Queer theology

It's the title of the book Mrs brought back for me to read form her University library.

I forget the name of the editor - I'll tell you next post if I remember.  [Edit: It's Gerard Loughlin]

She got it for me knowing my interest in the theology of homosexuality and in particular stuff that is neither rapidly conservative nor Bible-dismissingly liberal.

I've only dipped into it so far - a collection of essays by scholars.  Therefore mostly unintelligible to the normal mind - there seems to be a refusal to use any word of less than 11 syllables, or any word used in day-to-day speech, or any word that you don't need degrees in English, Latin and ancient Greek to decipher.

I've not found anything specifically about homosexuality in it yet.

In one essay, the author points out that we assume the risen Jesus was still a MAN, ie not a eunuch, not emasculated, but still with all his bits.  And if his resurrected body had them, then so will ours.  And if we have them, it's for a purpose.  Ergo, he seems to argue (and I've not finished the article yet), there will be sex in heaven.  Intimacy with everyone seems to be implied.

Another article looks at Paul. Paul says 'let him who is married behave as if he was not married'.  (Sorry no time to quote reference accurately).  He says Paul's primary concern was being ready for the second coming, not getting tied up with earthly legalism like marriage.  Again, I've not finished the article, but it seems to imply a more widespread intimacy.  If that's not a contradiction in terms.

So I'm struggling with it - fascinated, in much the same way that one is fascinated by shiny flies on a dog turd.

I will read on and report back more!