Christian and Queer? Jesus-loving and Post-Evangelical? Deconstructing and Faith-full?
You can be your true self and have an intimate relationship with God!
We know.
Hi and welcome!
We are Benton Stokes and Elane O’Rourke.
You probably found us through someone you trust who dropped our names. Or you stumbled onto our podcast, Cocktail Theology, or read our books, or danced to Benton’s music, and looked us up.
Whatever road you took, we are really glad you’re here!
What do we do?
Create safe and brave spaces for Misfit Christians like ourselves to learn, practice, and grow.
We are LGBTQ-friendly (and Queer ourselves), broadly Christian, and difference-affirming.
Most of us are post-Evangelicals, though some of us come from the liberal wing of the Christian house.
We take the Bible seriously, so we read its 66 books historically, contextually, prayerfully, and progressively.
We explore the wisdom and practices of the over 2000 years of our faith, for the purpose of living well with God, others, and our selves.
We talk things through. We get things wrong. We learn and grow and change.
And somehow, always, God meets us exactly where we are.
Sound like you?
If you’re looking for a community where you can rethink your faith and rediscover God, check us out.
Get on our email list so you find out when our courses are being offered. Listen to our podcast (Cocktail Theology) to get a sense of who we are. Join us as we (Re)Read The Bible, listening for God speaking to us through those (and often grossly misinterpreted) ancient words.
If you’re a Misfit like us, we’d love to get to know you.
Email us and introduce yourself! We promise to write back.
Our central project is teaching you new ways to think about God, yourself, and others. We deconstruct what we’ve been taught and reclaim what is good. Click to learn more and to sign up for the waiting list for our next course.
We practice being with God and each other through communal worship (called Practicing The Presence) and study (in ReReading The Bible)
Our podcast is Cocktail Theology. We deconstruct and reclaim language and ideas that have been used against us (and you). We also talk about God and life while we enjoy a cocktail.
Our book of LGBTQ-affirming, real-life devotions is available on Amazon: Daily Contemplations For Misfit Christians.