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b'In this episode of Reading Queerly: The Queer Lectionary Podcast, Shay and I look at Acts 16:16 \\u2013 34 from this Sunday\\u2019s lectionary.\\nHere\\u2019s what\\u2019s in store for you:\\n\\nPaul & Silas come into conflict with businessmen and the government \\u2014 what does that mean for us?\\nHow are faith asks us to do risky things\\nThe state of the LGBT movement\\nConnections with the Occupy movement and queer prisoners\\nHow conversion requires action\\u2026 often costly action\\n\\nWhat do you think about this passage: What is one time that you\\u2019ve taken a risk and stepped out on faith? What happened? Share with us in the comments below!\\n \\nActs 16:16-34, Common English Bible\\nOne day, when we were on the way to the place for prayer, we met a slave woman. She had a spirit that enabled her to predict the future. She made a lot of money for her owners through fortune-telling.\\xa0She began following Paul and us, shouting, \\u201cThese people are servants of the Most High God! They are proclaiming a way of salvation to you!\\u201d\\xa0She did this for many days.\\nThis annoyed Paul so much that he finally turned and said to the spirit, \\u201cIn the name of Jesus Christ, I command you to leave her!\\u201d It left her at that very moment.\\nHer owners realized that their hope for making money was gone. They grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the officials in the city center.\\xa0When her owners approached the legal authorities, they said, \\u201cThese people are causing an uproar in our city. They are Jews\\xa0who promote customs that we Romans can\\u2019t accept or practice.\\u201d\\xa0The crowd joined in the attacks against Paul and Silas, so the authorities ordered that they be stripped of their clothes and beaten with a rod.\\xa0When Paul and Silas had been severely beaten, the authorities threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to secure them with great care.\\xa0When he received these instructions, he threw them into the innermost cell and secured their feet in stocks.\\nAround midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.\\xa0All at once there was such a violent earthquake that it shook the prison\\u2019s foundations. The doors flew open and everyone\\u2019s chains came loose.\\xa027\\xa0When the jailer awoke and saw the open doors of the prison, he thought the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword and was about to kill himself.28\\xa0But Paul shouted loudly, \\u201cDon\\u2019t harm yourself! We\\u2019re all here!\\u201d\\nThe jailer called for some lights, rushed in, and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.\\xa0He led them outside and asked, \\u201cHonorable masters, what must I do to be rescued?\\u201d\\nThey replied, \\u201cBelieve in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved\\u2014you and your entire household.\\u201d\\xa0They spoke the Lord\\u2019s word to him and everyone else in his house.\\xa0Right then, in the middle of the night, the jailer welcomed them and washed their wounds. He and everyone in his household were immediately baptized.\\xa0He brought them into his home and gave them a meal. He was overjoyed because he and everyone in his household had come to believe in God.\\nThe post Faith In Action & Costly Conversion: Acts 16:16-34 appeared first on Queer Theology.'