This season finale of Love Letters From Reverend Sex begins on a quiet island where Reverend Sex reflects on the ocean’s ability to hold emotional turbulence and on the heavy days that call us back to choosing love over fear. After a conversation with Pantay, an LGBTQ youth advocacy group in Manila, Reverend Sex shares the raw moment when a mother asked why so many people still choose hate—and why religion so often stands in the way of love.

Reverend Sex explores how fear becomes the engine of division, how religious teachings about obedience and punishment shape our understanding of love, and how fear gets normalized in families, churches, and society. They trace how this fear-based theology leads people to comply with systems that harm them, and how Queer and Trans people continually resist by choosing authenticity, community, and love even when fear is justified.

The love letter closes with a meditation on the bravery of choosing love in a world built on fear, drawing a parallel to Jesus’ own refusal to recant his message of equality and liberation. Reverend Sex offers a prayer for courage, protection, and the strength to keep choosing love—trusting that the desire for truth and belonging is always more powerful than fear.

01:41 Ocean Reflections at Dusk

02:06 Holding Turbulence in the Body

02:48 LGBTQ Youth Q&A 

04:29 The Mother’s Question

05:46 Fear as the Engine of Division

06:50 How Religion Gets Weaponized

08:26 Fear, Obedience, and Belonging

13:26 Choosing Love in a World Built on Fear

16:05 The Lineage of Jesus and the Cost of Love

17:52 A Prayer for Courage and Truth

Hosted by Reverend Sex (Rev. Alba Onofrio - Executive Director of Soulforce), Love Letters from Reverend Sex is confession and revelation, intimate and inspirational. This weekly message from an ordained pastor, spiritual healer, and bruja troublemaker will empower you to reject practices of spiritual violence and eradicate shame and fear in your life. This is the spiritual home you’ve been looking for.

The entire Shameless Theology podcast channel offers connection, reflection, and community for anyone feeling spiritually marginalized or exiled but still resiliently faithful. It’s a space for exploration--un/learning and re/membering our spiritual journeys through sharing the experience, wisdom, and connections Soulforce has built as an international LGBTQIA+ social justice nonprofit organization over the last 30 years.

Join in our community of Sinvergüenzas by visiting our Shameless Theology homepage or our Spanish WhatsApp Lista de Difusión. If you’d like to support this cutting-edge movement of ferocious Latine power building, please make a donation.

https://soulforce.org/donate/

FREE PREVIEW: Spiritual Violence and Religious Phenomena that Defile the Faith: https://soulforce.org/download/spiritual-violence/

Find episode transcripts at https://soulforce.org/podcast/

In this season finale of Shameless Theology Rev. Alba Onofrio hosts beloved returning guest Rosa Manriquez in an inspiring conversation that captures the essence of the Sinvergüenza spirit. 

Rosa describes her youth as a “manzana de la discordia” pursuing knowledge, resisting shame, and questioning her elders. Rev. Alba and Rosa discuss the importance of listening to children, keeping them grounded, and raising daughters who are ungovernable. 

Rosa gracefully offers mercy to ICE agents while condemning their actions and the false promise of safety through assimilation. She describes her role co-founding the Godmothers of the Disappeared who hold weekly vigils at the downtown LA federal building to demand detainees’ return, reject divisive politics, and call agents to “choose life.”

Rev. Alba and Rosa discuss Rosa’s Catholic lineage, formation by the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart (featured in the documentary Rebel Hearts), her call to priesthood, ordination via apostolic succession despite excommunication threats, and celebrating inclusive Mass—especially her first Mass at Creating Change—for LGBTQ Catholics. 

Rosa leaves listeners with an invitation to say yes, to take a risk, and to remember that we are loved. Don’t miss this season finale of Shameless Theology! 

Rosa Manriquez is a Los Angeles–based Catholic community leader, speaker, and justice advocate whose work centers on radical love, family, and inclusion. A third-generation Latina raised in East Los Angeles, she holds a Master’s degree in theology and has spent years working at the intersection of faith, anti-racism, and immigrant justice through organizations such as the Immaculate Heart Community, Call To Action, and the Human Rights Campaign’s A La Familia program.

Rosa is widely known for her powerful personal journey—from holding deeply homophobic beliefs shaped by heartbreak and religious upbringing to becoming a fiercely loving and affirming mother to her lesbian daughters. Today, she shares her story nationally as a storyteller, trainer, and bridge-builder within Catholic and Latinx communities, advocating for LGBTQ+ inclusion, healing, and justice.

Hosted by Reverend Sex (Rev. Alba Onofrio - Executive Director of Soulforce), this podcast channel offers connection, reflection, and community for anyone feeling spiritually marginalized or exiled but still resiliently faithful, while centering dialogue on Queer, Trans, and feminist theology.

Shameless Theology seeks to decolonize faith, mixing theological education with real-life experiences to support human rights and life abundant for all of Creation. Initially launched in Spanish as Teología Sin Vergüenza, this show addresses the monopolization of religious discourse by the extreme Right. Here, we gather people of diverse faith backgrounds and Christian denominations--pastors, activists, and scholars--to discuss gender identity, the erotic, and real life in the context of a radically inclusive faith, aiming to heal the wounds of colonizing religion and create a welcoming space for topics often considered taboo in religious spaces.

This season forefronts our new book: Spiritual Violence: Religious Phenomena that Defile the Faith. This timely resource identifies and examines the consequences of white Christian Supremacy through historical context and case studies, centering lived experiences of marginalized people, and offers critical analysis and practical tools for healing and resistance. Each week, we’ll share engaging conversations with brilliant guests familiar with the work, as we explore the concepts and lived experiences of Spiritual Violence. The podcast is not a repetition of the book but an expansion of conversation adding new voices: experts in their fields who share their experience with our community. Even if you haven’t read the book yet, these are engaging conversations relevant to the here and how, and we invite you to join us and continue the conversation in your own communities. 

FREE PREVIEW: Spiritual Violence and Religious Phenomena that Defile the Faith: soulforce.org/download/spiritual-violence/      

Join in our community of Sinvergüenzas by visiting our Shameless Theology homepage or our Spanish WhatsApp Lista de Difusión. If you’d like to support this cutting-edge movement of ferocious Latine power building, please make a donation.

https://soulforce.org/donate/

Today’s episode opens with the restless energy of a storm moving across the Philippines and turns quickly toward a deeper reflection on authority–how it’s granted, how it’s abused, and how it can be reclaimed for healing. Reverend Sex (Rev. Alba Onofrio) traces their own path into ministry, shaped by a desire to understand what scripture truly says about Queer and Trans people and to question why certain leaders are allowed to define holiness, sin, and belonging. They offer a response to the question many have asked: “Who are you to speak for God?” 

Reverend Sex shares the practice of a reverse altar call, where LGBTQIA+ people return the burden of shame the church placed on them—releasing what was never theirs to carry and receiving a blessing in exchange. It becomes a moment of collective truth‑telling, apology, and the beginning of repair.

This love letter closes with a meditation on what spiritual authority is for: not to control or condemn, but to name harm honestly and help communities heal. Reverend Sex invites both faith leaders and those who’ve been wounded by them into a shared work of transformation, ending with a prayer for courage, accountability, and the blessing of laying down what was never ours to hold.

01:41 Typhoon Winds and the Weight of Authority

02:28 Why I Became a Pastor

03:57 Who Gets to Speak for God?

04:39 Conversations with Queer Immigrants

07:22 “Who Are You to Speak for God?”

08:55 A Historic Queer Mass in Manila

09:45 The Reverse Altar Call

12:24 Returning the Burden That Was Never Ours

14:35 What Authority Is For

16:18 A Prayer for Healing and Accountability

Hosted by Reverend Sex (Rev. Alba Onofrio - Executive Director of Soulforce), Love Letters from Reverend Sex is confession and revelation, intimate and inspirational. This weekly message from an ordained pastor, spiritual healer, and bruja troublemaker will empower you to reject practices of spiritual violence and eradicate shame and fear in your life. This is the spiritual home you’ve been looking for.

The entire Shameless Theology podcast channel offers connection, reflection, and community for anyone feeling spiritually marginalized or exiled but still resiliently faithful. It’s a space for exploration--un/learning and re/membering our spiritual journeys through sharing the experience, wisdom, and connections Soulforce has built as an international LGBTQIA+ social justice nonprofit organization over the last 30 years.

Join in our community of Sinvergüenzas by visiting our Shameless Theology homepage or our Spanish WhatsApp Lista de Difusión. If you’d like to support this cutting-edge movement of ferocious Latine power building, please make a donation.

https://soulforce.org/donate/

FREE PREVIEW: Spiritual Violence and Religious Phenomena that Defile the Faith: https://soulforce.org/download/spiritual-violence/

Find episode transcripts at https://soulforce.org/podcast/

In Part Two of our conversation with Dr. Arelis “Aly” Benitez, we continue exploring the lived realities of Spiritual Violence, white Christian Supremacy, and the survival strategies that emerge when communities demand that we split ourselves to stay safe.

Rev. Alba Onofrio leads the conversation into a discussion of stubbornness as a spiritual virtue that can keep us connected to God even when church teachings are full of hypocrisy and contradictions. We discuss the value of learning to navigate liminality and how code‑switching becomes a form of wisdom and self-protection for those living at the intersections of multiple identities. Together, we explore the concept of Spiritual Terrorism and how fear, surveillance, and the threat of punishment shape the lives of undocumented families, Queer and Trans people, and anyone whose existence challenges the boundaries enforced by church or state.

Aly shares how she learned to see herself as “bent but unbreakable,” and how healing becomes possible when we have language to name the harm and access to communities that accompany us through the work of questioning, discerning, and reclaiming our wholeness.

Arelis Benítez, PhD (ella/she) serves as Assistant Professor of the Practice of Religion,

Psychology, and Culture, and Director of Field Education at Vanderbilt Divinity School.

Grounded in Chicana feminist theory and Mesoamerican wisdom, her scholarship

reimagines pastoral theology, cultivating identity formation, cultural engagement, and

spiritual care as pathways of transformation in theology and praxis.

Hosted by Reverend Sex (Rev. Alba Onofrio - Executive Director of Soulforce), this podcast channel offers connection, reflection, and community for anyone feeling spiritually marginalized or exiled but still resiliently faithful, while centering dialogue on Queer, Trans, and feminist theology.

Shameless Theology seeks to decolonize faith, mixing theological education with real-life experiences to support human rights and life abundant for all of Creation. Initially launched in Spanish as Teología Sin Vergüenza, this show addresses the monopolization of religious discourse by the extreme Right. Here, we gather people of diverse faith backgrounds and Christian denominations--pastors, activists, and scholars--to discuss gender identity, the erotic, and real life in the context of a radically inclusive faith, aiming to heal the wounds of colonizing religion and create a welcoming space for topics often considered taboo in religious spaces.

This season forefronts our new book: Spiritual Violence: Religious Phenomena that Defile the Faith. This timely resource identifies and examines the consequences of white Christian Supremacy through historical context and case studies, centering lived experiences of marginalized people, and offers critical analysis and practical tools for healing and resistance. Each week, we’ll share engaging conversations with brilliant guests familiar with the work, as we explore the concepts and lived experiences of Spiritual Violence. The podcast is not a repetition of the book but an expansion of conversation adding new voices: experts in their fields who share their experience with our community. Even if you haven’t read the book yet, these are engaging conversations relevant to the here and how, and we invite you to join us and continue the conversation in your own communities. 

FREE PREVIEW: Spiritual Violence and Religious Phenomena that Defile the Faith: soulforce.org/download/spiritual-violence/    

Join in our community of Sinvergüenzas by visiting our Shameless Theology homepage or our Spanish WhatsApp Lista de Difusión. If you’d like to support this cutting-edge movement of ferocious Latine power building, please make a donation.

https://soulforce.org/donate/

In this Pride‑season love letter from Manila, Reverend Sex (Rev. Alba Onofrio) reflects on officiating a quiet, deeply intimate wedding for a Queer and Trans couple in a country where their love cannot be legally recognized. Their story, two women who dated in college, drifted apart, and reunited nearly twenty years later, opens into a reflection on the midlife Queer awakening so many people experience after years of fulfilling family and societal expectations.

Reverend Sex shares the many kinds of unions they’ve been asked to bless: couples rejected by their churches, undocumented partners seeking spiritual recognition, political and survival‑based marriages, and Queer families building home in unconventional ways. Each story affirms that love is sacred long before the state acknowledges it.

The episode turns to the scriptural story of Ruth and Naomi as a Queer love story—two women who choose each other against all expectations, whose vows form the foundation of modern wedding liturgy. Reverend Sex explores how all of us read scripture through our own lenses, and how Queer people have always been part of the biblical lineage. 

01:45 An Evening Love Letter from Manila

02:07 A Quiet Wedding in a Country Without Marriage Equality

03:03 The Pattern of Midlife Queer Awakening

4:26 When the Church and State Say No

07:10 Blessing the Loves the Church Rejects

9:07 Ruth and Naomi: A Queer Love Story in Scripture

14:28 Queer Lineages in the Story of Jesus

15:43 Reading the Bible Through Our Own Lenses

20:20 A Pride Prayer for All Who Seek Themselves in Scripture

Hosted by Reverend Sex (Rev. Alba Onofrio - Executive Director of Soulforce), Love Letters from Reverend Sex is confession and revelation, intimate and inspirational. This weekly message from an ordained pastor, spiritual healer, and bruja troublemaker will empower you to reject practices of spiritual violence and eradicate shame and fear in your life. This is the spiritual home you’ve been looking for.

The entire Shameless Theology podcast channel offers connection, reflection, and community for anyone feeling spiritually marginalized or exiled but still resiliently faithful. It’s a space for exploration--un/learning and re/membering our spiritual journeys through sharing the experience, wisdom, and connections Soulforce has built as an international LGBTQIA+ social justice nonprofit organization over the last 30 years.

Join in our community of Sinvergüenzas by visiting our Shameless Theology homepage or our Spanish WhatsApp Lista de Difusión. If you’d like to support this cutting-edge movement of ferocious Latine power building, please make a donation.

https://soulforce.org/donate/

FREE PREVIEW: Spiritual Violence and Religious Phenomena that Defile the Faith: https://soulforce.org/download/spiritual-violence/

Find episode transcripts at https://soulforce.org/podcast/

What happens when the place that taught you God’s love also teaches you to divide your spirit from your body—and to call your body the problem?

In this week’s episode, we bring you Part One of our conversation with Dr. Arelis “Aly” Benítez, a beloved friend, colleague, and one of the people whose encouragement and editorial insight helped shape the book at the center of this season. Years ago, Aly joined us on TSV in Spanish to where she spoke publicly about her identity for the first time. Today, she reflects on that moment’s significance and emotions it still brings forward.

Aly shares her story as a Queer daughter of Mexican migrant parents raised within the Seventh‑day Adventist tradition, and how the church’s teachings split her soul from her body long before she had language for sexuality. She describes the liminal space of being undocumented, the fear of losing community, and the impossible contradictions placed on Queer people who are told to love God while denying themselves.

Together, we explore how spiritual violence and religious abuse take shape not only in doctrine, but in the internal fractures they create—fractures that can lead to profound spiritual and emotional harm. We discuss the survival strategies that helped her endure: theological imagination, resistance, and the deep knowing that God had never abandoned her, even when her church did.

This episode mentions suicide. If you or a loved one is struggling with thoughts of self harm or suicide, please reach out for help. Contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by texting or calling 988.

The Trevor Project offers 24/7 support for LGBTQ+ young people through text: 678-678, phone: 1-866-488-7386, or chat: www.thetrevorproject.org 

Join us next week for Part Two, where we continue this powerful conversation with Aly and trace the path from survival toward healing and community. We’ll explore topics like cognitive dissonance, getting comfortable with liminality, code switching as a survival skill, and stubbornness as a spiritual asset. 

Arelis Benítez, PhD (ella/she) serves as Assistant Professor of the Practice of Religion,

Psychology, and Culture, and Director of Field Education at Vanderbilt Divinity School.

Grounded in Chicana feminist theory and Mesoamerican wisdom, her scholarship

reimagines pastoral theology, cultivating identity formation, cultural engagement, and

spiritual care as pathways of transformation in theology and praxis.

Hosted by Reverend Sex (Rev. Alba Onofrio - Executive Director of Soulforce), this podcast channel offers connection, reflection, and community for anyone feeling spiritually marginalized or exiled but still resiliently faithful, while centering dialogue on Queer, Trans, and feminist theology.

Shameless Theology seeks to decolonize faith, mixing theological education with real-life experiences to support human rights and life abundant for all of Creation. Initially launched in Spanish as Teología Sin Vergüenza, this show addresses the monopolization of religious discourse by the extreme Right. Here, we gather people of diverse faith backgrounds and Christian denominations--pastors, activists, and scholars--to discuss gender identity, the erotic, and real life in the context of a radically inclusive faith, aiming to heal the wounds of colonizing religion and create a welcoming space for topics often considered taboo in religious spaces.

This season forefronts our new book: Spiritual Violence: Religious Phenomena that Defile the Faith. This timely resource identifies and examines the consequences of white Christian Supremacy through historical context and case studies, centering lived experiences of marginalized people, and offers critical analysis and practical tools for healing and resistance. Each week, we’ll share engaging conversations with brilliant guests familiar with the work, as we explore the concepts and lived experiences of Spiritual Violence. The podcast is not a repetition of the book but an expansion of conversation adding new voices: experts in their fields who share their experience with our community. Even if you haven’t read the book yet, these are engaging conversations relevant to the here and how, and we invite you to join us and continue the conversation in your own communities. 

FREE PREVIEW: Spiritual Violence and Religious Phenomena that Defile the Faith: soulforce.org/download/spiritual-violence/      

Join in our community of Sinvergüenzas by visiting our Shameless Theology homepage or our Spanish WhatsApp Lista de Difusión. If you’d like to support this cutting-edge movement of ferocious Latine power building, please make a donation.

https://soulforce.org/donate/

In this sunrise love letter from Manila, Reverend Sex (Rev. Alba Onofrio) reflects on a weekend of Queer spiritual courage during the first-ever Culto Cuir in Asia—and Soulforce's first Deaf-centered Culto Cuir. As the city wakes, they recount the power and tenderness of the Trans baptism and name‑change ceremony, a ritual born in Ecuador and now carried across continents as a sacred act of reclamation.

They share stories of those who stepped forward—some revealing their true names for the very first time, others affirming identities they’ve lived into for decades. Each baptism becomes a moment of wrestling and blessing, echoing the biblical lineage of name changes and the story of Jacob becoming Israel. Reverend Sex describes the trembling bravery of each person who came forward, hearts pounding, asking to be witnessed, affirmed, and blessed in the fullness of who they are.

From the sacred water gathered across years of global Queer ministry to the choices of where each person receives their anointing—forehead, throat, heart, hands—this episode honors the beauty of Queer and Trans people claiming themselves in community. It is a meditation on courage, belonging, and the holy work of becoming.

01:45 A Sunrise in Manila

02:36 Culto Cuir Arrives in Asia

03:59 A Deaf-Centered Pride Celebration

04:43 The Origins of Trans Baptism

05:43 Claiming Our Names, Claiming Our Lives

08:56 Biblical Lineages of Renaming

13:30 The Sacred Water and the Anointing

16:15 The Blessing of Becoming

17:13 Witnessing Courage in Real Time

20:19 A Prayer for the Brave

Hosted by Reverend Sex (Rev. Alba Onofrio - Executive Director of Soulforce), Love Letters from Reverend Sex is confession and revelation, intimate and inspirational. This weekly message from an ordained pastor, spiritual healer, and bruja troublemaker will empower you to reject practices of spiritual violence and eradicate shame and fear in your life. This is the spiritual home you’ve been looking for.

The entire Shameless Theology podcast channel offers connection, reflection, and community for anyone feeling spiritually marginalized or exiled but still resiliently faithful. It’s a space for exploration--un/learning and re/membering our spiritual journeys through sharing the experience, wisdom, and connections Soulforce has built as an international LGBTQIA+ social justice nonprofit organization over the last 30 years.

Join in our community of Sinvergüenzas by visiting our Shameless Theology homepage or our Spanish WhatsApp Lista de Difusión. If you’d like to support this cutting-edge movement of ferocious Latine power building, please make a donation.

https://soulforce.org/donate/

FREE PREVIEW: Spiritual Violence and Religious Phenomena that Defile the Faith: https://soulforce.org/download/spiritual-violence/

Find episode transcripts at https://soulforce.org/podcast/

Despite all the harm caused by evangelical churches, today’s guest, Zayn Silva, shares some of what they got right. Rev. Alba Onofrio and Zayn discuss his upbringing in a powerful Spanish-speaking Pentecostal family network with major political and media influence that organized New York’s largest anti-same-sex action in 2009. He shares how he was publicly outed, subjected to conversion therapy, and ultimately left the church he grew up in. After nearly ending his life, Zayn found an affirming Presbyterian church and learned to leverage the evangelical confidence he was raised with to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. 

Rev. Alba and Zayn discuss the Religious Abuse of his youth and the path he took to his current ministry in digital communications, as an elder in the Presbyterian church, and an active community advocate. Zayn also serves as a Board Member for Soulforce. 

This episode mentions thoughts of suicide. If you or a loved one is struggling with thoughts of self harm or suicide, please reach out for help. Contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by texting or calling 988.

The Trevor Project offers 24/7 support for LGBTQ+ young people through text: 678-678, phone: 1-866-488-7386, or chat: www.thetrevorproject.org

Zayn Silva is a Director of Communications, preacher, and human rights activist committed to fierce love and justice. As a transgender Latinx leader, he amplifies inclusive faith, digital ministry, and advocacy for LGBTQIA+ belonging in the church. He is also the founder of Transalike, working to reconnect Queer people with God’s house.

Hosted by Reverend Sex (Rev. Alba Onofrio - Executive Director of Soulforce), this podcast channel offers connection, reflection, and community for anyone feeling spiritually marginalized or exiled but still resiliently faithful, while centering dialogue on Queer, Trans, and feminist theology.

Shameless Theology seeks to decolonize faith, mixing theological education with real-life experiences to support human rights and life abundant for all of Creation. Initially launched in Spanish as Teología Sin Vergüenza, this show addresses the monopolization of religious discourse by the extreme Right. Here, we gather people of diverse faith backgrounds and Christian denominations--pastors, activists, and scholars--to discuss gender identity, the erotic, and real life in the context of a radically inclusive faith, aiming to heal the wounds of colonizing religion and create a welcoming space for topics often considered taboo in religious spaces.

This season forefronts our new book: Spiritual Violence: Religious Phenomena that Defile the Faith. This timely resource identifies and examines the consequences of white Christian Supremacy through historical context and case studies, centering lived experiences of marginalized people, and offers critical analysis and practical tools for healing and resistance. Each week, we’ll share engaging conversations with brilliant guests familiar with the work, as we explore the concepts and lived experiences of Spiritual Violence. The podcast is not a repetition of the book but an expansion of conversation adding new voices: experts in their fields who share their experience with our community. Even if you haven’t read the book yet, these are engaging conversations relevant to the here and how, and we invite you to join us and continue the conversation in your own communities. 

FREE PREVIEW: Spiritual Violence and Religious Phenomena that Defile the Faith: soulforce.org/download/spiritual-violence/      

Join in our community of Sinvergüenzas by visiting our Shameless Theology homepage or our Spanish WhatsApp Lista de Difusión. If you’d like to support this cutting-edge movement of ferocious Latine power building, please make a donation.

https://soulforce.org/donate/

In this week’s Love Letter, Reverend Sex (Rev. Alba Onofrio) invites us into a night sky in eastern North Carolina and into a story of breathtaking bravery from Soulforce’s global community.

Drawing from Soulforce’s seed‑grant program, Reverend Sex shares how liberatory theological resources are translated into local languages so communities can resist Spiritual Violence on their own terms. But in one Global South country, where “promoting homosexuality” carries a 20‑year prison sentence, translation becomes an act of underground resistance.

You’ll hear how local Queer women and allies organized a covert operation to bring these resources to life. Their courage becomes a blessing, a mirror, and a reminder: we are part of a global movement of people who risk everything for liberation.

Reverend Sex closes with a prayer for boldness, solidarity, and the holy work of interrupting white Christian Supremacy wherever we are, with whatever we have.

01:41 Night Sky Courage

03:36 Soulforce Seed Grants

06:24 Translation Language Dilemmas

09:46 Illegal Files 

11:52 Underground Printing Story

16:40 Courage Takeaways

18:59 Prayer for Boldness

21:33 Closing and Next Steps 

Hosted by Reverend Sex (Rev. Alba Onofrio - Executive Director of Soulforce), Love Letters from Reverend Sex is confession and revelation, intimate and inspirational. This weekly message from an ordained pastor, spiritual healer, and bruja troublemaker will empower you to reject practices of spiritual violence and eradicate shame and fear in your life. This is the spiritual home you’ve been looking for.

The entire Shameless Theology podcast channel offers connection, reflection, and community for anyone feeling spiritually marginalized or exiled but still resiliently faithful. It’s a space for exploration--un/learning and re/membering our spiritual journeys through sharing the experience, wisdom, and connections Soulforce has built as an international LGBTQIA+ social justice nonprofit organization over the last 30 years.

Join in our community of Sinvergüenzas by visiting our Shameless Theology homepage or our Spanish WhatsApp Lista de Difusión. If you’d like to support this cutting-edge movement of ferocious Latine power building, please make a donation.

https://soulforce.org/donate/

FREE PREVIEW: Spiritual Violence and Religious Phenomena that Defile the Faith: https://soulforce.org/download/spiritual-violence/

Find episode transcripts at https://soulforce.org/podcast/

When food and water are denied in the aftermath of an earthquake on the basis of religious affiliation, white Christian Supremacy is laid bare. In part two of our conversation with Dr. Danielle Boaz and Dr. Gustavo Melo Cerqueira, Danielle offers a sweeping historical and political analysis of Haiti—from the Haitian Revolution to the 2010 earthquake and cholera outbreak—showing how anti‑Blackness, colonial mythology, and the demonization of African Diaspora religions converge to justify discrimination, vigilante violence, and even the denial of humanitarian aid. Their research documents how U.S.‑funded Christian NGOs and local churches have participated in this harm, revealing the mechanics of white Christian Supremacy in moments of profound crisis.

We will also discuss the political and academic challenges of naming Spiritual Terrorism directly, and why research and precise language matter for communities resisting violence, for students seeking frameworks that match their lived experience, and for international advocacy efforts that require clarity rather than euphemism.

Dr. Danielle N. Boaz is Professor of Africana Studies and Interim Director of Legal Studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Her research focuses on discrimination and violence against African diaspora religious communities from the nineteenth to the present. Dr. Boaz is the author of Banning Black Gods: Law and Religions of the African Diaspora (Penn State University Press 2021) and Voodoo: The History of a Racial Slur (Oxford University Press 2023);she is co-author of Silencing the Drum: Religious Racism and Afro-Brazilian Sacred Music (Amherst College Press 2024). 

Dr. Gustavo Melo Cerqueira: Dr. Gustavo Melo Cerqueira is the Babalorixá of Ilê Axé Omi Ogun siwajú and an artist of performance and presence working as an actor, director, and playwright. He serves as Vice President of the International Commission to Combat Religious Racism (ICCRR), a global initiative dedicated to studying and confronting religious racism through research, advocacy, and international collaboration. His work bridges scholarship and activism, addressing discrimination against African and African diaspora religions worldwide. Dr. Melo Cerqueira holds a Ph.D. in African and African Diaspora Studies and an M.A. in Arts from the University of Texas at Austin, and is an Adjunct Professor of Theater Education at UNIRIO. He has published widely in theater, performance, and religious studies, and is co-founder of Pele Negra – Escola de Teatro(s) Preto(s).

Find more about their work at www.religiousracism.org

Hosted by Reverend Sex (Rev. Alba Onofrio - Executive Director of Soulforce), this podcast channel offers connection, reflection, and community for anyone feeling spiritually marginalized or exiled but still resiliently faithful, while centering dialogue on Queer, Trans, and feminist theology.

Shameless Theology seeks to decolonize faith, mixing theological education with real-life experiences to support human rights and life abundant for all of Creation. Initially launched in Spanish as Teología Sin Vergüenza, this show addresses the monopolization of religious discourse by the extreme Right. Here, we gather people of diverse faith backgrounds and Christian denominations--pastors, activists, and scholars--to discuss gender identity, the erotic, and real life in the context of a radically inclusive faith, aiming to heal the wounds of colonizing religion and create a welcoming space for topics often considered taboo in religious spaces.

This season forefronts our new book: Spiritual Violence: Religious Phenomena that Defile the Faith. This timely resource identifies and examines the consequences of white Christian Supremacy through historical context and case studies, centering lived experiences of marginalized people, and offers critical analysis and practical tools for healing and resistance. Each week, we’ll share engaging conversations with brilliant guests familiar with the work, as we explore the concepts and lived experiences of Spiritual Violence. The podcast is not a repetition of the book but an expansion of conversation adding new voices: experts in their fields who share their experience with our community. Even if you haven’t read the book yet, these are engaging conversations relevant to the here and how, and we invite you to join us and continue the conversation in your own communities. 

FREE PREVIEW: Spiritual Violence and Religious Phenomena that Defile the Faith: soulforce.org/download/spiritual-violence/    

Join in our community of Sinvergüenzas by visiting our Shameless Theology homepage or our Spanish WhatsApp Lista de Difusión. If you’d like to support this cutting-edge movement of ferocious Latine power building, please make a donation.

https://soulforce.org/donate/

Forgiveness is often preached as holy, but in abusive systems it becomes a tool of control that protects institutions and silences survivors. Reverend Sex (Rev. Alba Onofrio) reflects on the weaponization of Christian forgiveness, sharing a story of an 18-year-old in Costa Rica shamed as “impure” and barred from church dance after giving birth at 12 due to abuse by a church elder the community protected. Reverend Sex critiques forgiveness lessons that use Scripture to shift the burden onto victims, erase anger and grief, and replace accountability and restitution with private repentance to God. 

00:00 Welcome Back Beloved

01:45 Late Night In Mexico

02:12 Costa Rica Story

05:43 Forgiveness Weaponized

09:27 God As Aggrieved

12:49 Healing Versus Performance

14:06 Focus On Family Rules

17:40 White Supremacy Lens

20:35 Jesus Cross Reframe

22:17 Prayer For Tenderness

24:33 Outro And Resources 

Hosted by Reverend Sex (Rev. Alba Onofrio - Executive Director of Soulforce), Love Letters from Reverend Sex is confession and revelation, intimate and inspirational. This weekly message from an ordained pastor, spiritual healer, and bruja troublemaker will empower you to reject practices of spiritual violence and eradicate shame and fear in your life. This is the spiritual home you’ve been looking for.

The entire Shameless Theology podcast channel offers connection, reflection, and community for anyone feeling spiritually marginalized or exiled but still resiliently faithful. It’s a space for exploration--un/learning and re/membering our spiritual journeys through sharing the experience, wisdom, and connections Soulforce has built as an international LGBTQIA+ social justice nonprofit organization over the last 30 years.

Join in our community of Sinvergüenzas by visiting our Shameless Theology homepage or our Spanish WhatsApp Lista de Difusión. If you’d like to support this cutting-edge movement of ferocious Latine power building, please make a donation.

https://soulforce.org/donate/

FREE PREVIEW: Spiritual Violence and Religious Phenomena that Defile the Faith: https://soulforce.org/download/spiritual-violence/

Find episode transcripts at https://soulforce.org/podcast/

Spiritual Terrorism does not require intention to do harm when social, political, and cultural structures are established to facilitate harm. Today, Rev. Alba Onofrio introduces two scholars who have worked together for almost a decade to expose these structures and document incidents of Religious Racism in Brazil. Dr. Danielle Boaz and Dr. Gustavo Melo Cerquiera have built a bilingual database of 500+ documented incidents of religious intolerance against Afro-Brazilian faiths.

In cases where perpetrators were identified, every single one was Christian—most often Neo‑Pentecostal—revealing a pattern of organized hostility that shapes daily life and public safety.

In part one of this two part conversation, we learn how Danielle and Gustavo came to this work, and how the project started as a cry for help and a fight for survival. We’ll consider how their lived experience and research into the prohibition & persecution of African diaspora religions across the Americas relates to the concepts presented in Soulforce’s new book Spiritual Violence: Religious Phenomena that Defile the Faith and discuss the ways religion colludes with power to produce harm. 

Dr. Danielle N. Boaz is Professor of Africana Studies and Interim Director of Legal Studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Her research focuses on discrimination and violence against African diaspora religious communities from the nineteenth to the present. Dr. Boaz is the author of Banning Black Gods: Law and Religions of the African Diaspora (Penn State University Press 2021) and Voodoo: The History of a Racial Slur (Oxford University Press 2023);she is co-author of Silencing the Drum:Religious Racism and Afro-Brazilian Sacred Music (Amherst College Press 2024). 

Dr. Gustavo Melo Cerqueira: Dr. Gustavo Melo Cerqueira is the Babalorixá of Ilê Axé Omi Ogun siwajú and an artist of performance and presence working as an actor, director, and playwright. He serves as Vice President of the International Commission to Combat Religious Racism (ICCRR), a global initiative dedicated to studying and confronting religious racism through research, advocacy, and international collaboration. His work bridges scholarship and activism, addressing discrimination against African and African diaspora religions worldwide. Dr. Melo Cerqueira holds a Ph.D. in African and African Diaspora Studies and an M.A. in Arts from the University of Texas at Austin and is an Adjunct Professor of Theater Education at UNIRIO. He has published widely in theater, performance, and religious studies, and is co-founder of Pele Negra – Escola de Teatro(s) Preto(s).

Find more about their work at www.religiousracism.org

Americans’ Double Standard on Religious Violence - PRRI 

Hosted by Reverend Sex (Rev. Alba Onofrio - Executive Director of Soulforce), this podcast channel offers connection, reflection, and community for anyone feeling spiritually marginalized or exiled but still resiliently faithful, while centering dialogue on Queer, Trans, and feminist theology.

Shameless Theology seeks to decolonize faith, mixing theological education with real-life experiences to support human rights and life abundant for all of Creation. Initially launched in Spanish as Teología Sin Vergüenza, this show addresses the monopolization of religious discourse by the extreme Right. Here, we gather people of diverse faith backgrounds and Christian denominations--pastors, activists, and scholars--to discuss gender identity, the erotic, and real life in the context of a radically inclusive faith, aiming to heal the wounds of colonizing religion and create a welcoming space for topics often considered taboo in religious spaces.

This season forefronts our new book: Spiritual Violence: Religious Phenomena that Defile the Faith. This timely resource identifies and examines the consequences of white Christian Supremacy through historical context and case studies, centering lived experiences of marginalized people, and offers critical analysis and practical tools for healing and resistance. Each week, we’ll share engaging conversations with brilliant guests familiar with the work, as we explore the concepts and lived experiences of Spiritual Violence. The podcast is not a repetition of the book but an expansion of conversation adding new voices: experts in their fields who share their experience with our community. Even if you haven’t read the book yet, these are engaging conversations relevant to the here and how, and we invite you to join us and continue the conversation in your own communities. 

FREE PREVIEW: Spiritual Violence and Religious Phenomena that Defile the Faith: soulforce.org/download/spiritual-violence/    

Join in our community of Sinvergüenzas by visiting our Shameless Theology homepage or our Spanish WhatsApp Lista de Difusión. If you’d like to support this cutting-edge movement of ferocious Latine power building, please make a donation.

https://soulforce.org/donate/

What if your queerness isn’t just who you love—but the lens that teaches you to question everything? 

Reflecting on a rainy night at home and a recent visit to United Lutheran Seminary, Reverend Sex (Rev. Alba Onofrio) answers a seminarian’s brave question: “What is a Queer Christian?” They unpack how identity-shaping adjectives matter, and how “Queer” differs from “gay” as a politicized, countercultural refusal to conform to broken systems. 

Through examples like chosen family, bodies and sexuality, and gendered language for God, they describe Queerness as a power analysis that challenges authority, including how biblical canon was formed. Seeing Jesus as anti-imperialist and resisting unjust power, they frame queer Christianity as hope-filled sacred resistance, then close with a prayer for courage to ask hard questions and build community.

00:00 Welcome Back Beloveds

01:45 The Seminary Question

03:16 Identity Words Matter

05:47 Queer As A Lens

06:35 Gay Does Not Equal Queer

09:28 Chosen Family And Bodies

12:12 Power And Authority

14:37 Jesus The Rebel

17:07 Hope And Liberation

19:45 Prayer For Holy Trouble

22:04 Closing and Resources

Hosted by Reverend Sex (Rev. Alba Onofrio - Executive Director of Soulforce), Love Letters from Reverend Sex is confession and revelation, intimate and inspirational. This weekly message from an ordained pastor, spiritual healer, and bruja troublemaker will empower you to reject practices of spiritual violence and eradicate shame and fear in your life. This is the spiritual home you’ve been looking for.

The entire Shameless Theology podcast channel offers connection, reflection, and community for anyone feeling spiritually marginalized or exiled but still resiliently faithful. It’s a space for exploration--un/learning and re/membering our spiritual journeys through sharing the experience, wisdom, and connections Soulforce has built as an international LGBTQIA+ social justice nonprofit organization over the last 30 years.

Join in our community of Sinvergüenzas by visiting our Shameless Theology homepage or our Spanish WhatsApp Lista de Difusión. If you’d like to support this cutting-edge movement of ferocious Latine power building, please make a donation.

https://soulforce.org/donate/

FREE PREVIEW: Spiritual Violence and Religious Phenomena that Defile the Faith: https://soulforce.org/download/spiritual-violence/

Find episode transcripts at https://soulforce.org/podcast/

What do you do when you can’t find a spiritual home? You build one.

In pursuit of a faith that could withstand questioning and a community that embraced freedom and dignity, guest Rev. Rhina Ramos worked to create the spiritual home she’d been searching for. In today’s episode, Rev. Alba Onofrio invites Rhina to share her journey from a punitive Catholic upbringing in El Salvador, through migration to the U.S., and a decade in a Salvadoran Baptist church to the rupture of coming out as a lesbian, divorcing, and trusting God’s grace amid rejection. Today, as the co-founder and pastor of the country’s only Spanish‑speaking, queer‑led UCC congregation, she and the Ministerio Latino community offer both material support for newly arrived immigrants and a healing, affirming space where Queer and Trans people can be fully seen.

With more than 25 years of experience as an activist and advocate, Rhina has seen the effects of Spiritual Violence up close in our communities. In today’s conversation, Rev. Alba and Rhina reflect on those stories, the spiritual trauma carried by Queer immigrants and Trans people, our responsibility to costly love as an expression of faith, and the practices that sustain us: community care, rest, and drawing strength from revolutionary ancestors.

Rev. Rhina Ramos is an ordained United Church of Christ minister leading Ministerio Latino, a Spanish speaking open and affirming congregation for LGTBQI Latinx immigrants founded as her call in 2011. Rhina was born in El Salvador and emigrated to the United States at age 14 in 1983. As an immigrant undocumented during the first 3 years in the United States, Rhina knows first hand the fear and pain of belonging to an invisible community. She graduated from Hofstra University Law School in 1995 and was a labor attorney for five years recouping thousands of dollars in unpaid wages for immigrant workers. In 2003, she obtained a Masters in Divinity from the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, CA. Pastor Rhina has worked in the nonprofit sector for over 25 years as an activist, community organizer and manager. In November 2024, she published her first book In My Heart, A Volcano in Spanish about her family and memories of growing up in El Salvador during the 80’s and her journey north as undocumented immigrant.

Find Rev. Rhina at ministeriolatino.org or on Facebook & Instagram

Hosted by Reverend Sex (Rev. Alba Onofrio - Executive Director of Soulforce), this podcast channel offers connection, reflection, and community for anyone feeling spiritually marginalized or exiled but still resiliently faithful, while centering dialogue on Queer, Trans, and feminist theology.

Shameless Theology seeks to decolonize faith, mixing theological education with real-life experiences to support human rights and life abundant for all of Creation. Initially launched in Spanish as Teología Sin Vergüenza, this show addresses the monopolization of religious discourse by the extreme Right. Here, we gather people of diverse faith backgrounds and Christian denominations--pastors, activists, and scholars--to discuss gender identity, the erotic, and real life in the context of a radically inclusive faith, aiming to heal the wounds of colonizing religion and create a welcoming space for topics often considered taboo in religious spaces.

This season forefronts our new book: Spiritual Violence: Religious Phenomena that Defile the Faith. This timely resource identifies and examines the consequences of white Christian Supremacy through historical context and case studies, centering lived experiences of marginalized people, and offers critical analysis and practical tools for healing and resistance. Each week, we’ll share engaging conversations with brilliant guests familiar with the work, as we explore the concepts and lived experiences of Spiritual Violence. The podcast is not a repetition of the book but an expansion of conversation adding new voices: experts in their fields who share their experience with our community. Even if you haven’t read the book yet, these are engaging conversations relevant to the here and how, and we invite you to join us and continue the conversation in your own communities. 

FREE PREVIEW: Spiritual Violence and Religious Phenomena that Defile the Faith: soulforce.org/download/spiritual-violence/    

Join in our community of Sinvergüenzas by visiting our Shameless Theology homepage or our Spanish WhatsApp Lista de Difusión. If you’d like to support this cutting-edge movement of ferocious Latine power building, please make a donation.

https://soulforce.org/donate/

Profane or impolite? How do the words we choose relate to the faith we practice?

Honoring a rebellious heart and faithful spirit Reverend Sex (Rev. Alba Onofrio) explores why profanity unsettles many Christians but can be a political and spiritual practice rooted in activism where survival leaves little room for polite society. Drawing on the Battle of Hastings and the class divide between Old English and French-derived “educated” language, they show how “cuss words” became labeled vulgar. They distinguish swearing, cursing, and cussing, and invite a redefinition of “profane” as that which causes harm. 

00:00 Welcome Back Beloveds

01:45 Why This Love Letter

03:49 Activism And Real Talk

05:41 Unbecoming Of A Lady

06:23 Medieval Swearing Origins

07:40 Battle Of Hastings

09:18 Class And Language Split

12:47 Profanity Word Examples

15:11 Swearing Cursing Cussing

17:21 Redefining The Profane

17:57 Prayer For Holy Speech

20:10 Closing And More Shows

Hosted by Reverend Sex (Rev. Alba Onofrio - Executive Director of Soulforce), Love Letters from Reverend Sex is confession and revelation, intimate and inspirational. This weekly message from an ordained pastor, spiritual healer, and bruja troublemaker will empower you to reject practices of spiritual violence and eradicate shame and fear in your life. This is the spiritual home you’ve been looking for.

The entire Shameless Theology podcast channel offers connection, reflection, and community for anyone feeling spiritually marginalized or exiled but still resiliently faithful. It’s a space for exploration--un/learning and re/membering our spiritual journeys through sharing the experience, wisdom, and connections Soulforce has built as an international LGBTQIA+ social justice nonprofit organization over the last 30 years.

Join in our community of Sinvergüenzas by visiting our Shameless Theology homepage or our Spanish WhatsApp Lista de Difusión. If you’d like to support this cutting-edge movement of ferocious Latine power building, please make a donation.

https://soulforce.org/donate/

FREE PREVIEW: Spiritual Violence and Religious Phenomena that Defile the Faith: https://soulforce.org/download/spiritual-violence/

Find episode transcripts at https://soulforce.org/podcast/

When purity is preached as protection but feels like surveillance, pastor’s kids can become extensions of the pulpit under constant scrutiny. 

In part two of a conversation with Yolanda Santiago-Correa,, the story turns personal. Yolanda describes how her parents—shaped by their own religious trauma—protected her through honest, nuanced dialogue rather than censorship. Even so, she navigated policing of her body, social isolation, pressure to represent her family, and the constant fear that any misstep could jeopardize her parents’ employment.  

Together, Rev. Alba (Reverend Sex) and Yolanda examine how white Christian Supremacist purity culture and rigid binaries create conditions for Spiritual Terrorism. They explore the tension between embodied Puerto Rican culture and church repression, and why Pentecostalism’s intimate, physical spirituality can feel grounding amid disenfranchisement. 

The episode invites listeners to take responsibility for their own faith—naming harm honestly while seeking ways to protect what is sacred without reproducing violence.

Yolanda M. Santiago Correa is a doctoral candidate in Religion and Culture. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico and an M.Div. from Duke Divinity School. Her research explores the intersection of Puerto Rican racial imagination and Christian practice, centering Black Boricua experiences to challenge colonial frameworks and reimagine religious life in the archipelago and diaspora.

She currently serves as Program Coordinator for the Hispanic House of Studies at Duke Divinity School and as the inaugural Director of the AfroLatine Theology Project.

Hosted by Reverend Sex (Rev. Alba Onofrio - Executive Director of Soulforce), this podcast channel offers connection, reflection, and community for anyone feeling spiritually marginalized or exiled but still resiliently faithful, while centering dialogue on Queer, Trans, and feminist theology.

Shameless Theology seeks to decolonize faith, mixing theological education with real-life experiences to support human rights and life abundant for all of Creation. Initially launched in Spanish as Teología Sin Vergüenza, this show addresses the monopolization of religious discourse by the extreme Right. Here, we gather people of diverse faith backgrounds and Christian denominations--pastors, activists, and scholars--to discuss gender identity, the erotic, and real life in the context of a radically inclusive faith, aiming to heal the wounds of colonizing religion and create a welcoming space for topics often considered taboo in religious spaces.

This season forefronts our new book: Spiritual Violence: Religious Phenomena that Defile the Faith. This timely resource identifies and examines the consequences of white Christian Supremacy through historical context and case studies, centering lived experiences of marginalized people, and offers critical analysis and practical tools for healing and resistance. Each week, we’ll share engaging conversations with brilliant guests familiar with the work, as we explore the concepts and lived experiences of Spiritual Violence. The podcast is not a repetition of the book but an expansion of conversation adding new voices: experts in their fields who share their experience with our community. Even if you haven’t read the book yet, these are engaging conversations relevant to the here and how, and we invite you to join us and continue the conversation in your own communities. 

FREE PREVIEW: Spiritual Violence and Religious Phenomena that Defile the Faith: soulforce.org/download/spiritual-violence/    

Join in our community of Sinvergüenzas by visiting our Shameless Theology homepage or our Spanish WhatsApp Lista de Difusión. If you’d like to support this cutting-edge movement of ferocious Latine power building, please make a donation.

https://soulforce.org/donate/

If you’ve been wondering whether that persistent tug in your spirit is a real calling, this love letter is your sign to listen—and be brave. Reverend Sex (Rev. Alba Onofrio) shares their own improbable path toward divinity school as a queer, non-monogamous mother, guided by Rev. Dr. Katie Cannon’s mantra: “Do the work your soul must have.” 

A transformative moment during a Moravian Love Feast—known for its ritualized welcome and egalitarian table—cracked something open: a divine challenge to their anger about the absence of affirming church spaces. What followed was a season of discernment, surprising confirmations, and the courage to “just apply,” ultimately leading them to seminary. 

This episode encourages listeners to ask what makes them come alive, to pray boldly, and to trust that callings often begin as a whisper. 

00:00 Welcome Beloveds

01:45 Called To Something

03:42 Soul Must Have Work

05:06 Moravian Love Feast

10:27 Searching For Church

13:43 God Asks What Now

14:17 Just Apply Anyway

15:57 Hearing The Call

18:59 Prayer For Discernment

21:16 Closing And Resources

Hosted by Reverend Sex (Rev. Alba Onofrio - Executive Director of Soulforce), Love Letters from Reverend Sex is confession and revelation, intimate and inspirational. This weekly message from an ordained pastor, spiritual healer, and bruja troublemaker will empower you to reject practices of spiritual violence and eradicate shame and fear in your life. This is the spiritual home you’ve been looking for.

The entire Shameless Theology podcast channel offers connection, reflection, and community for anyone feeling spiritually marginalized or exiled but still resiliently faithful. It’s a space for exploration--un/learning and re/membering our spiritual journeys through sharing the experience, wisdom, and connections Soulforce has built as an international LGBTQIA+ social justice nonprofit organization over the last 30 years.

Join in our community of Sinvergüenzas by visiting our Shameless Theology homepage or our Spanish WhatsApp Lista de Difusión. If you’d like to support this cutting-edge movement of ferocious Latine power building, please make a donation.

https://soulforce.org/donate/

FREE PREVIEW: Spiritual Violence and Religious Phenomena that Defile the Faith: https://soulforce.org/download/spiritual-violence/

Find episode transcripts at https://soulforce.org/podcast/

Puerto Rico’s colonial past isn’t just politics—it’s a Christian story written into bodies, churches, and daily survival. Rev. Alba Onofrio (Reverend Sex), Executive Director of Soulforce, introduces Shameless Theology Season 2 as a series based on the book Spiritual Violence: Religious Phenomena that Defile the Faith, naming spiritual violence, religious abuse, and white Christian Supremacy as lived realities. 

In part one of a two-part conversation, guest Yolanda Santiago Correa traces Puerto Rico’s colonization under Spain and then the U.S., describing an “embedded dependency” reinforced through Christian rhetoric, U.S. policy, and economic control. She discusses Protestant denominations dividing the island, structural neglect highlighted by Hurricane Maria, and “Latinidad” as a homogenizing, anti-Black colonial project tied to purity, assimilation, and whiteness. The conversation considers queering inherited tools for understanding race, identity, and belonging, ranging from reggaeton to racial gatekeeping. Part two will explore Yolanda’s experiences of spiritual violence growing up, navigating identity and belonging as a pastor’s kid.

Yolanda M. Santiago Correa is a doctoral candidate in Religion and Culture. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico and an M.Div. from Duke Divinity School. Her research explores the intersection of Puerto Rican racial imagination and Christian practice, centering Black Boricua experiences to challenge colonial frameworks and reimagine religious life in the archipelago and diaspora.

She currently serves as Program Coordinator for the Hispanic House of Studies at Duke Divinity School and as the inaugural Director of the AfroLatine Theology Project.

 Hosted by Reverend Sex (Rev. Alba Onofrio - Executive Director of Soulforce), this podcast channel offers connection, reflection, and community for anyone feeling spiritually marginalized or exiled but still resiliently faithful, while centering dialogue on Queer, Trans, and feminist theology.

Shameless Theology seeks to decolonize faith, mixing theological education with real-life experiences to support human rights and life abundant for all of Creation. Initially launched in Spanish as Teología Sin Vergüenza, this show addresses the monopolization of religious discourse by the extreme Right. Here, we gather people of diverse faith backgrounds and Christian denominations--pastors, activists, and scholars--to discuss gender identity, the erotic, and real life in the context of a radically inclusive faith, aiming to heal the wounds of colonizing religion and create a welcoming space for topics often considered taboo in religious spaces.

This season forefronts our new book: Spiritual Violence: Religious Phenomena that Defile the Faith. This timely resource identifies and examines the consequences of white Christian Supremacy through historical context and case studies, centering lived experiences of marginalized people, and offers critical analysis and practical tools for healing and resistance. Each week, we’ll share engaging conversations with brilliant guests familiar with the work, as we explore the concepts and lived experiences of Spiritual Violence. The podcast is not a repetition of the book but an expansion of conversation adding new voices: experts in their fields who share their experience with our community. Even if you haven’t read the book yet, these are engaging conversations relevant to the here and how, and we invite you to join us and continue the conversation in your own communities. 

FREE PREVIEW: Spiritual Violence and Religious Phenomena that Defile the Faith: https://soulforce.org/download/spiritual-violence/     

Join in our community of Sinvergüenzas by visiting our Shameless Theology homepage or our Spanish WhatsApp Lista de Difusión. If you’d like to support this cutting-edge movement of ferocious Latine power building, please make a donation.

https://soulforce.org/donate/

“Grief is not a disorder, a disease, or a sign of weakness. It is an emotional, spiritual and physical necessity, the price you pay for love. The only cure for grief is to grieve.” --- Earl Grollman

When the waves of pain make everything feel senseless, Reverend Sex (Rev. Alba Onofrio) offers presence to those grieving amid violence, systemic harm, and spiritual overwhelm in this opening episode of Season Two. Reverend Sex names how many were taught to privatize grief or rely on clichés. They argue that a core lie of “bad theology” is treating God as fragile—unable to hold rage, despair, doubt, and the question “why.” Instead, Reverend Sex invites listeners to let grief move through the body, using water and candlelight as companions for release and transmutation, while calling on the divine, ancestors, and elements for strength. 

00:00 Welcome Back Beloved

01:45 A Love Letter for Grief

03:37 Unlearning Fragile God

04:55 When Pain Makes No Sense

08:17 Water as Sacred Release

11:17 Opening Outward Together

12:32 Bless the Turning

14:37 Prayer for Holding Grief

18:11 Closing and Podcast Updates

Hosted by Reverend Sex (Rev. Alba Onofrio - Executive Director of Soulforce), Love Letters from Reverend Sex is confession and revelation, intimate and inspirational. This weekly message from an ordained pastor, spiritual healer, and bruja troublemaker will empower you to reject practices of spiritual violence and eradicate shame and fear in your life. This is the spiritual home you’ve been looking for.

The entire Shameless Theology podcast channel offers connection, reflection, and community for anyone feeling spiritually marginalized or exiled but still resiliently faithful. It’s a space for exploration--un/learning and re/membering our spiritual journeys through sharing the experience, wisdom, and connections Soulforce has built as an international LGBTQIA+ social justice nonprofit organization over the last 30 years.

Join in our community of Sinvergüenzas by visiting our Shameless Theology homepage or our Spanish WhatsApp Lista de Difusión. If you’d like to support this cutting-edge movement of ferocious Latine power building, please make a donation.

https://soulforce.org/donate/

FREE PREVIEW: Spiritual Violence and Religious Phenomena that Defile the Faith: https://soulforce.org/download/spiritual-violence/

Find episode transcripts at https://soulforce.org/podcast/

White Christian Supremacy was brought to this continent through violent conquest. Subsequent nations and societies have been founded on its death-dealing ethos, shaping collective consciousness and enforcing oppression at every level. It’s time we name the harm caused by this spiritual terrorism - not as abstract theories, but in the lived realities of the many marginalized people hurt by White Christian supremacy. 

In this season premiere episode, Reverend Sex and Nadia Arellano introduce the concepts explored in Soulforce’s new book Spiritual Violence: Religious Phenomena that Defile the Faith to offer shared language for the rich conversations that fill this season. Learn about the work that went into this incredible resource and how it’s designed to spark conversation and inspire action.   

Hosted by Reverend Sex (Rev. Alba Onofrio - Executive Director of Soulforce), this podcast channel offers connection, reflection, and community for anyone feeling spiritually marginalized or exiled but still resiliently faithful, while centering dialogue on Queer, Trans, and feminist theology.

Shameless Theology seeks to decolonize faith, mixing theological education with real-life experiences to support human rights and life abundant for all of Creation. Initially launched in Spanish as Teología Sin Vergüenza, this show addresses the monopolization of religious discourse by the extreme Right. Here, we gather people of diverse faith backgrounds and Christian denominations--pastors, activists, and scholars--to discuss gender identity, the erotic, and real life in the context of a radically inclusive faith, aiming to heal the wounds of colonizing religion and create a welcoming space for topics often considered taboo in religious spaces.

This season forefronts our new book: Spiritual Violence: Religious Phenomena that Defile the Faith. This timely resource identifies and examines the consequences of white Christian Supremacy through historical context and case studies, centering lived experiences of marginalized people, and offers critical analysis and practical tools for healing and resistance. Each week, we’ll share engaging conversations with brilliant guests familiar with the work, as we explore the concepts and lived experiences of Spiritual Violence. The podcast is not a repetition of the book but an expansion of conversation adding new voices: experts in their fields who share their experience with our community. Even if you haven’t read the book yet, these are engaging conversations relevant to the here and how, and we invite you to join us and continue the conversation in your own communities. 

FREE PREVIEW: Spiritual Violence and Religious Phenomena that Defile the Faith: https://soulforce.org/download/spiritual-violence/    

Join in our community of Sinvergüenzas by visiting our Shameless Theology homepage or our Spanish WhatsApp Lista de Difusión. If you’d like to support this cutting-edge movement of ferocious Latine power building, please make a donation.

https://soulforce.org/donate/