Bible Archives - Q Spirit

John the Evangelist: Beloved Disciple of Jesus — and maybe his lover

by Kittredge Cherry | | Dec. 16-31, Saints, Top saints

John the Evangelist and Apostle is commonly considered to be Jesus’ “Beloved Disciple” — and possibly his lover. His feast day is Dec. 27 in Catholic and Protestant churches. He has two feast days, May 8 and Sept. 26, in the Orthodox tradition. The Beloved...

Rainbow Mary affirms LGBTQ people

by Kittredge Cherry | | Saints, Sept 1-15

Rainbow icons of Mary highlight her compassionate connection to the LGBTQ community — evoking both controversy and celebration. Various rainbow Mary images by contemporary artists and activists are posted today at Q Spirit in honor of her birthday, which is...

Ethiopian eunuch and Philip: Early church welcomed queers in Bible story

by Kittredge Cherry | | April 16-30, Aug 15-31, Oct 1-15, Saints

A queer black man was welcomed as an early Christian convert in Biblical times, according to progressive Bible scholars. He was a triple outsider — a gender-variant foreigner from a racial minority — and his story shows that the early Christians welcomed...

Joseph and the queer Biblical princess dress

by Kittredge Cherry | | Aug 1-15, Saints

Joseph, a popular figure in the Bible’s Book of Genesis, can be seen as a gender-nonconformist who inspires LGBTQ people today. Queer Bible scholars focus on how Joseph wore a robe that is usually known in English as a “coat of many colors,” but could be translated as...

Jacob and the angel: Wrestling to reconcile body and spirit

by Kittredge Cherry | | Aug 1-15, Saints

When Jacob wrestled with the angel in the Bible, they embodied the struggle between sexuality and spirituality. Queer Bible scholars and religious leaders have grappled with the story and artists have created many homoerotic images of the scene over the centuries. It...

Martha and Mary of Bethany: Sisters or lesbian couple?

by Kittredge Cherry | | July 16-31, Saints

Mary and Martha of Bethany were two of Jesus’ closest friends. The Bible calls them “sisters” who lived together, but reading the Bible with queer eyes raises another possibility. Maybe Mary and Martha were a lesbian couple. Their feast day is July 29. Mary and Martha...

Lazarus: Jesus’ beloved disciple?

by Kittredge Cherry | | July 16-31, Saints

Some believe that Lazarus of Bethany was the “beloved disciple” of Jesus — and maybe even his same-sex lover. He is celebrated on July 29 in contemporary Catholic and some Protestant churches. Scholars theorize that Lazarus was also the unnamed “one whom Jesus...

Daniel and the three young men: God rescues Biblical eunuchs, affirming LGBTQ people of faith

by Kittredge Cherry | | July 16-31, Saints

Some see the prophet Daniel and the chief eunuch Ashpenaz as a same-sex couple or queer couple. In a hotly contested translation, the Bible describes the “favor and tender love” that he bestowed on Daniel. LGBTQ people find role models in Bible stories about eunuchs,...

Good Samaritan: LGBTQ views of Bible story on helping strangers

by Kittredge Cherry | | July 16-31, Saints

Lovingkindness from one man to another is celebrated in the Bible story of the Good Samaritan. Could one or both characters be LGBTQ? The parable of the Good Samaritan will be read at many churches worldwide as the gospel reading for July 16, 2028 in the three-year...

Shulamite in Song of Songs: Gay, lesbian or queer Biblical love poem?

by Kittredge Cherry | | July 1-15, Saints

One of the greatest love poems of all time, the Bible Song of Songs, may have been written as same-sex love poetry. Paul R. Johnson translated it as “a gay love poem” and Angela Yarber sees it as erotic poetry between a woman and her female lover. Others are...