When Deborah Met Jael: Lesbian Biblical Hermeneutics

Part One examines the problematic word ‘lesbian’ and attempts to define who, or what positionality, it might incorporate. Here, the reader will find reference to the work of the sexologists and the theories that produced the now stereotypical concept of the lesbian as woman suffering from gender nonconformity. However it moves on from those discussions to the concept of political lesbianism within second wave feminism and from there to the impact of queer theory on lesbian and gay studies. The second chapter is important for grounding the work of subsequent chapters. Hermeneutical principles are always marked by the context in which they are produced and this chapter discusses the various ways in which lesbians find themselves positioned and subsequently oppressed, depending upon the specific context in which they live.  An illustrative tour of non-Transatlantic contexts and the situation in England follows.  Part Two identifies four principles for a lesbian-identified hermeneutic. These four principles are not separate, stand-alone ideas, but each is meant to interact with the others in a holistic manner. rategies that have rendered female homoeroticism all to not only continue engaging with the ‘texts of terror’ . The final chapter puts forward my view that a lesbian-identified hermeneutics would find a welcoming and thriving home in the métissage – an umbrella space for those committed to social, political, economic and religious justice and transformation.

Queer Bible Commentary

Co-edited with Bob Goss, Tom Bohache and Mona West

A one-volume commentary on the Bible that brings together the work of several scholars and pastors known for their interest in the areas of gender, sexuality and Biblical studies.
Each chapter of the commentary covers at least one Biblical text or in some cases, a combination of texts and focuses specifically upon those portions of the book that have particular relevance for readers interested in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues: such as the construction of gender and sexuality, the reification of heterosexuality, the question of lesbian and gay ancestry within the Bible, the transgendered voices of the prophets, the use of the Bible in contemporary political, socio-economic and religious spheres and the impact upon lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities.  A range of hermeneutical approaches are employed within the commentary as contributors draw on feminist, queer, deconstructionist, utopian theories, the social sciences, historical-critical discourses as each contributor sees fit.