The former youth minister, Mitchell Kesller, wrote his book Broke The Bread, Spilled The Tea to explore one of Christianity’s most marginalized groups and breaks down exactly what the Bible says about queerness through a contextual, historical, and lexicological lens. Bridging the gap between identity and faith is possible when we conclude that perhaps the God preached on the Sunday pulpits isn’t the fullness of who He actually is. For 14 years serving the ministry, Kesller battled with his own identity like many bi and queer individuals who come from a faith-based background. Through his personal experience with the Church, marriage, and study, Kesller provides a new perspective on the relationship of faith and queerness.
When asked about the criticism that may come because of his story, Kesller did not express any worry about them saying, “I think it’s ironic to see how organized religion tries to deny weaponizing faith, yet its history proves otherwise. Christianity isn’t just becoming aggressive today, it has been a source of wars, slavery, genocide, and oppression throughout the world. In an era of blind faith and misinformation, I wanted people to take a closer look at the Bible, beyond superficial and casual reading, and discover what is real and what is not."
“God loves the LGBTQ+ community, and the Bible provides enough proof of this. As a devout Christian, when I accepted myself as bisexual I had a hard time believing that God loved me. The religious trauma faced by thousands across the nation who have recently become part of the deconstructionist movement is a glaring sign that I'm not alone.”