This blog will focus on the theme and culture of ‘queer theology’ which is a non-western theology, not because it has origins geographically outside of the western world, but because it is a theology that lay outside of the traditional western approach. Specifically, the concentration will be on the impact that queer theology has had, and is still having, on Biblical interpretation. Queer theology is a cutting edge issue with legislation involving same-sex marriage and equal rights currently evolving all over the world. Thus, it is both exciting and important to engage with a theological issue which is deeply rooted within current affairs. Arguably it is also important to engage academically, critically and objectively with subjects which you may empathise with personally, such as equal rights. Equal rights being an issue that is arguably affected by queers theology’s interpretation of the Bible and the reaction that such an interpretation receives from the wider field of Biblical scholarship. It may appear strange, or even insulting, to use the term ‘queer’ when discussing issues that affect those within the LGBT+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, plus) community. However ‘queer’ has become “the insult turned” in the past two decades, emanating from the phrase ‘queer theory’ being used by Teresa de Lauretis in 1991, marking its use as an expression of pride instead of shame within the academic world (Loughlin: 2007: P. 8). Queer theology has grown rapidly in a short time, however it is still a relatively new theory which is often neglected as a serious academic approach to theology. Therefore, queer Biblical readings are often experimental and extremely rare (Hornsby and Stone: 2011: P. ix) yet the impact that they are having is substantial and worth engaging with. Almost every challenge faced within theology involves analysing biblical interpretation in some form, it is interesting to investigate how this particularly troublesome issue has affected traditional biblical understanding thus far. Arguably, one of the main challenges faced by queer theology is that many theologians and Christian groups that are against homosexuality base their arguments within traditional biblical interpretation. It is often expressed by these groups in the streets, in the media, even in the classroom that homosexuality is wrong because ‘the Bible says so’. Arguably, The Bible as an entity does not ‘say’ anything; everything that is expressed in the Bible is subject to interpretation, translation and cultural consideration. The main issue that arises for queer theologians is that centuries of understanding Biblical passages in a particular way has led many to believe that there is no alternative interpretation. Queer theology is rising to this challenge by attempting to remove itself from the anti-gay attitude that has built up through church culture and return to the scripture to determine whether there is a more queer friendly interpretation that has previously been ignored (Hornsby and Stone: 20011: P. x). Through this method it could be argued that queer theology is having a substantial impact on biblical interpretation because it is causing a re-evaluation of specific passages along with a questioning of how we interpret the Bible as a whole.

The first of the two key sources that are integral to this discussion is Queer Sects in Patristic Commentaries on Romans 1:26–27: Goddess Cults, Free Will, and “Sex Contrary to Nature” by J. Townsley. This article discusses how a particular passage in the Bible, which has been used for many years to justify the anti-gay agenda of some Christian groups, has been analysed through a ‘queer lens’ in order to determine if there is a more queer friendly way of understanding it. This article is relevant to focus on for part of the essay because it is important to see specifically how this non-western group is challenging traditional biblical interpretations. This will lead on to a wider analysis of how these in depth reinterpretations of particular passages impact the entire study of Bible reading and the wider Christian community. The second source which will be used in depth will be Bible Trouble: Queer reading at the boundaries of Biblical scholarship edited by T. Hornsby and K. Stone. Arguably, this source compliments Townsley’s as it offers a broader view on the impact of queer theology on biblical interpretation, whilst specific passages are mentioned it does not focus on one. Hornsby and Stone’s work will be explored to help guide the analysis of how queer theology is impacting biblical interpretation by causing scholars and worshippers to question certain parts of Christian culture that have, generally, in the past been ‘set in stone’ or incontestable. Some focus will be given to Hornsby and Stone’s argument that the Bible could argualy be seen as a product of interpretation as opposed to a foundation upon which interpretation takes place because, if this gains academic support it could potentially have a huge impact on the discipline of biblical interpretation..