bamboozled by an anti-OtherWise empire. If you’ve heard people use “sodomite” or “Sodom and Gomorrah” as a weapon, it can be quite liberating to go back to the biblical text to see what it actually says.

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The Soul of the Stranger: Reading God and Torah from a Transgender Perspective, 2018

Published on July 24, 2019August 31, 2019 by Mx Chris Paige7 Comments

In OtherWise Christian: A Guidebook for Liberation, I used so much content from Joy Ladin’s The Soul of the Stranger: Reading God and Torah from a Transgender Perspective that I asked her to read two of my chapters just to make sure I didn’t get anything wrong in representing her work!

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Ebed-melech: The “Other” Ethiopian Eunuch (CORRECTED)

Published on July 9, 2019September 9, 2019 by Mx Chris Paige3 Comments

CORRECTION: While the “other” Ethiopian eunuch DOES ~~n’t~~ appear in Transfigurations: Transgressing Gender in the Bible, I DIDN’T REALIZE IT!!

Here’s my advice watch BOTH the lecture version AND the performance version. There is some overlap, but you’ll miss some important insights if you only take the time to do one or the other.

Peterson Toscano has also done important work bringing this story to light. Ebed-melech wasn’t in the original performances (back in the day), but Toscano tells the story on the Transfigurations DVD in the lecture version, chapter 7, which debuted in the live performances around 2010 (according to Peterson).

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Transfigurations: Transgressing Gender in the Bible (DVD), 2007, 2017 (CORRECTED)

Published on July 8, 2019August 31, 2019 by Mx Chris Paige7 Comments

Peterson Toscano’s one-man theatrical production has been extremely impactful in terms of raising awareness of gender variant characters in the Christian Bible. Peterson performed Transfigurations: Transgressing Gender in the Bible for live audiences beginning in 2007. He retired the production in 2016 and then released a DVD version in 2017–which I highly recommend as a study resource, both for individuals and for groups. The movie can be streamed on Amazon and there is also a study guide.

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Love Wins: A Book about Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived, 2011

Published on July 7, 2019August 31, 2019 by Mx Chris PaigeLeave a comment

When I was compiling the list of books for my appendix on reading the Bible again, Keisha McKenzie made an important point about rethinking heaven/hell as a key part of getting free from supremacist religion. Rob Bell’s Love Wins: A Book about Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived is one of the books that I included to address that topic.

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How the Bible Actually Works: In Which I Explain How an Ancient, Ambiguous, and Diverse Book Leads Us to Wisdom Rather Than Answers–and Why That’s Great News, 2019

Published on July 6, 2019August 31, 2019 by Mx Chris Paige1 Comment

Rachel Held Evans credits Peter Enns with being her teacher. When I asked around for resources related to reading the Bible again, Matthew Vines also recommended Dr. Enns. Dr Enns is Hebrew scripture scholar, but writes in a very accessible way with a self-deprecating wit, which you can see even in his ridiculous subtitle.

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Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again, 2018

Published on July 4, 2019August 31, 2019 by Mx Chris Paige3 Comments

I wanted to include a list of more general resources about the Bible for those readers who might want to dig deeper into scripture. I asked my Facebook friends what books they would recommend. Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again by Rachel Held Evans was suggested by at least four different people! Check your local library, because this one is super popular! Continue reading “Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again, 2018” →