Reading the Bible Queerly: Beyond the Basics!

This workshop will help participants dig deeper into trans and queer approaches to the Bible in ways that can help them transform their teaching, preaching, and personal interpretation/devotional practices. The workshop goes “beyond the basics” by skipping over the traditional “clobber passages” and questions of “what the Bible says about LGBTQ people.” Instead, it will use unexpected passages to help participants understand how trans and queer approaches can inform how they read and teach any story or text from the Bible. These approaches are heavily informed by current, cutting-edge work being done in trans and queer Biblical Studies, including but not limited to the workshop leader’s work on queer approaches to Paul’s letters and the New Testament. The workshop will be highly interactive in order to show participants how they might incorporate these methods into their work with adults, youth, or children. Instead of telling them what a queer or trans approach to a text is, the leader will challenge participants to learn and embody these approaches using guided examples and collaborative learning techniques. Participants will leave feeling empowered to dig deeper into the Bible using these approaches and skills–and with resources that help them adapt and apply these reading techniques to their many different contexts for faith formation.
Although this workshop is pitched as “beyond the basics”–in order to be a resource to LGBTQ leaders and allies who have already done the equivalent of “Inclusion 101”-type workshops–the workshop welcomes folks with all levels of experience–with the note that we will not be going over basic concepts of gender, sexuality, or usage of pronouns.