Rev. A. Leon Tredwell, PhD (’06) realized his spiritual calling at age 10. “I came up in the church,” he explains, at Mount Olive Baptist Church in Norfolk, Virginia—a Black church wrestling with the “narrative of civility.” At the time, “we were down to one lady (Ms. Walker) who shouted” when she caught the spirit. One Sunday, Lee and his friends were in the back row when someone told the youngsters exactly when Ms. Walker would shout. When the prediction came true, the boys broke into suppressed laughter. That’s when Lee heard the Spirit speaking to him.
“Why are you laughing at her?” Lee recalls the voice asking. It continued: “She’s only doing that because I’ve been good to her. And I’ve been good to you, too.” Since Lee’s family setting had changed from abject poverty to suburban middle class, he could only agree. The die was cast.
Coming to United
Though Lee fully recognized his call to ministry, he began his professional life as a grain trader for Cargill. After 10 years of moving with the company, Lee realized his purpose wasn’t being fulfilled.
Through a connection with and encouragement from Rev. Drs. Ralph and Alika Galloway, Lee decided to give United a try. Thinking back, Lee says that the first thing he appreciated about United was that “the environment and the content were inclusive, innovative, and it was a place of freedom.” Because he was wrestling with his sexuality, Lee especially needed that kind of open-arms welcome.
He continues, “To see other queer people who were just brilliant and living out their brilliance in the fullness of who they were” was remarkably affirming. “Being queer in the Black church,” he observes, “was an anathema.”
He remembers Rev. Dr. Carolyn Pressler and Dean Richard Weis† with great affection. Both teachers, he asserts, “taught us to wrestle with the biblical text until it opened up and spoke.” They also introduced Lee to Black and postcolonial hermeneutics, and Rev. Dr. Weis led him to passages in Jeremiah 38 (Hebrew Bible) that sparked his interest in learning more about a Black character named Ebed-Melech.
Spreading the Good Word
These days, since earning his PhD in Theological and Religious Studies in 2017, and spending many years preaching and teaching, Lee is excited to be publishing a new book. Titled Black, Queer, and Blessed: My Story and the Biblical Story Churches Don’t Teach, the book is part memoir and part theological reflection on the Ebed-Melech revelation.
Lee has launched a new website (blackqueerandblessed.com) to promote the book and serve as a touchstone for young people who are struggling with their faith and sexuality. He is also planning an upcoming tour, including podcast interviews and speaking engagements at universities and seminaries, to share the good news about “blessings and connectedness with God.” “The spirit of God and the energies that God has given us are toward purpose,” he asserts.
Reflecting on his time at United, Lee feels gratitude for the openness and creativity he discovered. “I am extremely grateful for the experiences at United and the shaping of my life as a result of being there.” He continues, “Because I was there and they embraced me and encouraged me, they helped me to evolve…to be where I am today.”
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† Deceased
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