Just another SMU Blog System Sites site
“Proclaiming our inherent value requires that we recognize, name, and celebrate our identity as queer people. That is, shifting the focus from the external disapprobation of our otherness-and the political subjugation it breeds-to an interior knowledge of ourselves. It is in this shift that Pride emerges that empowerment is made possible.” Identity is more than politics. Identity is a life […]
Read moreConservative interpreters present Rahab, a character in Joshua 2 as a celebrated figure of faith and conversion. A queer, postcolonial interpretation merits consideration. Rahab is described as a prostitute living in the outer wall of the city of Jericho. She assists two spies sent by Joshua to conduct some advance reconnaissance work prior to an attack on Jericho. Rahab hides […]
Read moreInterpenetration provides a model to understand the Trinity more clearly. The concept of a Triune God is complicated to grasp. In systematic theology, we study at length the natures of God as Divine, human and spirit. I find that fully understanding the Trinity remains an elusive undertaking. Patrick Cheng’s discussion in Chapter 3 of “An Introduction to Queer Theology: Radical […]
Read more
Koala Jones-Warsaw’s womanist interpretation of Judges 19-21 draws upon the complex social dynamics that black women experience in their everyday lives, focusing on the intersectionality of gender, class, and race.[1] Jones-Warsaw asserts that womanist hermeneutics unearths the “significance and validity of the biblical text for black women who today experience the ‘tridimensional reality’ of racism, sexism, and classism.”[2]She analyses Judges […]
Read moreThe humorous story of Ehud recorded in Judges 3 needs a queer reading to understand the deeper meaning of the text and its implication for LGBTq readers. Judges 3 may not come off as humorous to a modern reader but in antiquity it was considered funny. The implications of the words maybe lost on readers today, but the text is […]
Read moreWhat is Queer Biblical Hermeneutics? Queer biblical hermeneutics is a way of looking at the sacred text through the eyes of queer people. It is important to understand the meaning of these terms in relation to the exegetical process. “Queer” is a term that collectively refers to people who are LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender) and to people with […]
Read moreThrough the study of Queer Biblical Hermeneutics, I have found freedom from the heteronormative, imperialist, marginalizing and essentialist interpretation of the scripture which allow me to dance across the intersectionality of my identities. Coming out in the early nineties to my family and Christian community was a liberating and heart-breaking time. I was in college in California where one might […]
Read moreIt has been a week since the United Methodist General Conference in Saint Louis. The main debate was on human sexuality, with delegates voting to determine whether or not to allow people on the LGBTQ spectrum to be ordained and serve as clergy in The UMC. The other debate was whether clergy can officiate at same-gender weddings in their local […]
Read moreThe alternative, In Genesis 2:9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God the creator of creation gave man-kind a constant option […]
Read moreThere is hope in the struggle for faithful LGBTQ people to see themselves in the Holy texts that shape their churches and communities.[1] When people of faith ask, “where does authority come from for the direction of our journey,” in most mainline denominations the answer is: “From the Bible.”[2] This answer sounds reasonable from a Christian standpoint. The problem arises […]
Read more