Tim Otto is a man of intentional commitments: he lives in intentional Christian community; he pastors a church in San Francisco; he’s also gay and celibate, while still affirming gay marriage (Side A). Tim talked with co-hosts TJ and David Frank about his book Oriented to Faith, compassionate approaches, “third way” communities and “disputable” theological differences, celibate partnerships, and the importance of close community living.

Tim was a kind and engaging dialogue partner and we loved having this conversation with him! No matter where you land on the faith and sexuality topics, we hope our discussion ministers to you also.

About Our Guest

Tim Otto has lived in an intentional Christian community called Church of the Sojourners for 34 years and is one of its co-pastors. He has a Master of Theology degree from Duke Divinity School, is the author of Oriented to Faith: Transforming the Conflict over Gay Relationships, and loves walking around the Mission District of San Francisco, where he lives. You can find his recent writing on Substack at “Living in Extraordinary Love”: https://timotto.substack.com

For $10 off Revoice registration, use PROMO CODE: RevoicePod

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Note: We use the terms “Side A” and “Side B” as shorthand quite a bit. If you’re new to the conversation, we recommend listening to our episode #3, “A-B-Y-X | 4 Sides on SSA/Gay Sexuality.” Here’s a quick summary:

* "Side A" generally refers to the perspective that affirms God can bless same-sex marriage and sexual relationships.

* “Side B” recognizes people experience same-sex sexual attraction and may describe that experience by a variety of words or identity terms while still holding to the historical Christian sexual ethic of marriage between a man and a woman, and sex within marriage.

Timestamps

(1:13) Tim's book: encouraging dialogue and love across sides

(8:03) Idolatry of the "traditional family"

(16:11) Taking a vow of celibacy as a side A gay man

(21:38) Our takes: on the authority and continuity of Scripture

(34:27) What traditionalist viewpoints do you find most compelling?

(38:54) What has moved you toward an affirming position?

(42:55) Are celibate partnerships gnostic?

(52:56) What makes a healthy/acceptable marriage? (same-sex, polyamory, polygamy…)

(1:07:18) How does San Francisco influence you?

(1:14:24) Bonus question: the "common purse" in Tim's community

Links and References

For your easier searching…

* Sacred Cows: Exploring Contemporary Idolatry by J.A. Walter

* The Drama of Scripture: Finding Our Place in the Biblical Story by Craig Bartholemew and Michael Goheen

* Kevin Vanhoozer, theologian

* Tenderness: A Gay Christian’s Guide to Unlearning Rejection and Experiencing God’s Extravagant Love by Eve Tushnet

* “Century of the Self” documentary is on Youtube

* Theology of the Body by Pope John Paul’s

If you like this podcast, please consider…

→ Sharing feedback or questions! communionandshalom@gmail.com

→ Supporting us on Patreon! patreon.com/communionandshalom

→ Following us on Instagram! @communionandshalom

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Credits

Creators and Hosts: David Frank, TJ Espinoza

Audio Engineer: Carl Swenson (www.carlswensonmusic.com)

Podcast Manager: Elena

Nate Collins has been part of the Christian conversation around faith and sexuality for decades. He founded Revoice, a conference and ministry for queer/same-sex-attracted Christians, and he’s written two books on the topic. Also, Nate is himself gay or same-sex-attracted and in a mixed-orientation marriage. We are looking forward to sharing Nate’s and Revoice’s story with you, and also encouraging you to attend the Revoice conference with us this summer!

PS: at Revoice2024, come visit TJ and David at our workshop on (Re)discovering Kinship beyond Marriage. We would love to talk to you!

For $10 off Revoice registration, use PROMO CODE: RevoicePod

About Our Guest

Nate Collins is the founding president of Revoice, a ministry with a mission to support and encourage gay, bisexual, same-sex attracted, or other queer Christians—and those who love them—to live out the historic Christian doctrine of marriage and sexuality. He is the author of All But Invisible: Exploring Identity Questions at the Intersection of Faith, Gender, and Sexuality (Zondervan, 2017), as well as a forthcoming volume about sexuality in the Biblical Theology for Life series from Zondervan Academic. He has an Masters of Divinity and PhD from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Nate and his wife, Sara, live in St. Louis, MO, with their three children.

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Note: This episode uses the terms “Side A” and “Side B” (and X, Y) as shorthand quite a bit. If you’re new to the conversation, you might find it helpful to check out Communion & Shalom episode #3, where we talk through the four “sides”: ⁠#3 - A-B-Y-X | 4 Sides on SSA/Gay Sexuality⁠

Timestamps

(1:42) Who is Nate, apart from Revoice?

(10:04) On "mixed orientation marriages”

(23:18) Joining the faith & sexuality conversation over 20 years

(47:40) Fruit of Revoice: Hope in flourishing, community

(49:40) Aaand the Revoice conference promo code

(50:26) Does Side B "mandate celibacy"?

(54:57) Talking "Side X", pursuing change, new creation

(1:01:14) Identity politics for Christians

Links and References

Here are some resources or terms we mentioned in this episode, in case it’s helpful for your understanding and/or Google searching…

Spiritual Friendship blog: spiritualfriendship.org/Nashville Statement: cbmw.org/nashville-statement/GCN=Gay Christian NetworkQCF=Queer Christian FellowshipExodus=Exodus International Ministries

If you like this podcast, please consider…

→ Sharing feedback or questions! communionandshalom@gmail.com

→ Supporting us on Patreon! patreon.com/communionandshalom

→ Following us on Instagram! @communionandshalom

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Credits

Creators and Hosts: David Frank, TJ Espinoza

Audio Engineer: Carl Swenson (www.carlswensonmusic.com)

Podcast Manager: Elena