“Interpretation that denies Black life is sin.Interpretation that silences women is sin.Interpretation that condemns queer folks is sin.Interpretation that props up empire is sin.”
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Welcome back to The Family Table.In this episode of Let Us Reason Together, we’re pulling back the veil on biblical interpretation: who controls it, who suffers from it, and how Black communities have always reimagined it for survival, dignity, and liberation.
Tales from the Theologian, Therapist, & Researcher is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
This isn’t just about theology.It’s about the way interpretation shapes our minds, our psyches, and our very sense of being. Bad interpretation wounds. Liberating interpretation heals.
This conversation is rooted in Liberation Theology, Womanist truth, Qur’anic and Biblical wisdom, and my own therapeutic modality to help us see why interpretation matters for both faith and mental health.
🔥 In this episode, we explore:
* How scripture was weaponized against formerly enslaved African ancestors through torn pages and edited texts
* Why “no private interpretation” has been used as a tool of control and colonized dependency
* The difference between private readings that hoard truth and personal readings that liberate it
* How toxic interpretations encode shame, silence, and self-condemnation into our nervous system
* Why Black interpretive authority is sacred and rooted in survival
* How to reclaim scripture as a tool of healing and liberation, not bondage
🎧 LISTEN NOW:Bring your journal, bring your questions, and bring your whole self.This table is sacred, and you belong here.
🎙️ EP Title: The Politics of Interpretation📡 Podcast: The Family Table (Let Us Reason Together)🗣️ Host: Dr. Tanya Alkhaliq
💡 Quotes from the Episode:
“Interpretation is never neutral; it either wounds or it heals.”
“When you silence women, queer folks, or Black bodies, you refuse to hear how G-d may choose to speak through them.”
“Interpretation should lift, not crush. Open, not close. Point us toward the infinite, not shrink us down to the biases of the interpreter.”
🧘🏾♀️ Mental Health Moment:This episode includes a special segment: ✨ The Weight of Interpretation ✨we talk about how harmful interpretations create internalized oppression, how scripture can become a site of trauma, and how reclaiming your own reading can be the first step in rewiring your nervous system toward healing.
🎁 Support This Work:If this conversation gave you clarity, healing, or language for what you’ve carried, consider sowing into this work.
💵 One-time and monthly donations:➡️ 👉🏾 tanyaalkhaliq.substack.com | ➡️ Cash App: $swyft18
Your support helps fund:
* Mental health education rooted in Black liberation
* Therapy access for underserved communities
* Future episodes, courses, and healing circles
🎶 Music Credit:All music in this episode is used by permission from:🎧 X the Maestro➤ soundcloud.com/x-the-maestro
📌 TAGS:#FaithAndMentalHealth #LiberationTheology #BlackPsychology #WomanistTheology #ReligiousTrauma #ResilientReclamation #TheFamilyTablePodcast #SpiritualDeconstruction #PoliticsOfInterpretation
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Thanks for reading Tales from the Theologian, Therapist, & Researcher! This post is public so feel free to share it.
Thanks for reading Tales from the Theologian, Therapist, & Researcher! This post is public so feel free to share it.
