Love Letters From Reverend Sex S2:09 The Weight of Authority & Releasing the Burden That Was Never Yours

Summary

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.

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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/