Broken Culture

Creating content is hard right now in the midst of this season. In some ways it doesn't feel right to abandon my objective and in some ways it's hard to move forward. I don't have all the right things to say, and even in this short reflection, some could say I didn't say enough and some could say I didn't say the right things. But from the platform of Broken Culture, it is not right to not take a moment to pause and address the cultural movement happening before our eyes and to condemn racism and white supremacy. More Broken Culture content is in the works and I am seeking out the mental and emotional space to write and produce so that we can continue learning together how to change the conversation on culture, sexuality, and faith. #BlackLivesMatter

Your host, Will, interviews B.T. Harman, formally Brett Trapp, out of Cabbagetown, Atlanta, GA about B.T.'s perspective on coming out, dealing with sexuality, and how to have better conversations about homosexuality and same-sex attraction no matter where one stands on the topic. Long-form interview. Background track credit: Audiobinger, Free Music Archive

Now that you've heard several episodes, and in preparation for coming episodes, I thought it would be helpful to pause and define some terms. In this episode, we shortly define Broken Culture, what I mean by "The Church," patterned sexual attraction, sexual attraction versus sexual longing, and sexual orientation/identity language. I want these definitions to bring more clarity, but they may open up even more nuance than you realized was there. I hope that thinking on these things can better equip you to talk about them with others. Background track credit: Audiobinger, Free Music Archive

After defining five different forms of attraction in the last episode, in this episode we start to look at what the Bible has to say about our sexual desire, and we discuss at what point sexual attraction actually turns into sin. Background track credit: Audiobinger, Free Music Archive

We all understand what it means to be sexually attracted to someone—we're created to be sexual beings, and most of us are familiar with the experience of sexual attraction. In the Church, there have been some that have said it is an expressed sin in need of repentance to feel sexually attracted to the same sex, but that it is more of God's design to be sexually attracted to the opposite sex. Is this right? Is there a better way to have this conversation? In this episode, I break down 5 different forms of attraction we humans generally experience, noting the distinct differences between them. We begin to discuss the function of sexual attraction and whether it is a sin or not to experience it. Background track credit: Audiobinger, Free Music Archive

In this episode, we address a pertinent issue with some language and understanding around sexuality. When someone says to a gay person, or to someone who experiences same-sex attraction, that they are disordered or that they experience disordered sexuality and they need to change and experience rightly ordered sexuality, is this helpful or hurtful? And where is that person coming from in saying that? What does this all mean? If we want to change the conversation on culture, sexuality, and faith, especially pertaining to this topic, we need to break down this language and explore a better understanding of this language.  Background track credit: Audiobinger, Free Music Archive

In this episode, we address a pertinent issue with some language and understanding around sexuality. When someone says to a gay person, or to someone who experiences same-sex attraction, that they are disordered or that they experience disordered sexuality and they need to change and experience rightly ordered sexuality, is this helpful or hurtful? And where is that person coming from in saying that? What does this all mean? If we want to change the conversation on culture, sexuality, and faith, especially pertaining to this topic, we need to break down this language and explore a better understanding of this language. Background track credit: Audiobinger, Free Music Archive

If we want to change the conversation on culture, sexuality, and faith, we need to address the greatest influence on the reason why our conversations have been ineffective up to this point: brokenness. In this episode, we talk about the title of this podcast, why it is entitled "Broken Culture", and how having a good understanding of how our culture is broken has had a broken effect on our conversation. We also discuss what things were supposed to be like and what things will be like in eternity, in Heaven, and how that gives us perspective on how to have a better and different conversation on culture, sexuality, and faith. Background track credit: Audiobinger, Free Music Archive

The conversation we've been having for a while now about sexuality as it pertains to culture and faith has not so much been a productive conversation, and I believe it's because we're having the conversation incorrectly, most of all by using the wrong language. I'm hoping to change the conversation on culture, sexuality, and faith by bringing perspective, using different language, and clarifying age-old misinterpretations of the Bible. Stay tuned for the release of the first episode.