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Judges 3:12-30 accounts for the triumph of a Ehud, a Benjaminite, over King Eglon of Moab through an act of deception. However, three distinct elements of this story appear providing a worthy queer hermeneutic. First, Ehud is described as being left handed, a queer characteristic. Second, the word “hand” (yad) itself is open to multiple interpretations including “penis.” Finally, the […]
Read moreThis blog entry addresses the problematic translation of Leviticus 18:22, a verse commonly used as a “clobber passage” to justify prejudice against LGBTQIA people. A hegemonic interpretation of Leviticus 18:22 posits a strict prohibition of male-on-male sexual activity. This interpretation is problematic because it conforms to idiomatic rules that do not exist in the original Hebrew. Three problems discussed in […]
Read moreI was walking across the campus of Southern Methodist University today. On the sidewalk, I passed a mother pushing her young male child in a stroller. The child looked at me with an expression of absolute joy and said “HI!!” I waved back and said “HI” to him. The happiness on his face at my acknowledgement of his greeting and […]
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 moreQueering Hosea via Genesis – A Genderqueer discussion of the marriage metaphor This blog presents a genderqueer analysis of the marriage metaphor in Hosea by way of a discussion of female sexuality found in Genesis. The marriage metaphor in Hosea has deeply patriarchal roots originating in the early chapters of the book of Genesis. Deryn Guest notes that Hosea’s view […]
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 […]
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Neoliberal strategies play a significant role in adapting biblical interpretation to hegemonic normativity.[1] As the Christian Right (also known as evangelical Christians) has intensified its pursuits in the systematic exploration of the Bible since the 1970s, its attention has shifted to biblical women. It utilized neoliberal strategies to essentialize women and maintain the status quo of heteronormativity.[2] There are three […]
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Queer theologians must address current events, such as the recent Jussie Smollett case, to challenge hegemonic, heteronormative white supremacist society in the United States. For example, on January 29, 2019, Jussie Smollett, an openly gay, Black television star from the popular TV series Empirewas assaulted on the streets of Chicago. He was barraged with racial and homophobic slurs, dowsed with […]
Read more“It’s Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve!” “Marriage has always been between one man and one woman!” Such are the arguments that often spew from the mouths of those who oppose the validity of non-heterosexual lifestyles. These statements, along with countless others, aim to show that heterosexuality is the only proper mode of human existence. While these people have […]
Read moreHistorically, humans living outside of the heteronormative construct are silent and tyrannized. These marginalized “Other” suffer under the oppression of structures of tradition, culture, religion, politics, economics and education. They function within an androcentric-heteronormative construct. The term queer “refers to anything outside the norm,” according to Laurel C. Schneider.[i] Within this oppression a queer community rises up and with it […]
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