In Queering the Lectionary: Proclaiming the Gospels Subversively, biblical scholar Jimmy Hoke provides succinct queer commentaries on every gospel text selected in the Revised Common Lectionary. Insights from queer and trans studies are connected to exegetical details drawn from a close reading of each gospel selection. The comments are designed to make the work of trans and queer biblical scholarship accessible and usable, especially for preachers and Bible study leaders.
Accessibly written, each commentary offers rigorous analysis of the biblical text informed by attention to the original Greek language and knowledge of the histories of Second Temple Judaism, the early Roman Empire, and the early Jesus movement. Hoke is also closely attuned to the rhetorical agenda of each gospel's author. They offer easy avenues for preachers and other interpreters to make relevant connections between the Bible and LGBTQIA2S+ lives and experiences. Taken together, this approach allows preachers to combine insights from both biblical scholarship and queer theory when they craft sermons that proclaim God's justice.
Queering the Lectionary stands out because it is rooted in critical biblical scholarship while creatively engaging gospel texts in ways that help them come alive in the pulpit and other ministry settings. Hoke foregrounds the transgressive, transformative potential of queerness, helping the audience use the Bible to enact queer and trans liberation for themselves and the world.
