“I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles. I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both [...]

Posted in The Bible and Homosexuality 3 Comments »

This was my ordination sermon, based on John 17:20-26, and preached on May 23, 2004. “I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be [...]

Posted in Christian Unity, Church, Public Homilies 1 Comment »

Divorce and Remarriage Within the Church – Tom was a great guy, a man with a strong Christian faith and a genuine passion for entering the ministry. He was there every Sunday, playing the organ or piano, leading the choir, teaching the kids. The problem was the church didn’t consider Tom suitable for ordained ministry [...]

Posted in Marriage, Relationships, The Bible and Homosexuality, Welcoming All 2 Comments »

This is one of the first essays I prepared for christianlesbians.com back in 1997. On my desk is a stack of papers, about a hundred and fifty sheets thick, containing the personal stories of more than 35 ‘ex-lesbians’ which I gathered from ‘ex-gay’ ministries such as Stonewall Revisited. The first time I read them was [...]

Posted in Christian Lesbian Identity, Ex-Gay 20 Comments »

When I made the decision at the age of 40 to return to graduate school, the first step in seeking ordination within Christian ministry, I opted to attend Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California, graduating with a Master’s of Divinity in 2003. I chose this particular seminary because I knew it was a liberal [...]

Posted in Bible Inerrancy, Faith, The Bible and Homosexuality 13 Comments »

SUMMARY The main portion of the book of Job is written in poetic form, sandwiched between the prologue (chapters 1, 2) and epilogue (chapter 42) that are presented in phrose. The story opens with a peek into the life of Job, a man who is living a blessed life, surrounded by wealth and possessions, children [...]

Posted in Queering the Bible No Comments »

Job’s Reorientation As described in the summary, in the end Job’s final response to God is to reject him. Reject the God of traditional theology; the God who was described in the speeches of Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar and Elihu; the God who appeared like a celestial bully from the middle of the whirlwind. No. Job [...]

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Job’s Disorientation Job’s children are dead. His cattle destroyed. His fields and property gone. Job has lost everything and still he holds strong in his faith. “The Lord gives and the Lord takes a way; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). Then Job is struck with boils that ravage his entire body, [...]

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Job’s Orientation The moment we encounter Job in the story we’re impressed. Job is a wealthy family man with a distinguished reputation in his community. You might say he’s part of the in crowd, established and successful. And he’s a good man too as both the narrator and God will attest. That’s a little about [...]

Posted in Queering the Bible No Comments »

I should probably take a moment to explain the title, “The Queering of Job”, which actually says more about me than about anyone else since between the character of Job, the writer of Job, and myself, there’s only one known queer and that happens to be me. Whether we’re willing to admit it or not, [...]

Posted in Queering the Bible No Comments »