Isaiah, Immigrants, and Eunuchs–Isaiah 56

In this month’s episode of the Bible Bash podcast, new co-host Don Durham leads us through a deep dive into the layered messages gleaned from Isaiah 56 - the classic text where the prophet proclaims God’s favor for foreigners and eunuchs.

In his studious way, Don takes us through a short framing history of the distinct periods in the collection of prophetic episodes attributed to the prophet, Isaiah. Don asserts that, not only does this chapter affirm immigrants, strangers, and differently-bodied, gender-transcendent persons, the whole of Isaiah repeatedly proclaims a single unifying message:

“Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.” Isaiah 1:17.”

For The Other Text Liam reads a passage out of the book, A Year with Thomas Merton: Daily Meditations from His Journals. The reading is accompanied by the song Aim for the Stars by Rand Aldo. It is available on EpidemicSound.com. 

In Trans-Forming Proclamation, Liam Hooper tenderly explores gender and the Bible. This book actually defies genre. With rich patches of poetry, memoir, and devotional, Liam weaves together inspiring literary insights with grounded, original, and informed scholarship. Trans-Forming proclamation: A Transgender Theology of Daring Existence is new wine in a new wine skin. It is Inventive, artful, and liberating. Available on Amazon and published by Otherwise Engaged.  

About US

In each episode of Bible Bash Podcast, , Liam Michael Hooper, a white trans Bible scholar and Don Durham, a white, cis, heterosexual farmer, minister, and podcaster take turns presenting the text. They then discuss. In addition, each episode they present another text, a non-Biblical text of note--religious or secular--that may or may not correspond to the Bible text. 

Bible Bash Podcast is a collaborative project created by Liam Hooper, Don Durham, and Peterson Toscano.  

Our theme song is Playbill by The Jellyrox. It is available on iTunes, Spotify, or through Rock Candy Recordings. The show is edited by Peterson Toscano. 

To share your questions, comments, requests for passages to be discussed, or suggestions for guests who can talk about texts, email Liam & Don:  convos@biblebashpodcast.com 

Follow on Twitter

@BibleBash

Liam @LiMHooper

Don @RealDonDurham

Bible Bash Podcast is part of the Rock Candy Network 

Bible Bash logo was designed by Diana Coe at Crone Communications

Check out other Rock Candy podcasts

• Brown Suga Diaries
• Blessed are the Binary Breakers hosted by Avery Smith
• Sacred Tension by Stephen Long
• Bubble&Squeak by Peterson Toscano
• Eleventylife by EleventySeven
• Common Creatives
• Hot Tea Hot Takes
• The Pickle and Boot Shop Podcast
• Magnify the Pod 

Genesis 3 Clothing Our Disappointment Adam, Eve, and God in the Garden

From his continued curiosity about how we develop theologies that sustain us during periods of disappointment, Liam takes a look at Genesis 3.

Regular listeners may recall the Drawing Near episode when Liam shared the story of a Rabbi, at his conversion, asking him, Do you have a theology of disappointment to sustain you when the institution of Judaism and your fellow Jews disappoint you?

In this episode, Liam confesses this question continues to pester and inspire him. From the position of thinking through those moments when he disappoints himself, when other people leave him crestfallen, and he feels a bit disconsolate about human nature, Liam takes a closer look at the story of Adam and Eve and their troubling misadventure in the garden of Eden.

Afterward, Don offers an other text for consideration—surprisingly, a short paragraph from Liam’s book, Trans-Forming Proclamation: A Transgender Theology of Daring Existence. 

Available NOW! Check out Liam Hooper's NEW Book

In Trans-Forming Proclamation, Liam Hooper tenderly explores gender and the Bible. This book actually defies genre. With rich patches of poetry, memoir, and devotional, Liam weaves together inspiring literary insights with grounded, original, and informed scholarship. Trans-Forming proclamation: A Transgender Theology of Daring Existence is new wine in a new wine skin. It is Inventive, artful, and liberating. Available on Amazon and published by Otherwise Engaged.  

About US

In each episode of Bible Bash Podcast, , Liam Michael Hooper, a white trans Bible scholar and Don Durham, a white, cis, heterosexual farmer, minister, and podcaster take turns presenting the text. They then discuss. In addition, each episode they present another text, a non-Biblical text of note--religious or secular--that may or may not correspond to the Bible text. 

Bible Bash Podcast is a collaborative project created by Liam Hooper, Don Durham, and Peterson Toscano.  

Our theme song is Playbill by The Jellyrox. It is available on iTunes, Spotify, or through Rock Candy Recordings. The show is edited by Peterson Toscano. 

To share your questions, comments, requests for passages to be discussed, or suggestions for guests who can talk about texts, email Liam & Don:  convos@biblebashpodcast.com 

Follow on Twitter

@BibleBash

Liam @LiMHooper

Don @RealDonDurham

Bible Bash Podcast is part of the Rock Candy Network 

Bible Bash logo was designed by Diana Coe at Crone Communications

Check out other Rock Candy podcasts

• Brown Suga Diaries
• Blessed are the Binary Breakers hosted by Avery Smith
• Sacred Tension by Stephen Long
• Bubble&Squeak by Peterson Toscano
• Eleventylife by EleventySeven
• Common Creatives
• Hot Tea Hot Takes
• The Pickle and Boot Shop Podcast
• Magnify the Pod 

Mark 11: 15-19 Turning Over Tables

Have you heard the story of Jesus’ hissy fit in the temple, turning over tables and ranting about the house of God being a house of prayer for all the peoples? Have you ever wondered what that apparent temper tantrum was all about? In this episode, Don offers his thoughts about the tale as we find in the Gospel of Mark. In his discussion, Don poses the possibility that Jesus was saying the quiet part out loud - really loud, in fact. Give a listen as Don and Liam take a closer look at the story.

Available NOW! Check out Liam Hooper's NEW Book

In Trans-Forming Proclamation, Liam Hooper tenderly explores gender and the Bible. This book actually defies genre. With rich patches of poetry, memoir, and devotional, Liam weaves together inspiring literary insights with grounded, original, and informed scholarship. Trans-Forming proclamation: A Transgender Theology of Daring Existence is new wine in a new wine skin. It is Inventive, artful, and liberating. Available on Amazon and published by Otherwise Engaged.  

About US

In each episode of Bible Bash Podcast, , Liam Michael Hooper, a white trans Bible scholar and Don Durham, a white, cis, heterosexual farmer, minister, and podcaster take turns presenting the text. They then discuss. In addition, each episode they present another text, a non-Biblical text of note--religious or secular--that may or may not correspond to the Bible text. 

Bible Bash Podcast is a project of Ministries Beyond Welcome. 

Our theme song is Playbill by The Jellyrox. It is available on iTunes, Spotify, or through Rock Candy Recordings. The show is edited by Peterson Toscano. 

To share your questions, comments, requests for passages to be discussed, or suggestions for guests who can talk about texts, email Liam & Don:  ministriesbeyondwelcome@gmail.com

Follow on Twitter

@BibleBash

Liam @LiMHooper

Don @RealDonDurham

Bible Bash Podcast is part of the Rock Candy Network 

Bible Bash logo was designed by Diana Coe at Crone Communications

Check out other Rock Candy podcasts

• Brown Suga Diaries
• Blessed are the Binary Breakers hosted by Avery Smith
• Sacred Tension by Stephen Long
• Bubble&Squeak by Peterson Toscano
• Eleventylife by EleventySeven
• Common Creatives
• Hot Tea Hot Takes
• The Pickle and Boot Shop Podcast
• Magnify the Pod 

Matthew 20: 1-16 –Wandering with Jesus: Children, Laborers, and Justice

In this month’s episode, Liam and Don take a look at Jesus’ teaching on the laborers in the vineyard through the larger story of Jesus engaging with the people. Liam explores the tendency to isolate Jesus’ teachings and parables from their story-based, literary contexts.

Liam proposes that the author of Matthew’s gospel (like the authors of each gospel) intentionally connected the teachings with the events surrounding them. As an example, Liam considers the vineyard teaching in conversation with Jesus blessing the children (Matt 19) as he goes about the towns blessing people, tending the sick, feeding people, and teaching.

Don and Liam share some lively discussion about the implications of these teachings, especially when we consider the teachings in the context of the stories about how Jesus interacts with communities.

Before closing, Don shares the lyrics to Ani DiFranco’s song Coming Up. Musical track Zero Remorse by Jon Sumner from Epidemic Music. 

Available NOW! Check out Liam Hooper's NEW Book

In Trans-Forming Proclamation, Liam Hooper tenderly explores gender and the Bible. This book actually defies genre. With rich patches of poetry, memoir, and devotional, Liam weaves together inspiring literary insights with grounded, original, and informed scholarship. Trans-Forming proclamation: A Transgender Theology of Daring Existence is new wine in a new wine skin. It is Inventive, artful, and liberating. Available on Amazon and published by Otherwise Engaged.  

About US

In each episode of Bible Bash Podcast, , Liam Michael Hooper, a white trans Bible scholar and Don Durham, a white, cis, heterosexual farmer, minister, and podcaster take turns presenting the text. They then discuss. In addition, each episode they present another text, a non-Biblical text of note--religious or secular--that may or may not correspond to the Bible text. 

Bible Bash Podcast is a project of Ministries Beyond Welcome. 

Our theme song is Playbill by The Jellyrox. It is available on iTunes, Spotify, or through Rock Candy Recordings. The show is edited by Peterson Toscano. 

To share your questions, comments, requests for passages to be discussed, or suggestions for guests who can talk about texts, email Liam & Don:  ministriesbeyondwelcome@gmail.com

Follow on Twitter

@BibleBash

Liam @LiMHooper

Don @RealDonDurham

Bible Bash Podcast is part of the Rock Candy Network 

Bible Bash logo was designed by Diana Coe at Crone Communications

Check out other Rock Candy podcasts

• Brown Suga Diaries
• Blessed are the Binary Breakers hosted by Avery Smith
• Sacred Tension by Stephen Long
• Bubble&Squeak by Peterson Toscano
• Eleventylife by EleventySeven
• Common Creatives
• Hot Tea Hot Takes
• The Pickle and Boot Shop Podcast
• Magnify the Pod 

Drawing Near—Genesis 44

In this episode of the Bible Bash podcast, Liam Hooper does a new thing.

First, Liam invites listeners to draw near to our new co-host, Don Durham, and invites Don to draw near to listeners as well. We learn a little about Don, who is - among other things - a trained organizational change and transition consultant, and strategic coach helping clients be who they want to be and accomplish what they want to accomplish. Don is also an ordained minister who runs a small farm where he grows food to give away and hosts a podcast about what people are doing to end hunger. 

Don and Liam then weave into their conversation a deeper look at the complicated story between Joseph and his brother, especially, Judah. What does the Hebrew phrase, vayigash, mean? And why does the text tell us that Judah, who is already in close proximity to Joseph, draws near to him?

What can we learn from this text about our own sometimes complicated paths to one another, more relationally, and what can we learn about our positions as would be allies and receivers of ally-ship? Listen in as Liam and Don offer some thoughts on these questions.

At the close, as we do, Don offers another, non-Biblical text, a Wendell Berry poem, A Dance.

To find out more about Don Durham, follow these links:
farm:  https://healingspringsacres.org/

podcast:  https://welcometothetablepodcast.com/

coaching:  https://healingspringsacres.org/coaching/

A Dance by Wendell Berry

The stepping stones, once

in a row along the slope,

have drifted out of line,

pushed by frosts and rains.

Walking is no longer thoughtless

over them, but alert as dancing,

as tense and poised, to step

short, and long, and then

longer, right, and then left.

At the winter's end, I dance the history of its weather.

Available NOW! Check out Liam Hooper's NEW Book

In Trans-Forming Proclamation, Liam Hooper tenderly explores gender and the Bible. This book actually defies genre. With rich patches of poetry, memoir, and devotional, Liam weaves together inspiring literary insights with grounded, original, and informed scholarship. Trans-Forming proclamation: A Transgender Theology of Daring Existence is new wine in a new wine skin. It is Inventive, artful, and liberating. Available on Amazon and published by Otherwise Engaged.  

About US

• In each episode of Bible Bash Podcast, , Liam Michael Hooper, a white trans Bible scholar and Don Durham, a white, cis, heterosexual farmer, minister, and podcaster take turns presenting the text. They then discuss. In addition, each episode they present another text, a non-Biblical text of note--religious or secular--that may or may not correspond to the Bible text. 

  Bible Bash Podcast is a project of Ministries Beyond Welcome. 

  Our theme song is Playbill by The Jellyrox. It is available on iTunes, Spotify, or through Rock Candy Recordings. The show is edited by Peterson Toscano. 

  To share your questions, comments, requests for passages to be discussed, or suggestions for guests who can talk about texts, email Liam & Don:  ministriesbeyondwelcome@gmail.com

  Follow on Twitter

  @BibleBash

  Liam @LiMHooper

  Don @RealDonDurham

  Bible Bash Podcast is part of the Rock Candy Network 

  Bible Bash logo was designed by Diana Coe at Crone Communications

  Check out other Rock Candy podcasts

  • Brown Suga Diaries
  • Blessed are the Binary Breakers hosted by Avery Smith
  • Sacred Tension by Stephen Long
  • Bubble&Squeak by Peterson Toscano
  • Eleventylife by EleventySeven
  • Common Creatives
  • Hot Tea Hot Takes
  • The Pickle and Boot Shop Podcast
  • Magnify the Pod 

Cain, Abel, and Buried Trauma—Genesis 4

Am I my brother's keeper? Cain asks G-d after killing his brother. In Sunday and Sabbath Day school's this story of fratricide turns into a simple moral tale, but as always Liam Hooper takes us deeper. He explores the ways G-d probes and seeks to draw out Cain.

The subsequent discussion with Peterson Toscano raises other questions, as he and Liam reflect on the knee-jerk reactions by some white men (cis, gay, and trans) in conversations about historic race and gender oppression. 

Peterson follows up with "another text," In an Artist's Studio, a poem by Christina Rossetti.  

Available NOW! Check out Liam Hooper's NEW Book

In Trans-Forming Proclamation, Liam Hooper tenderly explores gender and the Bible. This book actually defies genre. With rich patches of poetry, memoir, and devotional, Liam weaves together inspiring literary insights with grounded, original, and informed scholarship. Trans-Forming proclamation: A Transgender Theology of Daring Existence is new wine in a new wine skin. It is Inventive, artful, and liberating. Available on Amazon and published by Otherwise Engaged.  

About US

In each episode of Bible Bash Podcast, Peterson, cisgender gay Bible scholar and co-host, Liam Michael Hooper, a trans Bible scholar, take turns presenting the text. They then discuss. In addition, each episode they present another text, a non-Biblical text of note--religious or secular--that may or may not correspond to the Bible text. 

Bible Bash Podcast is a project of Ministries Beyond Welcome. 

Our theme song is Playbill by The Jellyrox. It is available on iTunes, Spotify, or through Rock Candy Recordings

To share your questions, comments, requests for passages to be discussed, or suggestions for guests who can talk about texts, email Liam & Peterson:  ministriesbeyondwelcome@gmail.com

Follow on Twitter

@beyond_welcome

Peterson @p2son

Liam @LiMHooper

Bible Bash Podcast is part of the Rock Candy Network 

Bible Bash logo was designed by Diana Coe at Crone Communications

Check out other Rock Candy podcasts

• Brown Suga Diaries
• Blessed are the Binary Breakers hosted by Avery Smith
• Sacred Tension by Stephen Long
• Bubble&Squeak by Peterson Toscano
• Eleventylife by EleventySeven
• Common Creatives
• Hot Tea Hot Takes

Sodomy, Terrorism, and Looking Back — Genesis 19

Bible Bottoms–A LIVE Bible Bash Event

For the first ever LIVE Bible Bash, Peterson, Liam, and guests, take on the topic of Biblical Bottoms. Who is a bottom in the Bible and what does that even mean?? We talk bottoms, tops, subs, doms, power bottoms, agency, consent, and much more. Hear about Jonah, Hagar, Samson, Delilah, and others. It is a fun, informative, and insightful conversation. 

This episode is very different from previous ones. In mid-December 2020 Bible Bash held the very first LIVE on-line  event. It was a chance to converse with listeners while discussing a topic--Biblical Bottoms in the Bible! As a result, we had many voices contribute to the conversation. 

For the "Other Text, Peterson's husband, Glen Retief, read, The Museum of Stones, a poem by Caroline Forché. (Copyright © 2007 by Carolyn Forché. Originally published in The New Yorker) Glen is the author of the Lambda Award winning memoir, The Jack Bank. 

Another difference you will find in today’s show is the sound quality. Since we conducted this meeting on Zoom, the quality is not the typical Rock Candy Production standard audio. It is such a rich conversation though, we hope you will not be distracted by the click and zips that happen at some points. 

Enjoy this presentation which was recorded live on December 15, 2020. 

Many thanks to the guests that showed up! Thanks to those who spoke out: Autumn, Don, Sherri, and Penina.

Available NOW! Check out Liam Hooper's NEW Book

In Trans-Forming Proclamation, Liam Hooper tenderly explores gender and the Bible. This book actually defies genre. With rich patches of poetry, memoir, and devotional, Liam weaves together inspiring literary insights with grounded, original, and informed scholarship. Trans-Forming proclamation: A Transgender Theology of Daring Existence is new wine in a new wine skin. It is Inventive, artful, and liberating. Available on Amazon and published by Otherwise Engaged.  

About US

In each episode of Bible Bash Podcast, Peterson, cisgender gay Bible scholar and co-host, Liam Michael Hooper, a trans Bible scholar, take turns presenting the text. They then discuss. In addition, each episode they present another text, a non-Biblical text of note--religious or secular--that may or may not correspond to the Bible text. 

Bible Bash Podcast is a project of Ministries Beyond Welcome. 

Our theme song is Playbill by The Jellyrox. It is available on iTunes, Spotify, or through Rock Candy Recordings

To share your questions, comments, requests for passages to be discussed, or suggestions for guests who can talk about texts, email Liam & Peterson:  ministriesbeyondwelcome@gmail.com

Follow on Twitter

@beyond_welcome

Peterson @p2son

Liam @LiMHooper

Bible Bash Podcast is part of the Rock Candy Network 

Bible Bash logo was designed by Diana Coe at Crone Communications

Check out other Rock Candy podcasts

• Brown Suga Diaries
• Sacred Tension by Stephen Long
• Bubble&Squeak by Peterson Toscano
• Eleventylife by EleventySeven
• Common Creatives
• Magnified Pod

God’s Gender with Avery Smith–Hosea 11:9

By taking on Hosea 11:9 Avery Smith, host of Blessed Are the Binary Breakers podcast, cracks open a rich discussion with Bible Bash co-hosts, Liam Hooper and Peterson Toscano. 

Avery writes: "I interpret God's declaration For I am God and not a man in Hosea 11:9 as, among other things, evidence of Their rejection of being assigned a human gender and the roles implied therein." 

Could God be making a declaration of gender? What is Hosea the prophet trying to do and say to the people? And what about God's radical swings from tenderness to threats of violence? 

In addition to covering these topics and more, Avery highlights best practices for ministers and places of worship when addressing non-binary people by name and pronoun.

The entire conversation is fresh, insightful, and a lot of fun. 

Avery also presents, The Other Text, their poem, Binary Breaker from their book of poetry, the kin-dom in the rubble: a queer Christian's wrestling with God, scripture, and humanity. 

Born and raised in Ohio, Avery Smith studied various languages at the University of Alabama. They attended Louisville Seminary and now resides in Atlanta, Georgia, with their wonderful wife and two cats.

You can often find Avery translating Biblical texts and ranting about Hebrew to no one in particular. A firm believer that binaries were made to be broken, Avery is both Catholic and Protestant. They also believe that Divinity thrums through all of Creation and breathes life into every human community, not just Christian ones. This belief led them to start up Blessed Are the Binary Breakers, a multi-faith podcast of transgender stories. 

Avery ran an advice blog at queerlychristian on tumblr, and creates work centered around transgender theology and disability theology.  Links to all of their work can be found at blessedarethebinarybreakers.com.

Announcing LIVE on-line Bible Bash Event! Dec 15th at 8 pm Eastern

Coming Soon!

In Trans-Forming Proclamation, Liam Hooper tenderly explores gender and the Bible. This book actually defies genre. With rich patches of poetry, memoir, and devotional, Liam weaves together inspiring literary insights with grounded, original, and informed scholarship. Trans-Forming proclamation: A Transgender Theology of Daring Existence is new wine in a new wine skin. It is Inventive, artful, and liberating. Available fall 2020 and published by Otherwise Engaged.  

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In each episode of Bible Bash Podcast, Peterson, cisgender gay Bible scholar and co-host, Liam Michael Hooper, a trans Bible scholar, take turns presenting the text. They then discuss. In addition, each episode they present another text, a non-Biblical text of note--religious or secular--that may or may not correspond to the Bible text. 

Bible Bash Podcast is a project of Ministries Beyond Welcome. 

Our theme song is Playbill by The Jellyrox. It is available on iTunes, Spotify, or through Rock Candy Recordings

To share your questions, comments, requests for passages to be discussed, or suggestions for guests who can talk about texts, email Liam & Peterson:  ministriesbeyondwelcome@gmail.com

Follow on Twitter

@beyond_welcome

Peterson @p2son

Liam @LiMHooper

Bible Bash Podcast is part of the Rock Candy Network 

Bible Bash logo was designed by Diana Coe at Crone Communications

Check out other Rock Candy podcasts

• Brown Suga Diaries
• Sacred Tension by Stephen Long
• Bubble&Squeak by Peterson Toscano
• Eleventylife by EleventySeven
• Common Creatives

Trans-Forming Proclamation — Transgender Theology of Daring Existence with Liam Hooper

Liam Hooper will publish is his first book, Trans-Forming Proclamation: A Transgender Theology of Daring Existence. Peterson Toscano interviews Liam about this book that in its very structure models a bold new way of living. Liam then reads an excerpt from the book

In Trans-Forming Proclamation, Liam Hooper tenderly explores gender and the Bible. This book actually defies genre. With rich patches of poetry, memoir, and devotional, Liam weaves together inspiring literary insights with grounded, original, and informed scholarship. Trans-Forming proclamation: A Transgender Theology of Daring Existence is new wine in a new wine skin. It is Inventive, artful, and liberating. Available fall 2020 and published by Otherwise Engaged.  

In each episode of Bible Bash Podcast, Peterson, cisgender gay Bible scholar and co-host, Liam Michael Hooper, a trans Bible scholar, take turns presenting the text. They then discuss. In addition, each episode they present another text, a non-Biblical text of note--religious or secular--that may or may not correspond to the Bible text. 

Bible Bash Podcast is a project of Ministries Beyond Welcome. 

Our theme song is Playbill by The Jellyrox. It is available on iTunes, Spotify, or through Rock Candy Recordings

To share your questions, comments, requests for passages to be discussed, or suggestions for guests who can talk about texts, email Liam & Peterson:  ministriesbeyondwelcome@gmail.com

Follow on Twitter

@beyond_welcome

Peterson @p2son

Liam @LiMHooper

Bible Bash Podcast is part of the Rock Candy Network 

Bible Bash logo was designed by Diana Coe at Crone Communications

Check out other Rock Candy podcasts

• Brown Suga Diaries
• Sacred Tension by Stephen Long
• Bubble&Squeak by Peterson Toscano
• Eleventylife by EleventySeven
• Common Creatives