This message was presented during a “Coming-Out” service at Pacific School of Religion in the Fall of 2002 by the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry (CLGS). Click here for the audio transcript.
My name is Anita. I’m a third year student here at Pacific School of Religion, seeking ordination in [...]

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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, none [...]

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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 Job’s [...]

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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, not [...]

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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 wasn’t [...]

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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 and [...]

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