The Courage to Be Queer. Jeff Hood
Kiniry, founder and pastor, Neal Park Potluck
“Jeff Hood is an extraordinary theologian who uses precision mixed with creativity to elevate the theological discourse. Hood’s determination to intersect theology and praxis through activism demands our attention to his prophetic voice.”
—Rev. Mitchell Boone, White Rock United Methodist Church
“Like Jeff, I too believe that queerness is not just a legitimate identity to be defended but a vocation for all of us to learn. This a text that will help us on the journey.”
—Rev. Morgan Guyton, director of NOLA Wesley Foundation, United Methodist Church
“This text is an authentically queer spiritual and intellectual journey into the depths of what it means to be both fully human and fully created in the image of the Divine that leads to delight and hope for us all.”
—Sarah Griffith Lund, author of Blessed Are the Crazy: Breaking the Silence about Mental Illness, Family, and Church
“The Courage to Be Queer is a theological masterpiece. Jeff Hood weaves a brilliant tapestry of God’s love. This text is the answer for anyone struggling to believe God loves all people.”
—Rev. Donald H. Fulton, Alliance of Baptists
“As a cis-hetero ally to LGBT neighbors, I carried on a ‘compassionate’ conversation about ‘them’ until I met Rev. Dr. Hood. In his preaching, his way of being, and his scholarship he showed me that there is no ‘them’ — or rather, that we are all ‘other,’ all queer, and all beloved by our God who is Other, who is Queer, who loves beyond our ridiculous differentiations. Jeff offered me the courage to be queer, a good gift for which I’m grateful.”
—Rev. Dr. Katie Hayes, Galileo Church (Disciples of Christ)
For the Queers
Foreword
When I think of Jeff Hood, I think of John the Baptist. A wild-eyed, bearded preacher standing on the outskirts of town preaching the radical message that God is doing a new thing in our day. Crowds flock to hear the message he has to proclaim. Many religious leaders were infuriated by what John had to say. Many of the devout were confused. But the marginalized heard hope in his voice. They saw liberation on the horizon. For them, this unkempt holy man was a sign that a new day was about to break forth in their world. It is in that same unkempt spirit that Rev. Jeff Hood appears on the scene. Standing on the outside of the church, calling to those on the inside to come and taste the kingdom of God that is manifesting just beyond their line of sight.
My first interaction with Jeff Hood came in fall of 2014 as I was working to launch an organization called Evangelicals for Marriage Equality. On the week of our public launch, I received an email from Jeff that said, “I don’t know whether or not I should be excited for your new organization.” I had never met Jeff before but was intrigued by his forwardness. We began discussing, first via email and then on the phone, our common journey from conservative evangelicalism to a more progressive faith. The more we talked, the more I became intrigued by Jeff’s unique theological perspective. But I didn’t realize just how queer Jeff’s theology was until a few weeks later, when he invited me to speak at his home congregation in Texas. Over the course of the weekend, Jeff and I spent many late nights and many long rides in the car debating, discussing, and dissecting our theological perspectives on sexuality and gender identity. Jeff articulated his unique theological position, rooted in queer theory, liberation theology, and also a distinctly Southern Baptist evangelical theology in a way that captured my attention. I had never imagined that a single theologian could incorporate three traditions that are totally distinct and in many ways opposed to one another to create such a beautiful theological portrait of what it means to be truly human—made in the image and likeness of God. But Jeff’s theology didn’t really grip me until I saw it in action.
On my first night in Texas, Jeff drove me to a local hospital for a pastoral visit to a young gay man in his congregation who had attempted suicide earlier that week. As Jeff and I walked into the hospital room where this man lay heavily sedated, I watched Jeff approach the bedside, grip this man’s cold hand, and begin to pray. He prayed that this man would be healed, not only in his body or mind, but also in the way that he perceived himself. He prayed that this man would learn to walk in his unique or queer identity, embracing the whole of who God made him to be. I looked at the pale face of this brother who had been stricken with so much grief and I saw just how real and how needed Jeff’s theology was. A word of liberation was needed. A word of affirmation was needed. A word of love was needed. And Jeff’s vision of queerness offers that to the world.
There is a whole group of gender non-conforming individuals and sexual minorities who live in a world that teaches them to conform to a label or culturally constructed identity. If they don’t conform, they are marginalized, oppressed, and chastised. This is still a reality in our secular society today and it is most certainly a reality in the Church of Jesus Christ. Those who claim to be followers of the radically unique and unconditionally inclusive Son of God have become a force of oppression and abuse to countless individuals God has made with a unique sexual orientation or gender identity. In the church, all action is driven by our theology. The church oppresses sexual minorities because its theology leads it to do so. In every generation, God raises up prophetic voices that speak an unpopular word to God’s people, calling them forward to come closer to the full revelation of God’s kingdom. For our age, Rev. Jeff Hood is truly one of those voices, speaking a vitally important word to the church that calls us to reform our beliefs about sexuality and gender identity and to repent of the oppression we have perpetuated.
I have seen Jeff live this theology out. I have watched as he articulated his queer vision of God to some of the most prominent Christian leaders of our day and seen how their thinking began to shift as they considered what Jeff had to say. Jeff’s theology is radical, to be sure. But it is also one of the most liberating perspectives I have ever come across. Parts of Jeff’s teaching have affected the way I view myself, my relationship with God, and how I interact with the wide array of unique individuals that surround me each and every day.
In the pages of this book, you will find some of the most compelling and simultaneously challenging theology you have ever encountered. You will likely disagree with some of what you read and feel compelled to take a defensive posture against the queer perspective of God that Jeff is articulating. But I encourage you to come to this text with an open heart and a prayerful attitude, expecting to have your theological paradigm turned upside down. Come to this text with a spirit of exploration, expecting to be pushed to see things in a whole new light and go willingly into uncharted territory. For it is in these uncomfortable spaces that our eyes can be opened to see God in new and exciting ways. Come to this text not only willing to learn, also but willing to grow deeper in to your own identity as a queer child of God and in your relationship with your Creator.
I have known few scholars, pastors, and friends as innovative, caring, and brilliant as Jeff Hood. I have known no one as courageous. A prophet is never received in his hometown, as the saying goes, but his word is always timely. Jeff Hood has proven his unwavering faith in God and his commitment to living out the radical implications of the gospel time and time again through his dedication to uplifting the marginalized at immense personal cost. And as difficult as it may be to be a prophet to a new generation, no one is better equipped for the job than Jeff Hood. In these pages you will hear his message. Open your hearts. Expand your mind. Receive the new word God is speaking to you today.
Prepare to be transformed.
—Brandan Robertson
National Spokesperson for Evangelicals for Marriage Equality
February 2015
Preface
Theology is based in story. In stories we find the epicenter of queerness. No two stories are exactly the same. In the midst of the pursuit of meaning, most of us look to the world to give us answers. We place our person in categories and identities to define who we are and what God is.1