THE AUTHORITARIAN AND THE INTEGRALIST Location: Austin Town HallParticipants: Rev. Ezekiel Burnham (a fictional composite of a Fundamentalist Baptist Preacher), Joe Perez (author of Soulfully Gay and Soulfully Gay II)Audience: Mixed crowd—churchgoers, spiritual seekers, skeptics, LGBTQ+ community members Rev. Ezekiel Burnham (stepping up after Joe’s opening remarks):“Mr. Perez, I appreciate your...
THE RADICAL FAERIE AND THE NONDUALIST Joe Perez is a spiritual philosopher, writer, and teacher of the Unitive Way, a contemplative path integrating nondual spirituality, queer mysticism, and integral philosophy. He is the author of Soulfully Gay and Nondual Recovery, and his work explores how gay love and eros can serve as divine metaphors for spiritual wholeness. Orion Starfire is a composite...
Participants: Joe Perez, M.Div. – Author of Soulfully Gay and Nondual Recovery, influencer in the LGBTQ+ community, and teacher of the Unitive Way. Roshi Ken’in Gendo – A fictionalized composite Zen master, grounded in a traditional Soto lineage, shaped by monastic discipline and historical Buddhist suspicion of sexuality. Roshi Ken’in: Thank you for coming. We do not often speak so openly of sex...
Participants: Fr. Thomas Rinaldi – A fictionalized composite Catholic theologian and seminary professor, deeply formed by John Paul II’s Theology of the Body (TOB). Joe Perez, M.Div. – Author of Soulfully Gay, blogger and influencer in the LGBTQ+ community, and teacher of the Unitive Way. Fr. Thomas: Joe, thank you again for sitting with me in this space. We began with the Church’s view...
ASCENDING WITH HETEROPHILIA, DESCENDING WITH HOMOPHILIA The sun was just beginning to descend behind the western ridge, casting golden light across the rocky plateau where Kalen O. Tolán and a small group of students had gathered. They had hiked together in silence most of the afternoon, breathing in the clarity of alpine air and the vast stillness that comes only at high elevation. Now they...
INTRODUCING KALEN O. TOLAN It was a pleasant summer afternoon on the campus of a progressive theological college. The sun cast a soft glow over the gently sloping lawn, and a warm breeze carried the scent of lavender from a nearby garden. Kalen, a spiritual teacher known for their quiet wisdom and nondual teachings, sat on the upper side of the grassy slope, looking out over six students seated...
