Announcing EfM: Reflections—A Theology for Trans Allies
When the Rev. Kevin Goodman became the executive director of the School of Theology’s Education for Ministry program, one of the things he was asked to develop were new offerings that could expand its appeal to a wide variety of people. As one answer to that charge, short courses, titled EfM: Reflections, were created—five-to-ten-week formation courses for small-group study and congregational use.
He tapped the Rev. Dr. Tara Soughers to help build one of the first courses, A Theology for Trans Allies, based on her book, Beyond a Binary God: Toward a Theology for Trans* Theology. “Transgender theology challenges us to go beyond our comfortable understanding of the world, ourselves, and God,” says Soughers. “It allows for envisioning ourselves not as a group of two kinds of things, but as individuals who are part of a larger interconnected web.”
Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe, at the recent Full & Equal: 50 Years of the Pursuit of a Promise gathering in Minneapolis, said, “The way that trans people are being treated in this world, in this culture, in this country, it is one of the many things that keeps me up at night,” he said. “It’s contrary to the gospel. It’s a scandal to the heart of God.”
In response to the recent gathering of The Episcopal Church’s LGBTQ+ members and allies and the call to continue the work of inclusion, the Trans Allies short course is a way to help congregations learn more about the issues while theologically reflecting upon experience, church tradition, cultural sources, and deep questions.
Learn more about how your church can participate by becoming an EfM: Reflections facilitator here.
About the Rev. Dr. Tara Soughers
The Rev. Dr. Tara Soughers currently serves as the rector at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Silver City, New Mexico. She is a published author, a spiritual director, and a trainer for the Education for Ministry (EfM) program through the University of the South. Dr. Soughers holds a doctorate in practical theology with a concentration in spirituality from Boston University School of Theology. Her work often explores the intersection of theology and contemporary issues, drawing from her personal experience as the parent of a transgender son.
About Education for Ministry
The Education for Ministry Program (EfM) offers courses for small-group engagement and transformation developed by the School of Theology, at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. An estimated 120,000 individuals have participated in the program since its founding in 1975.
About the School of Theology
The School of Theology forms lay and ordained leaders for service to the Episcopal Church and the world. The seminary’s rigorous curriculum is grounded in the Anglican tradition of forming disciples through a common life of prayer, study, and service; the seminary offers residential education surrounded by God’s creation in a rural, natural setting. The school’s global contextual education program further equips students for the practical aspects of ministry in community, preparing graduates who are devout, learned, and useful.