Shameless Theology S2:02 When Faith Becomes Control: Puerto Rico’s Christian Colonial History w/Yolanda Santiago-Correa Pt. 1
Shameless Theology: Queer Feminist Latine Decolonial FaithShow Notes
Puerto Rico’s colonial past isn’t just politics—it’s a Christian story written into bodies, churches, and daily survival. Rev. Alba Onofrio (Reverend Sex), Executive Director of Soulforce, introduces Shameless Theology Season 2 as a series based on the book Spiritual Violence: Religious Phenomena that Defile the Faith, naming spiritual violence, religious abuse, and white Christian Supremacy as lived realities. In part one of a two-part conversation, guest Yolanda Santiago Correa traces Puerto Rico’s colonization under Spain and then the U.S., describing an “embedded dependency” reinforced through Christian rhetoric, U.S. policy, and economic control. She discusses Protestant denominations dividing the island, structural neglect highlighted by Hurricane Maria, and “Latinidad” as a homogenizing, anti-Black colonial project tied to purity, assimilation, and whiteness. The conversation considers queering inherited tools for understanding race, identity, and belonging, ranging from reggaeton to racial gatekeeping. Part two will explore Yolanda’s experiences of spiritual violence growing up, navigating identity and belonging as a pastor’s kid.
Yolanda M. Santiago Correa is a doctoral candidate in Religion and Culture. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico and an M.Div. from Duke Divinity School. Her research explores the intersection of Puerto Rican racial imagination and Christian practice, centering Black Boricua experiences to challenge colonial frameworks and reimagine religious life in the archipelago and diaspora. She currently serves as Program Coordinator for the Hispanic House of Studies at Duke Divinity School and as the inaugural Director of the AfroLatine Theology Project. Hosted by Reverend Sex (Rev. Alba Onofrio - Executive Director of Soulforce), this podcast channel offers connection, reflection, and community for anyone feeling spiritually marginalized or exiled but still resiliently faithful, while centering dialogue on Queer, Trans, and feminist theology. Shameless Theology seeks to decolonize faith, mixing theological education with real-life experiences to support human rights and life abundant for all of Creation. Initially launched in Spanish as Teología Sin Vergüenza, this show addresses the monopolization of religious discourse by the extreme Right. Here, we gather people of diverse faith backgrounds and Christian denominations--pastors, activists, and scholars--to discuss gender identity, the erotic, and real life in the context of a radically inclusive faith, aiming to heal the wounds of colonizing religion and create a welcoming space for topics often considered taboo in religious spaces. This season forefronts our new book: Spiritual Violence: Religious Phenomena that Defile the Faith. This timely resource identifies and examines the consequences of white Christian Supremacy through historical context and case studies, centering lived experiences of marginalized people, and offers critical analysis and practical tools for healing and resistance. Each week, we’ll share engaging conversations with brilliant guests familiar with the work, as we explore the concepts and lived experiences of Spiritual Violence. The podcast is not a repetition of the book but an expansion of conversation adding new voices: experts in their fields who share their experience with our community. Even if you haven’t read the book yet, these are engaging conversations relevant to the here and how, and we invite you to join us and continue the conversation in your own communities.
FREE PREVIEW: Spiritual Violence and Religious Phenomena that Defile the Faith: https://soulforce.org/download/spiritual-violence/ 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. https://soulforce.org/donate/
More from Shameless Theology: Queer Feminist Latine Decolonial Faith
This season finale of Love Letters From Reverend Sex begins on a quiet island where Reverend Sex reflects on the ocean’s ability to hold emotional turbulence and on the heavy days that call us back to choosing love over fear. After a conversation with Pantay, an LGBTQ youth advocacy group in Manila, Reverend Sex shares the raw moment when a mother asked why so many people still choose hate—and why religion so often stands in the way of love. Reverend Sex explores how fear becomes the engine of division, how religious teachings about obedience and punishment shape our understanding of love, and how fear gets normalized in families, churches, and society. They trace how this fear-based theology leads people to comply with systems that harm them, and how Queer and Trans people continually resist by choosing authenticity, community, and love even when fear is justified. The love letter closes with a meditation on the bravery of choosing love in a world built on fear, drawing a parallel to Jesus’ own refusal to recant his message of equality and liberation. Reverend Sex offers a prayer for courage, protection, and the strength to keep choosing love—trusting that the desire for truth and belonging is always more powerful than fear. 01:41 Ocean Reflections at Dusk 02:06 Holding Turbulence in the Body 02:48 LGBTQ Youth Q&A 04:29 The Mother’s Question 05:46 Fear as the Engine of Division 06:50 How Religion Gets Weaponized 08:26 Fear, Obedience, and Belonging 13:26 Choosing Love in a World Built on Fear 16:05 The Lineage of Jesus and the Cost of Love 17:52 A Prayer for Courage and Truth
In this season finale of Shameless Theology Rev. Alba Onofrio hosts beloved returning guest Rosa Manriquez in an inspiring conversation that captures the essence of the Sinvergüenza spirit.
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. https://soulforce.org/donate/ 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/
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