Episode Details

Pastor, educator, and queer theologian Stephen Lowe (he/they) joins us for a conversation about reclaiming Christianity from evangelical toxicity and finding liberation as a queer Anabaptist Christian.

Stephen grew up in a tight-knit Mennonite community in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, where his family had been rooted since the 1600s. As a queer, gender non-conforming pastor now serving in Appalachia, they share how falling in love with Jesus' actual teachings (and yes, his six-pack abs on the crucifix) led them deeper into faith rather than away from it, and into the work of building communities that honor the divinity in every person.

We dig into the 500-year history of Anabaptism and how Mennonite theology radically differs from the evangelical Christianity that dominates American culture. Stephen makes a compelling case for how evangelicalism "mistakes the reward for the goal" by fixating on individual salvation and afterlife rewards while missing the entire point of Jesus' message: community, justice, and reconciliation here and now.

In this episode, we cover:

• Growing up Mennonite in a 500-year-old Anabaptist tradition
• The difference between evangelical Christianity and actual Christ followers
• Why individual salvation theology misses the entire point of Jesus' message
• Reconciling queerness with faith and moving beyond apologetics
• Why judgment can sound like justice for those who are marginalized
• The Trinity as an orgy (yes, really) and queer theology as liberation
• Communal discernment vs. evangelical individualism
• Reclaiming "sin" as structural injustice rather than personal failing
• Being too queer for church and too churchy for queer spaces
• Why the Bible was never meant to "say one thing"

Whether you're deconstructing, healing from religious trauma, exploring queer theology, or just trying to understand that not all Christians are evangelicals, this episode is a vital and surprisingly healing listen.