Ehud and King Eglon – A Queer Reading

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 […]

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The UMC and Same Sex Marriage

I 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 […]

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Womanist Spirituality and Consciousness Provides Endurance for Injustice

Womanist spirituality and conscientiousness provide perseverance to marginalized individuals embittered by incessant oppression. For example, queer advocates have fought for same-sex marriage and the ordination of queer individuals since the statement, “[t]he United Methodist Church does not condone the practice of homosexuality and considers this practice incompatible with Christian teaching,” entered the governing book of the UMC (the Book of […]

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Recent Jussie Smollett Attack Calls for Response from Queer Theologians

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 […]

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Latino American Homophobia

Latinos/as in America are the subjects of a new prejudice and that oppression has contributed harshly to those who identify against the normative for family identity. Latino/a culture is one that centers itself on religious ethos and domestic nearness. From prejudice and strong religious teachings advocating marriage and procreation, Latino/a people have developed a homophobia for those who do not […]

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White (American) Homophobia

The word homophobia tends to trouble the hearts and minds of those who hear it. There is an innate fear of the word due to social locations and cultural differences. The crucial issue is that this troublesome word has become imbedded into the ethos and philosophy of society in America. More overly, homophobia has further influenced the dichotomy of segregation […]

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