Readings, signings, lectures, workshops, and more!
I bill myself as as Writer-Teacher-Poet-Speaker-Hymnist-Public Theologian*
* ‘public theology’ seeks to equip the whole people of God to think together about the life of faith so they are empowered to act faithfully in their lives.
I offer resources to help people of faith explore gender, sexuality, ecology, and justice, with imagination, grace, and compassion. I’m available to do adult forums, lectures, short-term residencies, keynotes, retreats, sermons, hymn sings and more.
Resources
When God was a Little Girl. I wrote this short story, which retells the creation narrative through the metaphor of God as a little girl doing an art project, for my daughter Susanna wen she was just 5 years old. Twelve years later, in 2013, it became a crowd-funded award-winning picture book (with illustrations by Joan Hernandez Lindeman) that will appeal to imaginations both young and old. Find more about it and purchase it here.
To the Tune of a Welcoming God – Hymns for a Church Hungry for Welcome. I’ve collected fifteen of my hymn texts and put them on a CD. Iowa City-based singer-song writer Sara Kay has recorded the vocals. The album became available in July 2013. Read my blog post announcing the project (note that my Kickstarter campaign is over — and it was a resounding success) or more about the CD & book.
To the Tune of a Welcoming God – Lyrical reflections on Sexuality, Spirituality, and the Wideness of God’s Welcome. This collections of eloquent, accessible essays supporting full welcome to LGBT persons came out in 2008 and is now out-of-print, HOWEVER I have the remaining copies at my home and am happy to sell them until they’re gone. See more about the CD & book.
Buy the CD or the book here.
Hearts Unbound. This is a project completed with support from the Institute for Welcoming Resources. It’s a series of ten “readers’ theater” scripts that invite participants inside some of the welcoming biblical texts that belong in the conversation around welcome to LGBT persons. Each script will run about 25 minutes so that they can be used as part of evening Bible studies or Sunday morning adult education hours. Here’s the press release by the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force.
Testimonials of my work as a speaker:
“David was an invaluable resource helping us gather, wonder, and converse about our faith, our relationships with one another and God’s creation, and the biblical witness to God’s love in Christ Jesus. He preached, taught, and met with both student and community groups including GLBT college students and allies. He invited students, faculty, staff and guests to imagine and practice what it means to be reconciled to one another as God’s people. David’s ability to draw out the best in people and help them practice caring conversation and mutual reconciliation is truly amazing.”
– Rev. Ramona Bouzard, January 2010
Dean of the Chapel, Wartburg College
“David connected on an intellectual and personal level in his lecture to more than 100 members of our campus community. He was equally at home in a small classroom setting, where he met with students in courses on cross-cultural communication and LGBTQ studies. David opened an important dialogue on our campus between secular and Christian communities who all too often fail to talk to one another.”
– Dr. Jamie Ann Meyers, April 2010
Professor of Geoscience, Winona State University
“At a time when many in the church are given to polarization and anxiety over these questions of faith and life, David explores Scripture, theology and human sexuality with a clear mind and a non-anxious presence, inviting others to ask honestly where the Spirit is at work in the life of the church. In a manner both refreshing and welcome, David’s writing and presentations engage participants in deeper dialogue and in finding fruitful intersections between the Biblical story and contemporary stories and questions.”
– Rev. Mike Blair, February 2010
College Ministries, Luther College
“With a perfect balance of the witty and serious, David offered much-needed words of comfort and inspiration to our campus community. Too often, students like me who are both queer and religious feel that we have to forsake one identity in order to be whole people, or that our morality must be either strict and unyielding or practically nonexistent. By exploring the many ways that our bodies can be ground for knowing God, David reminded us that our sexuality and spirituality are complementary, not contradictory. His poetic words prompted me to reflect on how my own experiences have (or have not) helped me to better know God.”
– Teresa Wink (student), October 2010
Rainbow Alliance, St. Louis University
“As a passionate storyteller, David Weiss is spot-on with his interpretation of Scriptures that are widely used by faith communities as clobber passages, in speaking out against the welcoming of LGBT. David eloquently weaves a tapestry of spoken word and encouraging song that clearly reflects his commitment and dedication to a global vision that is affirming and inclusive of ALL who are searching to renew their spiritual journey with Christ.”
– Hospitality Initiative of Servant Hearts, Bemidji, Minnesota, September 2011
Full Frontal Faith 